Happy Souvenir Sunday!

Every Sunday Stuck at the Airport unpacks the carry-on and re-packs for a fresh new adventure. It’s also when we look over the souvenirs we’ve accumulated through the week.

This week, we have this cute little Air Force One that photographer and world traveler Daniel Incandela found for sale at the Indianapolis International Airport.

At a Tweetup (a real-world gathering of folks who follow each other on Twitter) hosted by Alaska Airlines in Seattle, I came away with this great souvenir: a Best-Lock construction toy of an Alaska Airlines airplane.

I’m not sure what my favorite part of this souvenir is. The cute little airplane (that sells on-line for less than $5), the little pilot inside, or the fact that the package has a message about the dangers of plastic bags printed in 36 different languages!

And, because sometimes the best souvenirs are the stories our friends bring home from their trips, I’m including this link to Bob Rini’s Nine Pound Hammer  blog entry about his stop in Siena, “the arch rival of Florence.”

While there he learned the history of Siena through the story of how the 17 contrade (neighborhoods) compete against each other in a wild-sounding bareback horse race, the Palio,  that dates back to 1283.  Those neighborhoods each have their own flags and costumes; a tradition we now think every city should adopt.

(Courtesy Bob Rini; Nine Pound Hammer)

Have you found a great souvenir while stuck at the airport?

If it is: under $10; not a generic item (i.e. shot glass or mug); and “of” that airport, city or region, then please send a photo and a note about why you chose that souvenir.  It may just show up on a future Souvenir Sunday.

Tags: Alaska Airlines, Indianapolis International Airport, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, airport shopping
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The lovely, new Indianapolis International Airport (IND) opened to the public in November 2008 and now it has a cool-looking Web site to match.

Take a minute to visit the site, even if you’re not planning a trip to IND anytime soon.  In addition to a tour brochure, the site has a downloadable pamphlet describing the $4 million of new artwork created just for this terminal.

Here are just two of my favorites:

Towards Flight by Brian McCutcheon

and Baggage Claim by Ron Baron

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport art, Indianapolis International Airport
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All of a sudden there are lots of (free) reasons to visit Indianapolis.

The city has just opened its brand-spanking-new terminal at Indianapolis International Airport (IND), complete with free wireless Internet access, swanky shops and restaurants, and several million dollars worth of brand new public art.

Now museums, attractions and tourist destinations in town have banded together to offer free admission and other freebies, one each day, during the 12 days leading up to Christmas. The promotion begins Saturday Dec 13, with free admission to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum and ends on Christmas Eve with free admission to see Santa, a snow castle and other attractions at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. I have my heart set on flying in by Dec. 20th. That’s when there’ll be free tours at the Indiana Medical History Museum, which bills itself as the “nation’s oldest surviving pathology laboratory.”

(The “Anatomical Museum” room inside the Indiana Medical History Museum. Photo courtesy the IMHM.)

Here’s a link to more information about the 12 days of free events in Indianapolis leading up to Christmas.

Tags: Airport amenities, Free stuff, Indianapolis International Airport
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The new Indianapolis International Airport (IND) opened earlier this week, complete with a new terminal building, new parking facilities, new interstate access via I-70, new air traffic control tower, and $4 worth of original artwork.

In addition to lots of new shopping and dining opportunities, the airport is also offering travelers free wireless Internet access. Hooray!!!

The terminal building is named in honor of World War I flying ace Col. Harvey Weir Cook, and soon there’ll be a permanent display honoring the Hoosier hero in the Baggage Claim area near the south garden. The display will feature personal memorabilia and other items, including Cook’s goggles, medals, letters, pilot licenses, photos, antique model planes, and more.

Tags: Airport art, Indianapolis International Airport, Wireless Internet
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Proving, once again, that it’s often lots more fun to just hang out at the airport than to actually fly anyplace, thousands of folks showed up this past weekend for the open house at the new Indianapolis International Airport.

In addition to all the new shops and eateries, the new terminal, just down the road from the old terminal, has lots of great new artwork.

For example:

This piece, called JetStream, was proposed by Rob Fisher, a well-known sculptor who died before he could construct the piece. Luckily his wife and daughter completed the piece, which is made of 120 “crafts” arranged in a pattern that resembles the way the jet stream curves around Indiana on a national weather map.

Breath (above) is a kinetic sculpture created by Indianapolis artist Greg Hull. The work consists of 11 hollow forms suspended at various levels that, when operating, will seem to inflate and deflate – or breathe.

Want to see more? The Indianapolis Star has a nice slide show on its Web Site.

Or you can just plan to a visit on your own. The airport opens for real – with arriving and departing flights – on November 12th, 2008.

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport art, Indianapolis International Airport
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I wrote earlier about the North Terminal opening today (Sept 17, 2008) at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW).

There’s been a lot written about the 35 shops and restaurants included in the new DTW terminal, but there hasn’t been much in the news about any new art.

Over at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND), though, where they’re putting the finishing touches on their new terminal, art is definitely on the agenda.

Scheduled to open on November 11, the new Indianapolis International Airport (just down the road from the old one) will have $4 million worth of newly commissioned artwork.

Included: “whimsical and functional seating” in the baggage claim area by New York artist Ron Baron that has been “created by casting actual pieces of luggage in bronze and painting them to look like their originals… The slightly old-fashioned look of the suitcases and travelers recalls the joy and wonder that was associated with air travel in a bygone era.”

There’s lots more. Stay tuned.

Tags: Airport art, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Indianapolis International Airport
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Three new terminals and at least one fresh new airport are set to open in the United States this fall. With all the news about airlines cutting flights and eliminating service, let’s hope someone will get to enjoy these new facilities.

The new 26-gate North Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) opens for business on September 17^th. Before airplanes start pulling up to the gates, the airport is hosting a free open house (Sept. 6^th) with music, dance, games, a scavenger hunt, and prizes that include “a plane load of gas in gas cards,” airline tickets, and a trip to Disney world. The day before that party (Sept 5) there will be a charity preview event inside the terminal to benefit five local non-profit groups. On tap: dinner, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Quartet and live entertainment.

(DTW North Terminal: courtesy DTW)

Opening elsewhere this fall:

Oct 1: JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK);

Oct 26: Terminal 2 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU); and

Nov 11, the new Indianapolis International Airport (IND), just down the road from the old one.

Tags: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Indianapolis International Airport, JFK Airport, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, new terminal
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