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Fun, helpful, quirky news from airports near you

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The social media team at StuckatTheAirport.com is updating our Twitter follow lists this week.

Here are some of the fun, useful, informative, and just plain cute airport tweets we spotted today.

Travel Tidbits from Airports Near You

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Jonathan Mehring / Red Bull Content Pool

Earlier this month, celebrity skateboarders and skateboard crews from across the country rolled into the old terminal facilities – and even onto the tarmac – at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. They were there for Red Bull’s second Terminal Takeover.

Here is a short video of pro skateboarder Jake Wooten showing off his skills – and the airport terminal transformation – from last year’s event. And below, a link to a story we prepared for The Points Guy site.

Celebrate Museum Month – at the airport

Many airports around the country have official museums and museum programs. Stuck at the Airport will highlight as many as we can. But Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport gave us a head start.

Recognize any of these stuffed animals?

Year-round poetry at Indianapolis International Airport

Art, Uncategorized, , ,

Indianapolis International Airport (IND) hosted a Poetry Day this week with poetry readings and live music in honor of National Poetry Month.

But there’s poetry at IND year-round.

A video exhibit on Concourse A features a selection of poems by Mari Evans, one of the founders of the Black Arts Movement.

A poem by Mari Evans is one of the six poems featured in a series of 14 floor-to-ceiling glass panes in the concourses. The mural collection, The Indiana Windows, is the work of British artist Martin Donlin, who created the poetry-inclusive mural series using more than 2,000 hand-blown panes of glass.

Museum Monday: All things Edgar Allan Poe

Museum Monday, Museums, Uncategorized, ,

The Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia will be celebrating its 100th-anniversary April 28 through October 31, 2022, with an exhibit highlighting dozens of recently acquired Poe artifacts.

The list of artifacts includes Edgar Allen Poe’s pocket watch, which he owned while writing The Tell-Tale Heart, a horror story that, repeatedly mentions a watch.

“That means this might just be the very watch Poe was envisioning when he described the old man’s heartbeat as ‘a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.’,” says Poe Museum curator Chris Semtner.

“The Tell-Tale Heart’ is a classic story we have read in school, heard at Halloween, and even seen recreated on The Simpsons, and having the watch is like holding a real-life piece of that story.”

The gold watch is engraved with “Edgar A. Poe.” And in 1842, Poe gave the watch to one of his creditors to pay off a debt.

Other new-to-the-museum Poe artifacts include his engagement ring, the earliest surviving copy of the last photo ever taken of Poe, and a piece of the coffin in which he was buried for the first 26 years after his death.

Exhibit notes declare the ring “sad evidence of the tragic love story of Poe and his first and last fiancée, Elmira Royster Shelton.”

The couple was engaged as teenagers, but Shelton’s dad broke it off. Poe and Shelton got engaged again, in the last months of Poe’s life. He gave her this ring with the name “Edgar” engraved on it. But Poe died just ten days before their wedding day.

The coffin fragment comes from the original coffin in which Poe was buried on October 8, 1849. In 1875, Poe’s body was moved across the cemetery from his unmarked grave to a better location where a large monument could be placed over his grave.

When the coffin was lifted from the ground, this piece fell off and was later owned by a
president of the Maryland Historical Society,

“Poe wrote so many stories about being buried alive that it seems only fitting that
we have a piece of the very coffin in which he was buried,” says museum curator Semtner.

Fragment of Poe coffin

The Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond features permanent exhibits of Poe’s manuscripts, personal items, clothing, and even a lock of the author’s hair. The exhibit of newly-acquired artifacts opens with an Unhappy Hour on April 28.

Opened in 1922, the Poe Museum is comprised of four buildings surrounding an Enchanted Garden constructed from the building materials salvaged from Poe’s homes and offices.

Don’t ditch your masks just yet

Health, Uncategorized,

On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department appealed a judge’s ruling ending a mask mandate on public transportation and airplanes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the measure was still needed.

This comes after a U.S. district judge ruled that mandates, which apply to planes, trains, and other public transportation, were unlawful.

The CDC said it asked the Justice Department to proceed with the appeal and that “an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health.”

Airlines and airports, bus lines, and Amtrak dropped the mandate Monday evening within hours of the TSA announcing that it would no longer enforce the mandate, which was set to expire on May 3.

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration released the latest unruly passenger numbers. It also announced that the agency’s zero-tolerance policy against unruly passengers would now be permanent.

How will airports mark April 1?

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We’re looking forward to some fun on April 1 as airports, airlines & others (maybe you?) celebrate April 1.

We got a preview earlier this week from Sacramento International Airport (SMF), which alerted fans of the airport’s iconic giant red rabbit that a makeover might be in the cards.

We love this 2022 wayfinding idea from Edmonton International Airport

And, honestly, we’d buy some of these DEN Candles

Here’s the sales pitch and ‘ordering information’ for a new line of DEN-scented candles.

“Who says spring cleaning has to be dull? Spice up your home with scents from DEN’s new candle line that include our favorite airport aromas.

