Gambling

Museum Monday: Games of Chance at SFO Airport

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If, by chance, you’ve got some time before or between flights at San Francisco International Airport, you’re in luck.

That’s because the SFO Museum has just kicked off a new exhibition featuring more than sixty examples of early gambling devices, including the first automatic payout, three reel slot machine.

 

 

According to the exhibition notes, at one time San Francisco was a hotbed for these types of games:

“In no part of the world did gambling take place so openly and on such a large scale than in San Francisco during the Victorian era. The city’s residents were largely pioneers or one generation removed from those who risked all to relocate and gamble on a new life in the West. San Franciscans wagered in nearly every possible manner, including horse races, sporting contests, card games, wheels-of-fortune, and impromptu barroom arguments on every conceivable subject. At the beginning of the twentieth century, more than 3,000 machines operated freely, enticing customers from busy sidewalks into the saloons and cigar stores that proliferated throughout San Francisco. “

 

 

The devices on display range from very early models that rely on simple clock mechanisms and a payout by the bartender to automatic slot machines with elaborate carved-wood, cast-iron, or painted-aluminum bodies – and each was designed to part a person with a small bit of their money.

 

 

All the objects in this exhibit (and all photos used here) are courtesy of Joe Welch American Antique Museum in San Bruno, California and will be on display at SFO Airport in Terminal 3, Boarding Area F through June 18, 2017.

You can see descriptions of the gambling devices featured here – and photos of others – in the SFO Museum’s online exhibition.  But I bet the exhibition is far more entertaining if you see it in person.

The PDX Carpet – now a jam & a parade leader

Gambling, Souvenirs, , ,

2_PDX_Foot-forward selfies with the PDX carpet are very popular at Portland Int'l Airport

The carpet at Portland International Airport gained cult status long before the announcement that the flooring was being replaced.

T-shirts, water bottles, caps, socks, a beer and other souvenirs bearing a copy of the carpet pattern were created and the airport recently announced the distribution of large patches of the original flooring to local companies and creative-types for repurposing.

The latest news came Friday during the airport’s “Carpetfest,” where it was announced that the carpet will be the grand marshal of the Starlight Parade on May 30, 2015 during the city’s Rose Festival.

Also unveiled yesterday: the newest product created to honor the carpet: “Preserve The Memory” Triple Berry Preserves jam – from Columbia Empire Farms and now on sale in the airport at the Your Northwest store.

PDX JAM

 

Drink up: liquor store opens in baggage claim at Las Vegas airport

Free Stuff, Gambling, , ,

Smoking lounges, children’s play areas, an aviation museum and 1600 slot machines are among the popular passenger amenities at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

This week there’s a brand new amenity for arriving passengers who are ready to party: a liquor store in the baggage claim area in Terminal 1.

Called the Liquor Library, the store is the first packaged liquor store located within the baggage claim area of any airport in the country.

On the shelves: beer, wine, spirits, cigars, cigarettes, small packaged snacks, mixers, travel cups and glasses. The store also stocks wine and beer openers, wine and beer insulated bags and ice.

According to Liquor Library spokeswoman Diane Boyle, there will be product tasting most days of week and, to go with the library-inspired decor of dark hardwood floors and shelves reached by library ladders, there are “librarians” on duty who wear “charcoal grey pencil skirts, white button down shirts, black stockings, and very cute spectacles” while working on the sales floor.

Make the best of America’s busiest airports – part 2

Air Travel, Airport guides, Airport shops, Airports, Food, Gambling, Layover, Restaurants, Shopping, , , , ,

Here’s part 2 of the recent slide show I put together for Bing Travel highlighting some of the best amenities at the country’s busiest airports. (Part 1, which includes the airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth can be found here.)

No. 5: Denver International Airport
Some travelers are still smarting from Christmas 2006, when a blizzard closed Denver International Airport for 22 hours, stranding more than 3,000 passengers. The airport’s snow-removal skills have vastly improved, but weather-related delays can still happen. Wait those out with free Wi-Fi or a self-guided tour of the art collection (brochures are available at any information booth).

Defeat the delay: If any planes are moving, watch them on the active taxiway that runs beneath the glass and steel pedestrian bridge linking the A gates to the main terminal. (That bridge also leads to security checkpoint lines reliably shorter than those in the main terminal.)

No. 6: John F. Kennedy International Airport

When winter weather hits, all of the always-busy New York-area airports — LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International and John F. Kennedy International — quickly become zoos. At JFK, seven separate terminals mean delayed travelers must make do with services at hand. That’s not a problem in JetBlue’s amenity-rich T5, which offers free Wi-Fi throughout the terminal and more than 40 shops and restaurants, including Deep Blue Sushi — all after you go through security. Elsewhere, it’s a post-security challenge. Your best bet is Terminal 4, which has the most pre-security options, including public art by Alexander Calder and a retail hall with shops and restaurants, such as the Palm Bar and Grill.

Defeat the delay: When planes are grounded, the AirTrain from JFK to the New York City subways usually keeps running. The trip to the city might take an hour, but will cost less than $10 and can be its own adventure.

No. 7: George Bush Intercontinental Airport
At Houston’s Bush Intercontinental, delayed passengers can view space-related exhibits on loan from NASA and shop for their own space-themed souvenirs at a branch of NASA’s Space Trader store. There’s also a revolving steakhouse restaurant, CK’s, at the Houston Airport Marriott located in the center of the terminal complex, and an interterminal train below the terminals designed in 1981 by the Walt Disney Co.

