(Photo courtesy Munich Tourist Office)

Oktoberfest, the two week long festival that runs this year through October 4th, is in full swing in Munich, Germany right now.  The celebration is one part mega-county fair and the rest – well, as I learned during an evening in the Hippodrome tent with local journalists and our hosts from Lufthansa airlines and Munich Airport – it’s as advertised: all about drinking, eating, and singing with a few thousand brand new best friends.

(Photo courtesy Munich Airport)

For my much tamer introduction to German beer and beer culture, I first visited the Airbräu, the micro-brewery set in the large public area between the two terminals at Munich Airport.  Currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, this was Europe’s first airport microbrewery and seems to be as popular with locals as it is with travelers.

Outdoors, there’s a large, festive beer garden that’s open from May through October. Indoors, the restaurant shares space with giant kettles and other machinery needed to produce about 115,000 gallons of beer each year.

There are other entertaining amenities at Munich Airport, which I’ll report on here shortly, but all in all, the Airbräu is a fun way to spend a few hours if you find yourself stuck at Munich Airport.

Categories: Alcohol, Bars, Entertainment
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Do you collect anything? Baseball cards, stuffed monkeys, or small soaps from hotels?

If you’ve got three or more of something – or 3000 of anything – then you’ll be especially interested in the fun new exhibit at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

(Enamel Pins – collected by Patti Dougherty)

Private Collections: Personal Obsessions includes selections from eighteen private collections borrowed from residents of the Philadelphia area.

Some collections, such as antique doorknobs, walking canes, and vintage postcards, are nostalgic.  Others are all about popular culture – Smurfs, Beanie Babies, and Bobbleheads – or everyday objects such as key chains, brushes, and olive oil cans.

Still other collections represent souvenirs from the collector’s travels. Things like snow globes, matchbooks, and floaty pens.

(From Susan Moore’s hand collection)

Private Collections: Personal Obsessions can be seen in the corridor between Terminal A-East and Terminal B through February of 2010.

(Snowglobes, Collection of Gabriel Martinez and Lee Shirley)

Categories: Art, Exhibits
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The newest art exhibit at Tucscon International Airport (TUS)  is called Mystical Journey and features the work of three Tucson painters:  Sue Betanzos, Catherine Eyde, and Janet Miller.

Here are some samples, starting with this piece by Sue Betanzos called Canto de Sonora

This is Catherine Eyde’s After the Rain,

And here is Janet Miller’s Trans-Sister Radio

These works, and others, are on display in the Upper Link Gallery at Tucson International Airport.   Enjoy!

Categories: Art, Exhibits
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On the road but no time to visit the art museum? Don’t fret: along with fine dining, boutique shopping and full-service spas, top-notch art collections are now permanent amenities at many airport terminals.

For a slide-show on MSN.com, I pulled together examples of some of the fun stuff you’ll find in 15 airports in North America.

You can see the full slide show by visiting the story on MSN.com Travel: Airports with the Best Artwork,  but here’s a preview:

Artwork, some of it Texas-sized, by more than 30 local, national and internationally known artists dots DFW: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Terminal D and the Skylink train stations. Look down to see elaborate medallions in the terrazzo floors, look up to see giant murals and mobiles and look straight ahead to see unusual sculptures such as Anitra Blayton’s 16-foot tall “Standing Ovation,” (above) made from the casts of hundreds of pairs of hands.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) the flying corncob on Concourse E is Craig Nutt’s work: “Corncorde,”

And at Sacramento International Airport (SMF) the big attraction is the supersized “Samson,” a sculpture in the Terminal A baggage-claim area made of two 23-foot tall towers of stacked luggage made of 1,400 pieces of cast-offs donated by area residents.

To see more fun airport art, see the full-length slide show on MSN.com travel: Airport with the Best Artwork.

If I missed some great airport that you especially like, please let me know!

Categories: Art
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Happy Souvenir Sunday!  On Sunday’s we feature some fun, under $10, “of that city” items found at airports.

This week: treats from Venice Marco Polo Airport,  courtesy of the lovely and talented Kathy McCabe,  the creator of the Dream of Italy travel newsletter.

She found Cipriani Sauce and Cipriana pasta, both made by the family/company behind the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice and both selling for less than $10.

Thanks, Kathy!  Can’t wait to read about your latest Italian adventure!

Have you found a great souvenir at the airport? If it’s under $10, “of that city,” and perhaps a bit offbeat, please take a photo and send it along to us here at StuckatTheAirport.com.   Your souvenir may be featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

Categories: Food, Souvenirs
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