It’s Museum Monday here at Stuck at the Airport and this week we’re delighted to share some snaps from the Douglas County Museum in tiny Waterville, Washington.
The museum is home to a two-headed calf, a nice collection of delicate spittoons for ladies and a rock gallery with more than 4,500 rock and mineral specimens, including a handful of meteorites and lots of glow-in-the-dark rocks. Take a look.
Things are heating up the saga surrounding the proposed name change for Oakland International Airport (OAK).
On Monday, San Francisco city attorney’s office issued a statement threatening legal action if the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners goes ahead with the scheduled April 11 vote to change the name of the Metropoitan Oakland International Airport to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”
”Should you continue in these efforts, I intend to pursue legal action to prevent your use of the proposed new name,” SFO City Attorney David Chiu warned in his statement.
At the end of March, the Port of Oakland announced that it plans to add “San Francisco” to the name of the airport “to boost inbound travelers’ geographic awareness of the airport’s location on the San Francisco Bay.”
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has already raised alarms over that move, citing “serious concerns” over OAK’s actions.
“[W]e anticipate the new name being considered by the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport will cause confusion for the public, either through a misunderstanding of its physical location or its perceived relationship to SFO,” SFO Airport Director Ivar C. Satero said in a release.
OAK is undeterred.
Ahead of the April 11 meeting of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners, the airport issued a release citing that it has the strong support of its major airlines, including Southwest Airlines, Volaris, and Spirit Airlines.
(Image courtesy National Air and Space Museum)
The 350-acre Warren G. Magnuson Park sits on a mile-long stretch of Lake Washington shoreline in Seattle and is a popular spot for hiking, boating, swimming, kite-flying and more.
But long before it became the city’s second-largest park, this prime piece of real estate on the Sand Point peninsula in northeast Seattle was a military base – Sand Point Naval Air Station – and a spot where early aviation history was made.
On April 6, 1924, four U.S. Army planes, each with two crewmembers, took off from what was then Sand Point Airfield.
Their goal: complete the first circumnavigation of the globe by air.
The four Douglas World Cruisers were named Seattle, Chicago, Boston, and New Orleans.
And due to weight restrictions, no more than 300 pounds of supplies were loaded into each open-cockpit plane.
That meant equipment such as parachutes and life preservers got left behind.
The journey was far from easy. On their way around the world, the team encountered freezing temperatures, typhoons, mechanical breakdowns, crashes, and other obstacles.
But, despite losing two of the original four planes, on September 28, 1924, the Chicago, the New Orleans, and the Boston II (a replacement) landed back at Sand Point.
The journey had taken 175 days, the crew had made 74 stops, and the team had covered about 27,550 miles.
Today, that first flight around the world is marked with a concrete pillar on a small island at the entrance of the former Naval Air Station. At the top of the pillar is a large pair of bird wings. At the bottom is a plaque with the dates of the flight and the names of the crewmen and their planes.
Want to see it? It’s at 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA (At the park entrance guardhouse)
(Interconexión, Abby Aceves)
The newest art exhibition at John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, CA titled “Symbology” includes the work of six Southern California-based Latinx artists: Abby Aceves, John Flores, Dani Garcia, Amanda Kazemi, Ivan Virgen, and Jaime Zacarias (aka Germs).
The artists use pattern, color, iconography, and metaphor to delve into tradition presented via surrealist paintings, hyperrealistic drawings, and intricately crafted ceramic sculptures.
Look for this exhibition through July 22, 2024, post-security in the Terminal A Vi Smith Gallery, between Gates 1 and 4 and in the sculpture gallery in Terminal B.
Here are a few more images from the exhibition.
Seed Pod (new places, new faces) by John Flores
Ancestral Knowledge, Amanda Kazemi.
A 10-foot-tall inflatable baby chicken now roosts in the Terminal B Baggage Claim area at San José Mineta International Airport (SJC).
Photogenic and Instagrammable, the chick is there as part of the airport’s “Baby Chickens Take Flight at SJC” 75th Anniversary campaign, and is a call-back to the airport’s first flight.
