airport makeover

LAX unveils made-over Terminal 6

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No, you’re not really on Sunset Boulevard, but the LA icon was the inspiration for the makeover being celebrated this week in Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport.

Part of the long-running LAX modernization program, the project was made possible with a $70.5 million investment from the airport, Westfield and a wide variety of operating partners and unifies three separate buildings built over four decades into a shiny new facility with 21 new retail and dining concepts – including 14 LA brands and 13 airport firsts – laid out in what are described as “interconnected neighborhoods that guide travelers through their journey.”

Restaurants to look for include: Blu20 (L.A. beach-inspired cuisine), earthbar (fresh juices and salads), Habit Burger Grill, The Kitchen, WPizza, The Wine Bar, Osteria by Fabio Vivani (old-world Italian cuisine), Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Point the Way Cafe (craft beers), Wahoo’s Fish Taco and more.

Shoppers will find a chic boutique from M. Fredric, TUMI and MAC Cosmetics shops, a See’s Candies store, a Belkin electronics shop, and plenty of places to pick up travel essentials.

Here’s what the terminal spaces looked like before  – followed by some more images shared by Westfield.

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A new LaGuardia Airport? It will happen.

LGA Airport

On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the long-awaited plan for the promised makeover of LaGuardia Airport, which U.S. vice-president Joe Biden likened to one found in “some Third World country.”

The make-over of the airport will be massive: it will cost at least $4 billion and include one unified terminal building “designed so passengers intuitively understand the airport’s layout,” an automated tram, business and conference center capabilities, better roadways and public transportation to and from the airport, better taxiways for the airplanes, a cell phone lot, a consolidated rental car center, a boutique hotel and the services, dining and shopping options now offered by first-class airports elsewhere.

A tall order? Sure, you betcha’. But something has to be done.

Here’s a video that details the design that just might make you believe it will happen.

And here’s a link to the full report.

No mention of bringing back the Observation Deck or the Sky Bar.

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