Indianapolis International Airport

Auction day at Indianapolis Int’l Airport

Deals

If you’re in the market for some concrete outdoor planters, aluminum and glass pedestrian shelters, a steel mezzanine, Shaker style seating areas, air compressors, pay phone or remote parking stations, and anything else that may have been used at an airport, then you’re in luck.

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All this and more, much more, is being auctioned off today at old Indianapolis International Airport starting at 10 am.  Doors open at 8:30 am.

You can study many of the items up for auction in this brochure, but it unfortunately does not include the lost-and-found property such as watches, luggage, laptop computers, and jewelry, which will also be auctioned.

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I sort of had my heart set on an escalator, or those Shaker style benches, but I’m sure those items will find good homes elsewhere.

If you attend the auction and go home with anything fun, please let us know!

Souvenir Sunday: toys from Alaska Airlines & tales from Siena

Souvenirs, , , ,

Happy Souvenir Sunday!

Every Sunday Stuck at the Airport unpacks the carry-on and re-packs for a fresh new adventure. It’s also when we look over the souvenirs we’ve accumulated through the week.

This week, we have this cute little Air Force One that photographer and world traveler Daniel Incandela found for sale at the Indianapolis International Airport.

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At a Tweetup (a real-world gathering of folks who follow each other on Twitter) hosted by Alaska Airlines in Seattle, I came away with this great souvenir: a Best-Lock construction toy of an Alaska Airlines airplane.

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I’m not sure what my favorite part of this souvenir is. The cute little airplane (that sells on-line for less than $5), the little pilot inside, or the fact that the package has a message about the dangers of plastic bags printed in 36 different languages!

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And, because sometimes the best souvenirs are the stories our friends bring home from their trips, I’m including this link to Bob Rini’s Nine Pound Hammer  blog entry about his stop in Siena, “the arch rival of Florence.”

While there he learned the history of Siena through the story of how the 17 contrade (neighborhoods) compete against each other in a wild-sounding bareback horse race, the Palio,  that dates back to 1283.  Those neighborhoods each have their own flags and costumes; a tradition we now think every city should adopt.

sienna-costumes(Courtesy Bob Rini; Nine Pound Hammer)

Have you found a great souvenir while stuck at the airport?

If it is: under $10; not a generic item (i.e. shot glass or mug); and “of” that airport, city or region, then please send a photo and a note about why you chose that souvenir.  It may just show up on a future Souvenir Sunday.

Take an art tour of Indianapolis airport

Art

The lovely, new Indianapolis International Airport (IND) opened to the public in November 2008 and now it has a cool-looking Web site to match.

Take a minute to visit the site, even if you’re not planning a trip to IND anytime soon.  In addition to a tour brochure, the site has a downloadable pamphlet describing the $4 million of new artwork created just for this terminal.

Here are just two of my favorites:

Towards Flight by Brian McCutcheon

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and Baggage Claim by Ron Baron

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Love the layover: Indianapolis International Airport

Free Stuff, Museums, Wi-Fi, , ,

All of a sudden there are lots of (free) reasons to visit Indianapolis.

The city has just opened its brand-spanking-new terminal at Indianapolis International Airport (IND), complete with free wireless Internet access, swanky shops and restaurants, and several million dollars worth of brand new public art.

Now museums, attractions and tourist destinations in town have banded together to offer free admission and other freebies, one each day, during the 12 days leading up to Christmas. The promotion begins Saturday Dec 13, with free admission to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum and ends on Christmas Eve with free admission to see Santa, a snow castle and other attractions at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. I have my heart set on flying in by Dec. 20th. That’s when there’ll be free tours at the Indiana Medical History Museum, which bills itself as the “nation’s oldest surviving pathology laboratory.”

(The “Anatomical Museum” room inside the Indiana Medical History Museum. Photo courtesy the IMHM.)

Here’s a link to more information about the 12 days of free events in Indianapolis leading up to Christmas.

Free wireless Internet access at new Indy airport

Art, Free Stuff, Openings, Wi-Fi,

The new Indianapolis International Airport (IND) opened earlier this week, complete with a new terminal building, new parking facilities, new interstate access via I-70, new air traffic control tower, and $4 worth of original artwork.


In addition to lots of new shopping and dining opportunities, the airport is also offering travelers free wireless Internet access. Hooray!!!

The terminal building is named in honor of World War I flying ace Col. Harvey Weir Cook, and soon there’ll be a permanent display honoring the Hoosier hero in the Baggage Claim area near the south garden. The display will feature personal memorabilia and other items, including Cook’s goggles, medals, letters, pilot licenses, photos, antique model planes, and more.