Air Travel

SFO T2 brings back great “old” art

Air Travel, Art, ,

Here’s one more look at some of the art in the newly renovated Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport.

The terminal, which will serve American Airlines and Virgin America passengers, opens to the flying public on Thursday, April 14th.  Among the artwork travelers will see are some treasures that have been in storage for years.

Kate Patterson of San Francisco Arts Commission says one of the highlights is a series of three tapestries by Mark Adams.

Mark Adams tapestry at SFO T2

 

“Woven in the traditional Aubusson style, these tapestries represent various gardens that the artist remembers from his years living in San Francisco. Irises, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and wild dahlias rendered in rich, deep shades now greet passengers as they make their way towards the baggage claim area.”

 

Patterson says the works that were put away during the T2 renovation include pieces by some key figures in the Bay Area’s Abstract Expressionist and Bay Area Funk movements, including Roy De Forest, Lee Mullican, Hassel Smith, Sam Tchakalian, Joan Brown, Wally Hedrick and Arnaldo Pomodoro.

“As a collection, these artworks provide a window to San Francisco’s vibrant art scene in the early 1960s through the mid-1980s.”

Curious to know more about the new and ‘old’ artwork in SFO’s T2?

Earprint Productions has made a cell phone art tour for T2. (650.353.4331)

That audio will soon be available as a podcast.

For more about the art and amenities in SFO’s renovated T2 see these previous posts:

SFO T2 Sneak Peek: part 1

SFO T2 Sneak Peek: part 2

SFO T2 Sneak Peek: part 3

Tidbit for travelers: MREs and more at Reno Airport

Air Travel, Airport guides, Free Stuff, Gambling, Layover, Stuck at the Airport, Wi-Fi, ,

If you’re at an airport when disaster strikes, would you go hungry?

Not, apparently, at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

According to the airport’s newsletter, there are always MREs (meals ready to eat) in storage in case there’s an emergency and people are stuck at the airport.

Happily, no recent emergencies warranted opening those packages, so as the expiration date on 1400 of the ration packages neared, the airport decided to donate the meals to the local food pantry.

MREs form Reno Airport

MREs from Reno Airport on their way to the food pantry

 

Don’t worry: the airport has ordered a fresh batch of MREs to put back in storage in case there’s an emergency in the future.

If you’re stuck at Reno-Tahoe International Airport when it’s not an all-out emergency, there’s still plenty to do. In addition to slot machines, art exhibits, pubs, free local calls and free WiFi, passengers who show a same-day boarding pass can squeeze in some free skiing or snowboarding at nearby Squaw Valley USA.

Souvenir Sunday at JFK

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New York City Souvenirs at JFK

It’s Souvenir Sunday at StuckatTheAirport.com. That’s the day we take a look at the fun, inexpensive and “of” the city souvenirs you can pick up when you’ve got time to spend at an airport.

This week’s finds were spotted in the shops at Delta Air Lines’ Terminal 3 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport – JFK.

New York City souvenirs

And, while they’re not “of” New York City, these cute kitty-bunnies caught my eye.

Hello Kitty at JFK

If you find a great souvenir next time you’re Stuck at the Airport, please take a moment to snap a photo, jot down some notes (price, why you love it, etc.) and send it along.

If your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, I’ll send you a special travel souvenir.

Finished shopping? If you’re in Terminal 3 at JFK, be sure to visit the iPad village.

Fish valet and other posh airport amenities

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Spas, saunas, swimming pools, giant slides and sunflowers. That could be a list of swanky amenities to look for at upscale resorts or hotels. But it’s actually a sampling of some of the Posh Airport Amenities I featured in a slide show for Bing Travel.

Here’s a sample.

Fairmont Vancouver Airport fish valet

Travelers at Vancouver International Airport can take care of dry cleaning, shoe-repair and medical/dental services during a layover in the terminal. But those heading home from a fishing trip with a 100 pound halibut in tow can seek out the services of the Fish Valet and the special “visiting fish” freezer at the on-site Fairmont Vancouver Hotel.

Hong Kong airport gold course

There’s a putting green in the terminal at Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport, but the USGA-approved, nine-hole Sky City Nine Eagles Golf Course adjacent to Hong Kong International Airport’s Terminal 2 out-poshes that. Nine Eagles has a Thai restaurant, club house, putting greens, and plenty of night golfing opportunities. Soon Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport will have a golf course next door too.

LAX Theme Building

When it comes to posh airport bars, GateGuru data analyst Zachary Einzig gives high marks to the Encounter Restaurant, perched on top of the recently-restored Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Inside, the Encounter’s space-age décor is something the Jetsons would appreciate. Outside, the views of the airfield are out of this world.

There are more… check back to find out which airports offer libraries, saunas, exotic gardens, bike rentals, museums, breweries, make-your-own sundae machines, and weekly tributes to Frank Sinatra.

Have a favorite posh airport amenity? Please add your comment below.

Don’t just sit there

Air Travel, Power Outlets, Restaurants,

JFK DELTA

I knew they were there somewhere. But they weren’t by my gate in the Delta Air Lines terminal at JFK.

And there weren’t any signs.

