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If you traveled to or through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) over the holiday weekend perhaps you saw them. Or walked on them.

The airport recently unveiled new mosaic tile artwork in the centerpoints of concourses A, B and C.

The images include an 1850’s map of the city traced with a labyrinth on Concourse A, a spinning airplane propeller on Concourse B, and an image of the world’s largest exposed mass of granite, also known as Stone Mountain, on Concourse C.

The designs were created by Cheryl Goldsleger, “Atlanta Labyrinth” (Concourse A); Anita Arliss, “Propulsion” (Concourse B); and Donald Cooper, “Mountain of Stone” (Concourse C).

The artwork looks great here, but I bet it looks even better ‘in person.’

Categories: Air Travel, Art
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The Kona International Airport (KOA), on Hawaii (The Big Island),  is charming, but really very tiny. There are ten gates between two terminals and the waiting areas are outside, in small courtyards that offer limited shade.

Amenity-wise, there’s not much. Still, you’ll want to arrive at the airport early enough to spend some time at the Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center, located at the airport, between the two terminals.

This space center honors the memory of Ellison S. Onizuka, who was Hawaii’s first astronaut and one of the crew members who perished aboard the Challenger Mission in 1986.  The center has dozens of interactive exhibits that tell the history of manned space flight, physics, and daily life in space. It also displays personal items that belonged to Ellison S. Onizuka; a moon rock, an Apollo 13 space suit and other items.

My favorite items:  the packages of freeze-dried macadamia nuts and Kona coffee (with cream and sugar) that were prepared especially for Onizuka and which the museum director assured me are still available on the menu for modern-day astronauts.

We were disappointed that the freeze dried Kona coffee wasn’t available for sale in the well-stocked space center gift shop.  But in the under $10 price-range that we seek out for Souvenir Sunday, we found freeze dried ice cream and plenty of books, stickers, and space-themed toys.

Have you found a great souvenir at an aiport? If it’s under $10, “of” the city or region, and a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along.  It may be featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

Categories: Air Travel, Airport shops, Exhibits, Fun Stuff
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Getting ready to head home from a Thanksgiving visit?

If you haven’t gotten a seasonal flu shot or an H1N1 vaccine and are traveling to or through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) or Midway Airport - you’re in luck.

The airport clinic in Terminal 2 operated by the University of Illinois at Chicago and – starting Sunday; stand-alone kiosks in the terminals at ORD and Midway Airports – will be offering arm-shot seasonal flu vaccines and H1N1 flu vaccines in the nasal mist form.

Both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 vaccines have been hard to find, and it’s a good bet this supply won’t last long. So if you have time – make it a point to get vaccinated at the airport.

The kiosks at ORD are in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3; at Midway the kiosk is in the airport’s  concession triangle.  The H1N1 mist costs $25; seasonal flu shots are $35. And, as with clinics across the country, the airport-provided vaccines will not be available to everyone: the clinic will be giving inoculations to those who fall into the federally defined at-risk categories.

For more information call the IUC clinic at: (773) 894- 5100

Categories: Air Travel, Alerts, Health
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Happy Thanksgiving!

While you were fretting about getting a gut-busting meal on the table, the folks at Heathrow Airport were busy putting up the world’s largest sprig of mistletoe in Terminal 5.

The super-sprig is ten feet by eight-feet, is suspended less than 10 feet from the floor,  and “was created to enable the one million passengers expected to fly through Terminal 5 in December the chance to share a truly memorable moment with their loved ones.”

Sweet, right?

But what if you’re not traveling through Terminal 5?

Don’t fret: there’s going to be giant mistletoe in every terminal at Heathrow.

So kiss away!!!

Have a moment to muse over mistletoe?  The folks at BAA sent along this list of 10 things you may not know about mistletoe.

Note:  If you’re worried about eating too much on Thanksgiving, check out #7: a one-minute smooch burns off 26 calories.

1. The custom of kissing under mistletoe is said to have originated in Scandinavia, where the plant is seen as a symbol of peace and harmony.
2. There are over a thousand mistletoe species worldwide.
3. The Romans also believed mistletoe had peace-making powers. When enemies met beneath it, they apparently threw down their weapons.
4. Tradition dictates that girls who refuse to be kissed under the mistletoe will remain old maids.
5. Mistletoe lives on trees and has no roots of its own.
6. Although the mistletoe is considered to be the seed of love, the common name of the plant is derived from the ancient belief that mistletoe grew from bird droppings.
7. Kissing under the mistletoe could be a good way to compensate for eating too many mince pies – scientists have calculated the average person burns off 26 calories in a one-minute smooch.
8. Mistletoe appeared on the British 47p stamp in 2002.
9. It was also the subject of Cliff Richard’s 99th single, ‘Mistletoe and Wine’, which spent four weeks at number one and became the best-selling single of 1988 in the UK.
10. Mistletoe leaves and young twigs are used by herbalists for treating circulatory and respiratory system problems.

Categories: Air Travel, Fun Stuff
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In addition to the airport freebies I wrote about yesterday here at StuckatTheAirport.com, we have a few more airport events and giveaways to seek out during your Thanksgiving trek through the airport:

If you’re traveling through Boston’s Logan International Airport or Seattle-Tacoma International Airport today (Wed. Nov 25, 2009) look around for the “Fareologists” from Bing Travel. They’ll be answering travel questions (try to stump them by asking where the best place is to buy an extra pair of underwear) and surprising some folks (1,000 in all) in the ticketing areas by giving them a $15 card redeemable for cash anywhere MasterCard is accepted.  Nice!

If you’re at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) Wednesday between 10 and 11 am look around for the world-famous Radio City Rockettes, who will be performing -and no doubt posing for photos with travelers – in the Baggage Claim area and at the Security Checkpoint in the Landside Terminal.

And between 8 am and 5 pm today (and on Saturday and Sunday; November 28-29, 2009) you can stop by an “Airport Privacy Haven”  in Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) or New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport for a free massage and complimentary Wi-Fi between 8 am and 5 pm.

Enjoy!

Categories: Air Travel, Baggage, Entertainment, Events, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Holidays, Lounges, Wi-Fi
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