Posts in the category "Shopping":

What would the souvenir stand look like at the airport where flights took off for outer space?

Shopping at the Greenwood Space Travel Supply co

No doubt just like the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. in Seattle, where there’s an Atomic Teleporter on-site and shelves full of useful and just plain fun and bizarre things for that out-of-this-world trip.

Come by later

Unfortunately – or maybe, fortunately – the space teleporter was out of service this weekend when we stopped by, but that just left more time for shopping.

Our goal on Souvenir Sunday is to find the best and, ideally, the most offbeat items in the under $10 range. Often, that’s a challenge.

Not here.

We found these luggage tags good for intergalactic travel:

Don't lose your luggage in outer space

A useful repair kit:

And the perfect snack food for the ride.

Snacks for the trip

And, because you never know just what will happen on any trip, we stocked up on some emergency underpants in convenient reusable tins.

Be prepared

Whether the space teleporter ever gets fixed or not, the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. is an incredibly fun place to stock up on travel supplies for any sort of adventure.  It’s also a good cause: all proceeds from the shop benefit 826 Seattle, a non-profit writing center that helps young people develop their writing skills. When we stopped by there was a neighborhood-wide hang-out-in-the-street-event going on and these young writers were creating and performing poems based on quick interviews with passersby.

If you’re stuck at an airport somewhere on earth, take a look in the souvenir shop. If you find something there that’s fun, offbeat and under $10, please take a photo and send it along. Your souvenir may show up on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday. And if it does, we’ll send a special souvenir your way.

Wish you were here

Categories: Air Travel, Airport shops, Events, Layover, Shopping, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs
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Yesterday’s Snack Saturday feature served up Tastycakes and other Pennsylvania-made treats for sale at Harrisburg International Airport’s (MDT) Perfectly PA shop.

That same shop is where you’ll find one of this week’s Souvenir Sunday picks: socks decorated with an Amish horse and buggy scene.

Novelty socks for sale at MDT Airport

I’m sure there’s a shop or two over at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport that stocks novelty socks as well. (Moose anklets, anyone?)  And it’s a good bet there’s a coupon in the airport’s summer coupon book that can be used towards that purchase.

Don’t need any socks? It’s still a good idea to download the coupon book from the MSP website or pick up a copy at an information booth inside the airport. There are dozens of two-for-one and free-with-order drink and meal deals in there, along with discounts and gift-with-purchase deals in many airport stores.

You should also pick up the MSP summer coupon book if you’re a pet owner. MSP has a 24-hour pet boarding facility – it’s called Now Boarding – on airport property and there’s a coupon in the booklet good for a free bath or nail trim for pets staying overnight.  That seems like a great airport souvenir for pets – and their people.

Did you find a great souvenir last time you were stuck at the airport? If it’s under $10, “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along. Your souvenir may be featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday on StuckatTheAirport.com.

Categories: Air Travel, Airport shops, Airports, Free Stuff, Layover, Pets, Shopping, Snack Saturday, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, Uncategorized
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Airport employee Timothy Ihle's recipe was chosen for the LAX International Dog

(Photo credit: Jay Berkowitz/LAWA photographer)

Hot dog fans rejoice. There’s now a branch of Pink’s Hot Dogs in the pre-security food court at the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport. On the menu: the LAX International Dog, based on a “recipe” suggested by an airport employee.

And in Oregon, there’s now a branch of The Barbers at Portland International Airport.

Look for the lighted barber pole

(Photo courtesy szlea, via Flickr Creative Commons.)

Like the company’s 16 other Pacific Northwest locations, the pre-security airport shop has an old fashioned barbershop appearance and offers haircuts, hot lather neck shaves and shoe shines.  (Still checking to see if the free popcorn served at other branches will be offered here.)  To celebrate the grand opening, haircuts are only $5 through August 15th. Another reason you – and your hair – should head to the airport early.

Categories: Air Travel, Airport shops, Airports, Food, Restaurants, Shopping
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Traffic was slow heading into Spokane International Airport on Friday because most drivers had their eyes on the sky.

I don’t blame them: the USAF Thunderbirds and other military flight demonstration teams were practicing for this weekend’s Skyfest 2010 at Fairchild Air Force Base.

Inside the airport, flights were delayed while practice flights took place. So there was plenty of time to shop for souvenirs.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the concourse with the Simply Northwest store, which is filled with a wide variety of local and regionally made items such as wine, chocolates and Bumble Bars.

Nope, I was in the other concourse. The one with just a small souvenir section in the newsstand.

But, lucky for me, there was a shelf filled with one of our favorite Souvenir Sunday categories:  Candy “poop.”

I’m really not sure what makes this an appealing food or souvenir item, but we’ve seen Cardinal Poop (Indianapolis), Pelican Poop (Fort Myers, FL) and Armadillo Droppings (throughout Texas).  So it’s no surprise that at Spokane International Airport, there’s an entire shelf of Moose Poop and Bear Poop.

Next time you’re stuck at the airport, check out the souvenirs. If you find something that’s about $10, is “of” the city or region and is a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along. Your souvenir may end up featured on Souvenir Sunday at StuckatTheAirport.com. And if it is, you’ll get a fun souvenir from us.

Categories: Airplanes, Airport shops, Entertainment, Shopping, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, aviation
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Each Sunday at StuckatTheAirport.com we take a look at some of the fun and inexpensive souvenirs you can find at airport gift shops.

This week’s treats come from Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), which just opened its new high-tech Terminal B to the public.

At SJC, there’s free wireless Internet access throughout the terminals, but in the new Terminal B, 25% of the seats are equipped with AC outlets and USB ports. So re-charging your electronics shouldn’t be a problem. But when you plug in, pay attention: I thought I was charging up my cell-phone only to look down a half hour later and discover that I was plugged into a bank of chairs that wasn’t ‘turned on’ yet.

But let’s get back to Souvenir Sunday. I spent last Wednesday – the entire day – touring the new Terminal B at San Jose Airport.  So I had plenty of time to poke around.

In the San Jose store, which promises local souvenirs and memorabilia, I found shirts, caps, and water bottles branded with the San Jose Sharks hockey team logo, but all that stuff was more than $10.

The recycled motherboard notebooks and cute little frames made out of recycled keyboard letters seemed very Silicon Valley, but a store clerk said she was pretty sure those items were all made in China.

Moving on, I found a branch of C.J. Olson Cherries. For more than 100 years, this family-owned farm has been growing cherries and operating a fruit stand in Sunnyvale, which looks to be about a 15 minute drive from the San Jose Airport.

The airport shop is small, but it sells fresh cherries and other fresh fruit as well as dried fruits, nuts, fruit-flavored candies and cherry accessories.

For my Souvenir Sunday pick, I got a small container of fresh cherries.

The cherry-themed apron fell outside my $10 Souvenir Sunday limit, but I found a plenty of cherry-flavored treats that fell well within my  budget.

Have you found a great souvenir while you were stuck at the airport? If it cost around $10, is “of” the city or region and is, ideally, a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along.

Your photo may end up featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

And if it is, I’ll send you a special souvenir.

Categories: Airport shops, Airports, Food, Shopping, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, free Wi-Fi
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