Scents include:

  • Mustang Musk: He’s big, he’s blue and he smells good too! Mustang is one of DEN’s most controversial art pieces and now you can be reminded of his special glow with this amazing candle scent mixed with musk, cedar and sage.
  • Smells Like Vacation: You’ve got your toes in the water, a cold drink in your hand and the sea breeze in your hair. Want to take a relaxing beach vacation, but can’t get away? Enjoy our “Smells Like Vacation” candle that will bring the sea breeze, coconut and pineapple daiquiri scents straight to your home.
  • Jet Fuel: No judgment over here. We know you people like this scent. For people who REALLY love to travel. This is one of our most unique scents in the DEN candle line, but one that will no doubt make you feel like you are at the airport waiting for your next flight. Enjoy a mix of fig tree and sandalwood with a hint of kerosene.
  • DEN Hops and Barley: It’s never too early to enjoy a Colorado local brewed beer. As we like to say, “it’s 8 a.m. somewhere!” Attention beer lovers! This is the candle just for you as you set the mood for your next party or poker night. The scents of citrus, hops and lager will leave you craving your next Colorado-brewed beer at DEN.
  • Clean Linen Tent: Close your eyes and imagine you’re in the DEN terminal looking up. Those crisp white tents must smell like fresh, clean linen. When it’s time to kick back and relax, make sure to look up and take in the view. Our “Clean Linen Tent” candle should remind you of this architectural wonder and smells like clean linen and eucalyptus.
  • Gargoyle Garden: This candle is the perfect mix of the DEN gargoyles’ favorite scents: gardenia, fresh rain and good luck. The three DEN gargoyles – two art pieces and one talking gargoyle perched on Level 5 near baggage claim – watch over DEN passengers and provide them with good luck. Now you can bring that luck home as well as the wonderful smells of spring, gardenia and fresh rain.

Want some? DEN says the scented candles are available for $20 each, with a six-pack of candles available for $50, in a collector’s DEN Tents box. And “coming soon are lotions and hand sanitizers.”

Follow this link to try to buy the candles…..

Rental cars are hard to get, so LAX is renting cardigans instead

A step back for New Orleans?

DFW is now FWD

SLC has a new name too

Sail away from CHA

Ice-skating back (?) at Dallas Love Field

DCA will now be Cherry Blossom pink year-round

Fast news from JetBlue

Mic drop from Southwest Airlines

Welcome to MCO

O’Hare & Midway Airports going to the birds – and the dogs

(We think…)

https://twitter.com/fly2midway/status/1509893985313165317?s=20&t=s9Pyo3fEUIiH1yKR3eQ6YA
https://twitter.com/fly2ohare/status/1509893986047176727?s=20&t=iMBLqsyl_T_zsbjg-SQ7mQ

And here’s how Leap the rabbit looks in green

DEN also had one of our favorite pranks from 2021

Dark skies, free pins & a giant flamingo

Art, Uncategorized, , ,

A Big Bird for Tampa International Airport

A flamingo sculpture by Matthew Mazzotta depicting a flamingo gently dipping its head beneath the surface of the water is being installed in the center of rhe main terminal at Tampa International Airport. (TPA).

Don’t worry – you can’t miss it. The sculpure is pink, 21-feet tall, and its giant head, neck, beak, and legs are already in place near The Shoppes at Bayshore. The sculpture is expected to be completed over the next few weeks.

LAX, other airports turn off light for Earth Hour

Saturday, March 25, cities, attractions, hotels, and airports around the country marked Earth Hour by turning off non-essential electric lights, for one hour.

Get pinned at PHL Airport

PHL Airport is celebrating the restart of international flights to several destinations this week by handing out collectible pins to mark the day.

We’re trying to figure out how to book those flights so we can nab some pins…

Roller skating is back at JFK’s TWA Hotel

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Fans of roller skating, fun at-the-airport activities, and the landmark TWA Hotel at JFK Airport (i.e.: everyone) will be looking forward to the return of the hotel’s retro-style roller skating rink.

The Roll-A-Rama at the Runway Rink opens for the season on April 15.

The checkered rink is located by the hotel’s 1958 Lockheed Constellation “Connie” airplane/cocktail lounge and is made up of 2,668 tiles.

The rink will open to the public on weekends only, weather permitting, through November 22.

Hours for skating will be Fridays from 4 to 8 PM and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 8 PM.

50-minute skate sessions will cost $20 for adults and $16 for kids under 12. The fee includes use of a pair of old-style four-wheeled “quad skates” (patented in 1863).

If you have your own roller skates, you are welcome to bring them along.

If you’re planning to go, note that admission to the rink can only be purchased by credit card and is first-come, first-served; no advance tickets are available.

And because that’s the way they roll, the TWA Hotel team shared some great roller skating factoids. Note that you can burn 350 calories in an hour of roller skating, so go ahead and have a retro cocktail in the Connie.

Traveling? You’ll still need to wear a face mask

TSA, Uncategorized,

Yes, COVID rates are falling in most places. And yes, communities everywhere are lifting their face mask requirements. But the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has decided to buck the trend. TSA will keep the face mask requirement for travel on public transportation in place for at least another month after the planned March 18 expiration.

Here’s the agency’s statement:

At CDC’s recommendation, TSA will extend the security directive for mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs for one month, through April 18th.

During that time, CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor. This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science. We will communicate any updates publicly if and/or when they change.

Look inside SEA’s new Int’l Arrivals Facility

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This week Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) revealed its soon-to-be-finished International Arrivals Facility (IAF), which will dramatically improve the arrival experience for international visitors to SEA.

The facility is undergoing final readiness testing but should be up and running soon.

Here are some images of some of the greatly improved facilities, some of the art, and – our favorite part – the 780-foot long glass and steel walkway that arriving passengers will take from SEA’s South Sattelite Terminal to immigration, customs, and baggage services in the IAF. The walkway is 85 feet high and is the world’s longest walkway over an active taxiway.

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(All photos courtesy Port of Seattle)