Defeat the delay: It may be an airport, but you can still get a taste of Texas. Three Stelzig Ranch shops offer boots, hats and other Texas-style accessories, while Texas Trail Boss Jerky sells beef, pork, turkey and bison jerky.

No. 8: Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
In addition to free Wi-Fi and complimentary recharge work stations, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas offers delayed travelers entertainment in the form of the Howard Cannon Aviation Museum, art exhibits, an aviation-themed kid’s play area, an interactive Dance Heads video booth and bars serving oxygen cocktails.

Defeat the delay: McCarran also has approximately 1,200 slot machines. And, as the saying goes, you can’t win if you don’t play.

Part 3 tomorrow…

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.

More reasons to love Reno-Tahoe International Airport

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I’m getting to like the Reno-Tahoe International Airport more and more.

Passenger amenities there include free Wi-Fi, free local and toll-free calls, gaming machines in the lobby and on the concourses, art exhibits and a growing menagerie of taxidermy animals.

Last year, a 400-pound black bear showed up on Concourse B.

Taxidermy black bear Reno Airport

Now the airport has added a display of three Bighorn Sheep species: the California Bighorn, the Nelson Desert Bighorn, and the Rocky Mountain Bighorn.

Reno Airport taxiderm BIGHORN SHEEP

You’ll find the bear behind security on Concourse B.  The Bighorn Sheep are just outside the B checkpoint.

And here’s one more reason to like this airport: travelers who show ID and a same day boarding pass can get a complimentary half-day lift ticket (night skiing included) at Squaw Valley USA, about an hour from the airport.  The offer is valid from 1 to 9 pm Fridays and Saturdays and or from 1 to 7 pm mid-week when there are night operations in effect.

Tidbits for travelers: contests for free travel

Contests, Fun Stuff, Gambling, Souvenirs,

Trophies on display at horse show

The only thing I’ve ever won in a contest or a raffle is a bottle of not-very-tasty rhubarb wine.

But that doesn’t keep me from entering contests, especially if they involve free travel. Filling out the forms usually takes just a minute or so and, well, you just never know.

So here are some travel-related contests you might want to enter:

JetBlue is celebrating its 10th Anniversary by giving away 10 cruise vacations on Royal Caribbean International. The prize: an oceanview stateroom for two on a seven-night Caribbean cruise and roundtrip JetBlue flights. Enter JetBlue’s Perfect 10 sweepstakes before August 31, 2010.

Delta Sky Magazine is hosting a Fashion Week Sweepstakes. The prize: 2 round-trip tickets to New York City and three hotel night accommodations during Fall Fashion Week. Plus a $1,000 shopping spree at Macy’s Herald Square on September 10, 2010.

And the folks at On the Go Tours are accepting entries in its Get Rid of Me Contest through September 30, 2010.  You’ll need to make a video and campaign for votes (a common contest requirement these days) but the prize is hefty: a 6-month trip for two to China, Egypt, India, Morocco and several other exotic destinations, and a chunk of spending money.

Good luck. And don’t forget to bring us home some souvenirs.

AYP - Souvenir Shop - Frank Nowel 1909


(Photos courtesy The Commons, Flickr)

Happy Souvenir Sunday from: McCarran Int’l Airport in Las Vegas

Airport shops, Fun Stuff, Gambling, Shopping, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs,

It’s Souvenir Sunday! And it’s the traditional day to unpack and look over the fun, inexpensive souvenirs we’ve picked up at airports.

This week: McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas (LAS). Add a hotel and those guys trying to press nightclub advertisement cards into your hands and you’ve pretty much got the whole city experience right here. There are bars, slot machines, drunk guys arguing over who knows what, a fitness club, free wireless Internet access, and several oxygen bars where you can try to do something about that hangover.

There are also plenty of places to shop for inexpensive gee-gaws to remind you of your trip, including fuzzy dice in all colors,

Tiny cardboard slot machines filled with chocolate coins,

And, my all-time favorite:gummi poker chips.

Inedible, I’m sure, but tacky enough to get my vote for this week’s Souvenir Sunday pick.

Did you find a great, under $10, “of” the city souvenir last time you were stuck at the airport?

If so, please snap a photo and send it along. It may show up on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

Slot machines at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport???

Gambling

Last week I wrote in Portfolio.com about the unusual ways some airports have found to earn income – such as growing and selling hay planted on airport acreage to signing contracts to allow outside companies to drill for oil and gas underneath airport ground.

That article also noted that, for some time now, Reno-Tahoe International Airport and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas have been raking in the bucks from slot machines scattered about inside the airport terminals.

According to a report in the Arizona Republic, the mayor in Phoenix, Arizona thinks putting slot machines at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a great idea. But Phoenix isn’t Nevada, where gambling is legal pretty much everywhere. So to make this idea work, the city would have to create a profit-sharing agreement with a Native American tribe.

It’s do-able, but not yet a done-deal. The paper reports that the slot-machine scheme is just one of the ideas a revenue-enhancement team is exploring to help solve budget shortfalls for the entire city of Phoenix.

Got some other ideas? Casey Newton at the Arizona Republic (casey.newton@arizonarepublic.com) has offered to gather them up and forward them on to the mayor who, he says, “will give you – at his own expense – a weekend at the downtown Sheraton, complete with tickets to a sporting event or other cultural experience” if the city uses your idea.