LAX

Airports celebrate Mother’s Day

May 6, 2016Harriet BaskasHolidaysJAX, LAX, MIA, Mother's Day

Mother’s Day weekend is being celebrated at airports around the country, starting today.

At Los Angeles International Airport, traveling mothers can get complimentary makeovers, hand massages and fragrance consultations, sample Godiva chocolates and enter raffles for prizes in front of DFS, post-security at the Tom Bradley Terminal (TBIT) on Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Airport staff will also be handing out chocolate roses to moms.

(A ticket for a flight at any LAX terminal will get you past the security checkpoint at TBIT)

Friday through Sunday at Miami International Airport (from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. pre-security and from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. post-security) MIA Ambassadors will be presenting moms with chocolate roses.

Moms at MIA can also enter a raffle for a $200 American Express gift card if they take a picture with a chocolate rose or with an “I’m a Mom, what’s your super power?” t-shirt at an MIA concession and post it to a MIA social media platform with the “ShopsAtMIA” tag.

And, as they have every year since 2009, volunteers at Jacksonville International Airport will likely be on duty with 1000 red, white and pink carnations for moms.

New indoor food truck at LAX

November 3, 2015Harriet BaskasFoodAirport food, Border Grill, food truck, LAX

As promised, the rotating food truck concept in Terminal 4 at Los Angeles International Airport has rotated.

Operated by HMSHost, the L.A. Gourmet Street Truck inside the terminal looks like a food truck and was designed to house a parade of popular L.A. street vendor offerings.

Chef Roy Choi’s Kogi BBQ was the first to occupy the stand. Now Border Grill (which has another location in the Tom Bradley International Terminal) has taken over with a menu of tacos, quesadillas, ceviches and more.

Want to give the Border Grill a try? Although American Airlines flights operate out of Terminal 4, a same-day boarding pass and your government ID will get you past the security checkpoint – here or in any terminal.

Fresh public art at LAX TBIT

July 26, 2015Harriet BaskasAirports, ArtAirport art, LAX, public art, TBIT

Three new – hard to miss – public art pieces are fully installed in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport.

Bell Tower, above, by Mark Bradford, is on the mezzanine level of the terminal’s Departures Hall, and is suspended from a skylight above the TSA security screening area.

The artist says he modeled the sculpture – 712 panels made from salvaged plywood and posters found on construction sites around town – on medieval bell towers, which served as both a civic gathering spot and sites of surveillance.

In the north light well of the TBIT Great Hall, look for Air Garden, by the Ball-Nogues Studio. A “sinuous, dynamic cloud of color,” the sculpture looks like a giant beaded curtain that seems to take on different shapes depending on the light and viewer’s perspective.

The third public art piece is Pae White’s, ΣLAX, which is suspended above the terminal’s north and south “sterile corridors” leading international passengers to customs.

The work is made of 23.86 miles of custom-dyed cordage in three distinct color palettes that pay homage to the colored-tiled mosaics by Charles D. Kratka, that are in Terminals 3, 4, and 6. Among the sculpture’s 7,484 gold brackets – are eleven (have fun guessing) that are actually made of 14K gold.

(Photos courtesy PanicStudio L.A.)

LAX ups its curbside appeal

July 23, 2015Harriet BaskasAirports, Designairport design, LAX

Photo/Los Angeles World Airports, Susan Goldman

Another phase of the major upgrade program is underway at Los Angeles International Airport.

This one focuses on curbside appeal and includes modern LED street lighting, custom-made art deco LED light poles and a programmable LED light band running the length of the Central Terminal.

LAX tells us the light band is over one mile long, is attached to the edge of the Upper/Departures Level roadway and is made up of 690 eight-foot-long individual light boxes interconnected and controlled by a single theater control system.

Looks great!

Souvenir Sunday at LAX

June 14, 2015Harriet BaskasAirports, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, SportsLA Dodgers, LAX

Each Sunday, Stuck at The Airport takes a look at some of the fun, inexpensive and locally-themed items you can buy when you’re stuck at the airport.

This week’s treat comes from Los Angeles International Airport, where we spotted this great selection of Los Angeles Dodgers gear – a reminder that airports are usually a great place to purchase sports-themed souvenirs from a variety of local teams.

Play ball!

Seeking souvenirs….

We’re seeking more snaps of some of the inexpensive, locally-themed and, ideally, a bit offbeat, souvenirs you can buy at airports. So please take a photo of something you spot (or actually buy) next time you’re stuck at the airport.

If your souvenir is featured here on Souvenir Sunday, we’ll send you a special travel-themed souvenir as a thank-you.