Posts in the category "Events":

Tidbits for travelers: Free Wi-Fi & free photos with Santa

Free Wi-Fi on Delta Air Lines

From now till January 2, 2012 passengers on Wi-Fi equipped Delta airplanes will be able to use the in-flight Gogo Wi-Fi for free for 30 minutes each flight.

It is a partnership with eBay, so you can continue shopping on that one site for the entire flight.

More info on free Wi-Fi on Delta Air Lines here.

Holiday music at JFK and LGA airports

Jazz trios, quartets and quintets from the New York Pops orchestra and up to 25 members of the performance choir from the Choir Academy of Harlem will entertain American Airlines passengers with holiday music at LaGuardia and JFK International Airports during the next few weeks.

In LaGuardia Airport, performances will be in the Central Terminal Building, American Airlines Concourse D, Gate D5.

• Dec. 14, 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The New York Pops Jazz Trio
• Dec. 20, 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The New York Pops Jazz Trio
• Dec. 22, 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The New York Pops Jazz Quartet

At JFK International Airport, the concerts will be held in American Airlines Terminal 8, Concourse B Lobby by Gates 14 and 16.

• Dec. 16, 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The New York Pops Jazz Quintet
• Dec. 19, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Choir Academy of Harlem Performance Choir
• Dec. 20, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Choir Academy of Harlem Performance Choir
• Dec. 22, 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The New York Pops Jazz Quintet
• Dec. 23, 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The New York Pops Jazz Quintet

During their performances, The New York Pops will offer travelers an opportunity to win tickets to an upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall.

Photos with Santa


Southwest Airlines, Clear Channel Airports and Microsoft Windows are teaming up to offer free holiday photos with Santa at 19 airports around the country through December 24th.

Look for the holiday-themed kiosks , Santa and a “Windows 7 Elf” at some of the Southwest Airlines gates at these airports:

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
General Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL)
Logan International Airport (BOS)
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)
Oakland International Airport (OAK)
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
San Antonio International Airport (SAT)
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Tampa International Airport (TPA)

Topiary wonders at Singapore’s Changi Airport

Singapore’s Changi Airport is well-known for having a wide, wonderful and somewhat over-the-top array of attractions for travelers to enjoy while they’re stuck at the airport.

Among my many favorites are the giant indoor slide –

Changi Airport giant slide

And the sunflower and butterfly gardens -

The airport goes all out during the holidays with floral displays and decorations and this year the airport has installed a series of giant topiaries (plants and shrubs grown and shaped into figures and structures) in the form of iconic landmarks from around the world. Look for the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Temple of Heaven, Singapore’s Merlion and others.

Help needed: building libraries in Zambia

Feeling elfish? I am.

 

And this year I’m participating, once again, in a project called Passports with Purpose:  an ever-expanding group of travel bloggers who band together to raise funds for a great cause.

In 2010 the group raised more than $64,000 to build a village in India to improve lives of the Dalit (untouchable) population in India.

In 2009, almost $30,000 was raised to build a school in rural Cambodia (complete with a school nurse).

This year, the goal is to raise $80,000 to build two libraries for children in Zambia, through a partnership with Room To Read.

Contributions to the project are tax-deductible, but each $10 you kick in gets you an entry in a prize drawing for some incredibly cool and useful items; everything from hotel stays and airline tickets to electronics and travel gear.

I asked the folks at Minimus.biz to be my “prize partner” again this year.

So if you donate to the Passports with Purpose project, be sure to enter to win the Minimus.biz surprise box which is chock-full of at about $100 worth of essential, curious, luxury and really fun, travel-sized items.
(If that prize isn’t on the list yet, it will be shortly…)

Minimus.biz surprise bag

Minimus.biz stocks travel-sized items in every category you can think of: food and beverage, household, pharmacy, cosmetics, toys & games, travel and survival. The first time I checked out the site I was looking for TSA-friendly hair care products, but I found a whole section of single-serving food products, travel-sized rolls of duct tape, toilet paper and seat covers, emergency supplies, a specialty boutique and themed kits like this one for germophobes.

Your donation of just $10 can really help. So please take a look at the project site and join me in making this year’s Passports with Purpose project a success.

Play golf or a game of pool at Palm Beach Airport

Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport serves ‘just’ six million passengers a year but, amenity-wise, it has everything a passenger might need. And then some.

There’s free WiFi and a good assortment of shops and restaurants. And, right in the center of the main terminal, there’s a putting green. To play, travelers need only stop in at Sam Snead’s Tavern and rent a putter for just a few dollars. A souvenir golf ball is included in the rental.

David Fish took these photos for StuckatTheAirport.com and I noticed that not only is there a putting green at the airport, but it appears that there’s a pool table there too.

Painting dancer at San Diego Airport

If you’re near San Diego International Airport mid-day on Friday, September 2, 2011, make your way to the pre-security area of International arrivals in Terminal 2 east.

From 12:45 –1:45pm there will be a live painting and dance performance called The Traveler by Silfredo La O.

Here’s a short video that shows how he does indeed create a painting with dance.

The performance includes narration by T. Ford of Black Storytellers of San Diego and accompaniment by percussionist Yiriba of Teye Sa Thiosanne of African Drum and Dance Co.

The event celebrates Arts Month San Diego and the ART SAN DIEGO Contemporary Art Fair, which begins on September 1.

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