DCA

DCA: 5 Things We Love About Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Airport guides, , ,

Our “5 Things We Love About…” series continues today with some of the features and amenities at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

Address-wise, DCA Airport is in Virginia. But it is just a 20-minute Metro ride from the airport to the National Mall and all the free Smithsonian Institution museums.

Keep in mind that some of the amenities we love at DCA may be temporarily unavailable due to health concerns. We are confident they will be back.

And don’t forget to take a look at some of the other airports profiled in the “5 Things We Love About…” series.                           

5 Things We Love About Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

1. The views of Washington, D.C.’s monuments

Nice, right?

Aviation geeks who would rather look at airplanes than landscape and monuments know what Gravelly Point Park sits at the end of DCA’s longest runway and offers great plane spotting opportunities.

2. The Historic DCA Lobby

DCA Opening Day – June 16, 1941

Washington National Airport opened for business on June 16, 1941 with service from two airlines: American and Eastern.

Back then the facility was “ultramodern” in terms of building design, air traffic control, and convenience.

Today, the historic Terminal A lobby still feels swanky, in that 1940s way.

You’ll also find photos from the earlier era along the wall in the hallway to the west of the lobby and, nearby, an exhibit area with artifacts and information from Abingdon, a colonial plantation that once stood on the airport’s grounds.

3.  Ben’s Chili Bowl restaurant

DCA has a branch of Ben’s Chili Bowl, a landmark restaurant in Washington, D.C. known for chili dogs, half-smokes, and milkshakes.

4. The Art at DCA

Floor medallion DCA by Frank Stella
Floor medallion – Sol Lewitt
Floor medallion by Michele Oka Doner

Art is an integral part of Terminal B/C, which was designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli.

The permanent artwork includes ten floor medallions on the concourse; 11 balustrades that overlook the concourse; 5 murals; 2 stained glass friezes and more.

5. The Rocking Chair Lobby in Terminal A

We love any airport that has rocking chairs. Don’t you?

Did we miss some of your favorite features or amenities at DCA – Ronald Regan Washington National Airport?

Let us know in the comments section below.

Travel Tidbits: airports offer art, history & music

Airports, Exhibits, Music, , , , ,

MKE Slalom

“Slalom” at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell Int’l Airport

Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport has a new piece of art – a kinetic work by Tim Prentice called Slalom in the baggage claim area.

The piece includes a gently undulating ribbon of reflective kinetic elements that float overhead and weave through the building’s support columns and will create an “ever-changing sequence of varied and unpredictable effects,” said Prentice.

SFO Museum presents: I Love You, California

SFO SNAKE

Red diamond rattlesnake skeleton. Courtesy of Ray Bandar & SFO Museum

At San Francisco International Airport, the SFO Museum is presenting “I Love You, California,” an exhibit exploring the state’s natural history through the collections of the California Academy of Sciences. Look for “invertebrates from abalone to deep sea squid, birds such as acorn woodpeckers and tufted puffins, plant pressings including the state flower, the California poppy, land and marine mammal skulls, fossils, and a myriad of minerals,” illustrating the diversity of the “Golden State.”

The exhibit is in the Departures Level, pre-security, of SFO’s International Terminal through January, 2016, but if you don’t think you’ll be going that way before then you can see a selection of the items displayed here.

Free concerts

And in the Washington, D.C. area, Washington Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport are presenting the fifth season of the Summer Jazz Series of free concerts.

DCA JAZZ

At Dulles, the concerts will take place near the East Security Checkpoint on the ticketing level between 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. On Thursday July 30th, Two Smooth Duo will offer R&B tunes; on Thursday August 13, Lennard Jack and Fusion will play Caribbean jazz.

At Reagan National, concerts will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. pre-security on the Concourse Level across from Cosi near Terminal C or across from Cibo near Terminal B. The line-up includes the Heart Song Trio on Thursday, July 23, Lennard Jackson and Fusion on Friday, July 31 and the Potomac Jazz Project (classical jazz) on both Thursday, August 6 and Thursday, August 13. More details here.

(More) fresh airport art – at DCA & IAD

Art, ,

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Arts Program has rolled out two new exhibits – one at at Ronald Reagan Washington National and another at Washington Dulles International Airport. Both will be on display until May 30.

American Hollyhock


American Hollyhock,” by artist Beata Murawska is one of the works on display at Reagan National Airport.

At Reagan National Airport “Color of Joy: An International Perspective” showcases art from around the world, including collages, abstract, mixed-media and other artistic expressions. Look for the exhibit in the airport’s Gallery Walk art corridor, near the underground walkway connecting Terminal A with the parking garages.

Fall near Sycamore Island

“Down By the River” is at Washington Dulles International Airport in the Gateway Gallery, located in the connecting walkway between the AeroTrain C-Gates and the C Concourse.

The exhibit includes photos of scenes along the Potomac River and were provided by the f11Women’s Photography Collective, which has more than 40 photos on display at the airport.

Nikki Giovanni at Reagan Washington National Airport

Art, Festivals, Free Stuff, , ,

If you’re passing through Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday morning, February 27, 2012, around 10 a.m. then make your way to the historic lobby of Terminal A for a poetry slam.

The event is part of the airport’s Black History Month celebration and the local high school students competing will be judged by  a panel that includes Nikki Giovanni, a well-known poet and a New York Times Bestsellers List author; Amy Young, poet laureate from Alexandria, Va.; and Vincent Young, published author, artist and Airports Authority employee.

Following the Poetry Slam, Nikki Giovanni will read selections from her works and answer questions from the audience. A real treat!

Airports named for U.S. presidents

Airports, , , , , ,

In honor of Presidents Day, here’s a round-up of airports in the U.S. named for presidents.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): Originally Idlewild Airport (built over Idlewild Golf Course), it was airport rededicated as John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 24, 1963, in memory of the nation’s 35th president.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Texas was named Houston Intercontinental Airport until 1997.

(Drawing of proposed National Airport ca. 1935; courtesy DC Public Library Commons)

Washington’s National Airport (DCA) was renamed Reagan National Airport in 1998.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)  in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was Kent County International Airport until December, 1999.

And let’s not forget Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI) in Springfield, Illinois and Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport (DIK) in Dickinson, North Dakota.

Are we missing any?