Dulles International Airport

Souvenir Sunday: Dulles Int’l Airport

Happy Souvenir Sunday!

When ever I touch down in an airport, I check out the shops in search of a great “of that city” souvenir.

If I buy, I have just a few rules:

1. No shot glasses or t-shirts.

2. Nothing more than $10.

3.  Nothing generic or simply stamped with the city’s name. (See rule 1).

This week:  President Obama paraphernalia from the America! shops at Dulles International Airport.

iad-barack-box2I’m sure you can find these items – and more – in just about every D.C. souvenir shop right now, but there are plenty of folks who have long layovers at Dulles airport and never have a chance to get into town.

While the Barack-in-the-box definitely rings up at more than $10, standing next to the cardboard version of the president for a photo appears to be free.

iad-barack

Packing tips from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Last week, custom agents, or rather a Customs and Border protection dog, at Washington Dulles International Airport smelled something fishy in the suitcase belonging to a man arriving from Africa.

As reported in the Washington Business Journal and loads of other places, it wasn’t fish inside that suitcase. The man had three dead monkeys, 10 pounds of deer meat and 10 pounds of dried beef in there.

The meat products were seized, but the traveler wasn’t fined. Turns out that he, like other travelers, just didn’t know that you can’t bring any meat products into the U.S. from other countries.

What else won’t pass muster? Fruits, vegetables, plants, soil, products made from animal or plant materials – and the items in a new display at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airport’s art program has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to set up this temporary exhibit in Concourse E.

(Photo courtesy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport)

Airport officials say, except for a few pieces of coral and tortoise-shell jewelry on loan from the Federal Repository in Denver, everything in the 13 exhibit cases was seized at ATL.

Here’s a sampling of what’s on display: a complete polar bear skin, a stuffed hyena, a blowgun from South America decorated with rare macaw feathers, giant mounted spiders, hiking boots made from elephant hide, beauty products made from caviar, and much, much more!

AeroTrain car on exhibit at Dulles International Airport

Since 1962, one of the unique features of Dulles International Airport (IAD) has been the strange-looking “mobile lounges” used to shuttle passengers between the Main Terminal and other parts of the airport.

Sometime in 2009, passengers will begin traveling between the Main Terminal and the A, B, and C gates via an underground AeroTrain system. (The mobile lounges will continue to be used, for a while, for International arrivals and for reaching the D gates.)

You can read about the new train system here (in the Washington Post) and get a sneak preview of the new cars next time you visit the airport. There’s a full-size AeroTrain car on display in the Main Terminal (baggage claim level, by carousel #3) along with a video showing “the future of passenger travel at Dulles” and an exhibit about the airport’s past.