Lots of garbage at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
I prepared for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by spending the afternoon with garbage at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). First up: an exhibit featuring artwork by Dorothy Rissman made from trash she found on city streets, construction sites and beaches. Next: an introduction to the airport’s six pair of shiny new, computer-monitored trash compactors, […]
Tidbits for travelers: free buffets at JFK; free flights to nowhere
Volcano-delayed flights to and from Europe and beyond are resuming, but airport closures and flight cancellations may continue on-and-off for weeks. So this NYT tracking map may be handy for a while longer. In the meantime, people have been opening their homes to stranded passengers and theaters, museums and restaurants have been offering discounted and […]
Saguaro-inspired art at Tucson International Airport
There’s been a lot of talk about fire and ice and volcanoes this past week, so how about a side-trip to the desert? A new exhibit at Tucson International Airport features a wide variety of art depicting the iconic Saguaro. What’s a Saguaro? “Carnegiea gigantea is native to the Sonoran Desert that extends from Tucson […]
Stuck at JFK? Free buffet for volcano-delayed passengers
Many travelers stranded New York’s JFK airport due to volcano-canceled flights have been stuck at the airport’s International Terminal: Terminal 4. Travelers stuck in other terminals have been bused over to Terminal 4 as well, in part because that’s the only terminal with food concessions located pre-security. According to SSP America spokesperson Darleen Nascimento, “Many […]
Stuck at the airport: British Navy to the rescue
This closing-the-airports-because-of-the -volcano, for the fifth day now, is getting to be too much for a lot of travelers and now, for the British government. That’s why, says this article, “Royal Navy ships may be joined by commandeered civilian vessels to bring home British citizens, who have now been stuck since last Thursday across Europe […]
Souvenir Sunday: funny soap and rescued tools
The 40th anniversary of Earth Day arrives on April 22nd so to do my part I thought I’d share a couple of smart, good-for-the-earth souvenirs I found recently on a road trip in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory. The first is this funny looking bar of soap -“designed to eliminate the unused center of traditional soap […]
Get a Clue: toy exhibit at Toronto Pearson Int’l Airport
Two new exhibits at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) are all about toys. Exploring the Toy Box and Boosting Business: Companies Team up with Toys includes dolls, games, trucks and even a few musical instruments from the 1940’s to today. The toys are on loan from the Canadian Toy Collectors Society and most every toy […]
Volcano closes airports; but doors are open in Denver
If I could fly somewhere this weekend, I’d choose Iceland for the chance to see for myself what that volcano is doing. But since the ash has caused the worst disruption in air travel since 9/11, that’s not going to happen. Photo courtesy Craig Murphy, via Flickr OK, so Iceland, and pretty much everyplace else […]
Are airports ready for the new 3-hour rule? Are you?
(photo courtesy Daniel Incandela) My column on USATODAY.com this month, Are airports ready for the 3-hour rule?, takes a look at how airports are gearing up for the April 29th roll-out of the new Department of Transportation (DOT) rule to upgrade protections for airline passengers. We’ve been hearing a lot from airlines – they’re not […]