So it was a good thing I set off in search of an outlet to charge my laptop before a long flight.

Because there, just a few minutes walk from where I’d been sitting, was the iPad “village” everyone had been talking about a few months back.

Tables for one. Tables for two. Communal work tables. All equipped with multiple outlets and with iPads that let travelers order snacks and meals from the restaurants nearby.

So very civil.

So, please, Terminal 3 operators, put up some signs.

Sneak peek at Environmental Steward-ess

Air Travel, Art, Environment, Exhibits, , ,

Under the name “Recycle Runway, ” Nancy Judd makes couture fashion out of trash. One example: this western-style cowgirl skirt and vest made by weaving pages from old phone books. Pages from old directories have also been applied to the cowgirl hat and vintage “pee-wee” cowgirl boots. Used CDs create the silver accents on the outfit.

cowgirl outfit made of old phone books

Judd’s work has been displayed at airports in Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Albuquerque. And later this month, 18 eco-trash couture garments will go on display at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Of special interest will be this flight attendant uniform titled Environmental Stewdard-ess.

Judd_Environmental_Stewardess

Judd says:

“The uniform, hat and purse are sewn from worn-out leather seat covers from Delta planes. The cape is made from replaced safety cards, Sky Magazines, old plane tickets, and pretzel wrappers all cut into strips and sewn onto worn pillow cases. The cape was then lined with a discarded Delta blanket. Both the cape and purse appear to fly in the wind thanks to armatures created from metal wire used for yard signs during the last presidential election. Recycled aluminum cans were used to create the vintage Delta symbol on the purse, hat and belt.”

Souvenir Sunday: showers and sundries at SFO

Air Travel, Airport shops, Airports, Art, Baggage, Exhibits, Health, Layover, Massages, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, Stuck at the Airport, , , ,

Every Sunday here at  StuckatTheAirport.com is Souvenir Sunday: a day to unpack our carry-on and take a look at some of the fun, inexpensive goodies you can find for sale at airports.

This week’s souvenirs come from San Francisco International Airport, which is getting to ready to open the new and very much improved Terminal 2 to the flying public.  They will be a grand opening celebration for T2 on April 9th (anyone can go, but you’ll need to sign up for a free ticket). Virgin America and American Airlines begin using the terminal for regular flights on April 14th.

I’ve already posted a sneak preview of the terminal. See SFO T2 sneak peek -Part 1 and SFO T2 sneak peek part 2 – and check back later for more.

When I visited the new T2, the shops were not yet open, so I wandered over to the SFO International Terminal to see what I could find.  Sadly, the Sephora store is gone, but Freshen Up! is still there.

SFO showers

Located right next door to the Airport Travel Agency (on the Departures/Ticketing Level of the International Terminal, near the entrance to Gates G91-G102) and open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., this no-frills spot offers shower rooms, massage chairs, a place to iron your clothes and a wide variety of travel-sized items at surprisingly reasonable prices. 

SFO Freshen Up sundries

In addition to things like toothpaste, diapers, shaving cream and other sundries they also stock underwear, socks, shirts, pantyhose and other items travelers might find useful when they’re stuck at the airport on a long layover or while waiting for that delayed flight.

SFO FRESHEN UP -underwear for sale

A 20 minute shower at Freshen Up! will cost you $11. A 30-minute “deluxe” shower is $15 and includes shampoo, lotion, shower shoes a towel and nice soap. Store your bags at the travel agency next door and they’ll give you a coupon good for an upgrade from the standard to the deluxe shower.

Now that you’re clean – go shopping!

And if you see a great airport souvenir that’s inexpensive, ‘of’ the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along. If your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, I’ll send you a special travel souvenir.

TSA confirms: space aliens visit airports

Air Travel, Airports, Fun Stuff, , ,

One of my mother’s favorite sayings was “It could happen.” Not an otherwise woo-woo person, she’d say that whenever the topic of aliens came up, wait a beat and then change the subject.

So she would have been very interested to read the story about aliens and airports that I wrote for my USATODAY.com At the Airport column a while back.

Crop circle at Indiana's Huntington Airport, courtesy Travis McQueen

 

And she would have been VERY interested in reading the post on the TSA Blog yesterday. The one about TSA Space Alien Detection Officers (ADOs).

Alien being screened. Courtesy TSA

 

According to Blogger Bob (a real person or an …alien?):

….New intelligence suggests that space aliens with invisibility cloaks have been going through our checkpoints for years. We know they’ve been observing flight operations at some of our busiest airports, but we had no idea they were coming in.

It’s not entirely clear what their intentions are, but they need to be screened just like anybody else. We don’t mind space aliens visiting our airports. In fact we think it’s kind of cool. However, they need to go through security just like everybody else…

Whatever their motivation is, rest assured that  a new layer of security has been developed that will allow us to detect and screen these unique passengers. This new layer is our TSA Alien Detection Officer (ADO). ADOs are an elite new type of officer who has undergone unique training to use specially developed detection tools. You may have already seen some of these tools in use at airports and just not known what they were.

 

Yes, it was an April Fools’ Day joke. But you know what my mom would say. “It could happen.”