On Feb. 1, 1949, San José Municipal Airport opened its runways to commercial air service with an official dedication ceremony.
The first arriving flight carried seven human passengers and 2,550 baby chickens.
The inflatable baby chicken complements other festive decorations including over 1,000 baby chicken window clings and four 7-foot-tall standees installed throughout the terminals.
In addition to the 10-foot inflatable chick, SJC has decorated the terminal with more than 1,000 baby chicken window clings and four 7-foot-tall standing chicks.
Passengers and airport visitors who snap a photo with a baby chick and post it on social media using #sjc75 and #PicWithABabyChick tags will be entered to win a commemorative SJC 75th anniversary swag pack. (We hear there may be socks…)
(Deadline: Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Limit one post per social media platform.)
A new exhibition at John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, CA celebrates the region’s musical legacy.
That OC Sound includes displays dedicated to famous musicians and bands, and two prominent musical instrument manufacturers, Fender and Rickenbacker.
Almost 50 bands and solo artists that got their start in Orange County – or at least have one member from the area – are featured in a large two-case display. Familiar names on the faux record covers in the exhibit include James Taylor, Cold War Kids, Atreyu, Social Distortion, and, No Doubt.
Orange County is home to Fender and Rickenbacker, two iconic guitar manufacturers.
The Rickenbacker factory is down the street from John Wayne Airport, and the factory loaned archival materials and brand-new instruments to the exhibit.
Two display cases include items on loan from local Fender collectors and the Leo Fender Museum, which is part of the Fullerton Museum Center, about 20 minutes from John Wayne Airport, in downtown Fullerton, CA.
That OC Sound exhibition at John Wayne Airport can be found in the Destination Gallery, pre-security on the upper Departures Level between Terminals B & C through May 1, 2024.
(Artist: Becky Guttin)
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is hosting Espacios & Lines, a temporary art exhibition showcasing the culture of the region.
(Artist: Carla Sofía Ordonez)
This exhibition explores the border of art and design and follows the World Design Organization’s (WDO) joint designation of San Diego and Tijuana as the World Design Capital 2024.
The World Design Capital distinction is designated every two years by the World Design Organization and recognizes cities for their use of design to drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development. This is the first time that the designation is binational.
(Artist: Claudia Rodriguez-Biezunski)
Espacio & Lines includes the work of 16 artists who address the region’s shared symbolism, unseen vantage points, reimagined lines, design as necessity, design as reconstruction, and more.
Look for this artwork in pre- and post-security locations throughout Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport.
(Artist: David Mont Virgen)
What happens to worn towels that hotels get rid of?
It’s a good bet that most of them end up in landfills.
So it’s nice to hear of Hilton’s nationwide towel replacement program that not only keeps towels out of landfills but sends the old towels to good homes.
The hotel chain has partnered with Mars Petcare and Greater Good Charities for the program and will donate retired towels, bathmats, washcloths, and other terry products from their properties across the United States to local animal shelters.
Doing so will divert 140,00 pounds of towels – more than 106,000 towels – from landfills.
According to Hilton, over 1,200 hotels and over 500 shelters across the U.S. have signed up to participate in the program with more expected to come on board through the end of the year.
Good work!
Photo credit: top image: Australian War Memorial Collection via Flickr Commons.
Bottom image – courtesy National Science and Media Museum, also via Flickr Commons
Here’s a cool temporary airport amenity: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a “San Fran-disco.”
SFO launched its “Quiet Airport” program in 2018 to reduce terminal noise. And this week the airport debuted another quiet – and very fun – feature: a Silent Disco.
Passengers can dance along to San Francisco-themed music using their headphones at SFO’s “San Fran-disco,” which will run through March 15, 2024, in the post-security area of Harvey Milk Terminal 1.
If you’re at SFO and in the mood to dance alone or with others at the SFO’s Silent Disco, here’s how to join:
On Valentine’s Day this year, Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) won’t be handing out carnations to passengers as they have in the past, but will instead be sharing these special JAX candies with travelers.
Here are some other Valentine’s Day treats to enjoy if you’re traveling.
Here’s a great love story that started at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)