Los Angeles International Airport

LAX Airport: Pinkberry opens; Observation Deck stays closed

Food, , ,

Good news for frozen yogurt fans: Pinkberry is having its grand opening in Terminal 1 at Los Angeles International Airport this Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 2 pm.

No need to wait, though, it seems they’ve been unofficially swirling there since September 1st.

LAX pinkberry

And while we’re at LAX: a few weeks back it looked like the Observation Deck on top of the Theme Building – closed since 9/11 – was going to re-open at the end of this month.

Now comes word that the opening has been pushed back until the end of the year.

More details to come…

LAX THEME BUILDING

Airport Observation Decks: Have a favorite?

Observation Decks, , ,

Vancouver Airport - New Observation DeckIn my At the Airport column on USATODAY.com this month, I offer a run-down of airport observation decks around the country.  I wanted to write about this because, while a lot of the amenities getting rolled out at airports these days are designed to make travelers forget they’re in an airport terminal, observation decks are all about airports, airplanes, and the magic of flight.

Unfortunately, a lot of airports that used to have official observation decks have shut them down. But here’s a round-up of some that still exist:

Minneapolis - Observation deck - wide

Minneapolis International Airport (MSP) MSP has an observation deck post-security on Concourse D, in Terminal 1. Built decades ago, the enclosed observation deck is only accessible via a set of stairs, but those who find their way up there are rewarded with great views in all directions.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

BWI - Observation rocking chairsYears ago, when BWI was known as Friendship International Airport, there was an outdoor observation deck.  Today there’s an enclosed Observation Gallery on the upper level of the airport, in the pre-security area between Concourses B and C. In addition to great views of airfield activities, there are rocking chairs, a children’s play area, and several exhibits related to aviation, including the nose cone, cockpit, landing gear and other sections of a Boeing 737-200 aircraft.

Albany International Airport (ALB) A pre-security observation area on the 3rd level of the terminal offers a panoramic view of both airport runways, all three wings of the terminal and, on a clear day, the southern Adirondack Mountains. A live feed of the chatter from the air traffic control tower is piped in and the airport’s art gallery is adjacent.

Albany - looking out from deck

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) At the Albuquerque airport, the observation deck is located post-security, between the two concourses.  Equipped with bench seating, leather couches and chairs, this area offers travelers great airfield views as well as views of the Manzano Mountains and the Rio Grande.

ALB SUNPORT

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) At Gerald Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, MI., there’s an enclosed observation deck, pre-security, that overlooks the airport runways.

Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) in Tennessee has an open-air deck, located pre-security, on the mezzanine level of the airport. The deck looks out over the airfield, Boone Lake, and off to the Appalachian Mountains.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) opened a new observation area in July 2009 with floor-to-ceiling windows, complimentary telescopes, interactive kiosks, and several other amenities.  At the end of September, the observation deck on top of Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport will reopen. Like a lot of observation decks around the country, LAX had closed this area after 9/11.

View Of Downtown Los Angeles (2004)

Do you have a favorite airport observation deck or place to go outside the airport to watach plane?  If so, please tell us about it.

LAX hungry for Pink’s; ATL makes art accessible

Art, Food, Restaurants,

Chile dog lovers alert.

No dogs have been sold and no firm opening date has been announced, but fans of Pink’s Hot Dogs are all atwitter over the fact that the legendary Hollywood eatery will be opening its first airport outlets at Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) “later this year.”  Stay tuned.

LAX PINKS

Over at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), they’ve (finally) re-organized the Web site so it’s easier to find all the information about the art, culture and history exhibits scattered around the airport.

So now, before you even get to the airport, you can learn all about the juried exhibition of paper clothing on display in the Paper Runway exhibit in Gallery T :

ATL Paper Runway Mitchell_Liz_Closeup_Worn_Slippers

and the replica 33-foot-long  Yangchuanosaurus skeleton in the Airport Atrium that’s on loan from the Fernbank Museum of Natural History;

atl-dinoand the six cases in Concourse E that are filled with puppets from Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts.

ATL PUppet

For more information about all the art at ATL, see the Airport Art Program tab on the ATL Web site.

Souvenir Sunday: Spongeables at LAX

Souvenirs

Whether or not you actually buy anything, souvenir shopping is good way to spend some time when you’re stuck at the airport.

For this week’s Souvenir Sunday we have an item that was not only invented in Los Angeles, but actually seems to be useful and airport-security friendly.

LAXSpongeables

(Photo courtesy Katherine Alvarado at LAX)

They’re called Spongeables and are fun-shaped sponges infused with cleansers and skin care ingredients.  At Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) they’re for sale in Terminal 4 at the Destinations LA store, which also has LA-made peanut brittle for sale.

Have you found a great souvenir while you were Stuck at the Airport?

If it’s under $10 and “of” that place then please take a picture and send it along. We may feature it on a future Souvenir Sunday.

New art exhibit at LAX

Art, Exhibits

A new exhibit at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) features artwork by nine Los Angeles-based artists.  Titled, “of Intricacy,” the exhibit includes paintings (oil, acrylic and watercolor), wire sculptures, digital media, collages, and fiber sculptures.

lax-new-exhibit

The exhibition will be on display through October, 2009.  Look for it in Terminal 1 on the Departures Level in three areas: in the hallways leading to Gates 1 and 2, and in a display case along the main corridor.

FlyAway Public Art

(FLYAWAY by Lili Lakich)

There’s also a fun new neon and aluminum sculpture at the Van Nuys FlyAway Bus Terminal.  As I wrote a few blog entries back, rates for the LAX FlyAway bus from Van Nuys and Union Station are rising by $1 (from $6 to $7) in August.   It’s still a great deal, compared to other forms of transportation to and from the airport. And now, at least in Van Nuys, you’ll get “free” art.

LAX FlyAway: still a great deal at $1 more

Deals

Beginning on August 1, 2009, fares go up for the popular LAX FlyAway bus service from Van Nuys and Union Station to Los Angeles International Airport.

The new one-way fare for these two routes will go from $6 to $7.  The Westwood to LAX fare will remain unchanged at $5.

It’s never good news when fares for anything go up, but at $7 the fare to get to LAX is a still a great deal. Especially when  compared to fares for shared-ride shuttle vans and limousines, which can cost from four to seven times as much.

Interested in trying this out? Bus schedules, parking information and maps for all LAX FlyAway locations are available at www.lawa.aero/flyaway.

lax-flyaway-bus-rouse
(Photo: Flickr user Sean Yoda Rouse)

Baggage container sucked into airplane engine

Baggage, Weird,

This is scary. According to this news report, a baggage container, or can, got sucked in the engine of an airplane pulling away from the terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Monday afternoon (May 11, 2009).

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

No doubt the folks at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) are glad that they’ve already scheduled their 8th annual FOD walk for this Thursday, May 14, 2009.

internationaltidymanlogo

During a scheduled 30-minute shutdown, about 150 volunteers will sweep the runway, picking up FOB – foreign object debris – such as plastics, metals, luggage straps, the stray baggage container, and anything else that might become airborne and end up lodged in an airplane engine.

Art and culture at LAX – and beyond

Art

If you’re heading to or through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) anytime before May 29th, 2009, seek out the photography exhibit by LA-based artist Marissa Roth in Terminal 1 (pre-security on  the arrivals level).

The exhibition includes two separate photography series, “In Hollywood” and “Downtown Los Angeles: Inside-Out.”  Each series has 16 photos and explores Roth’s fascination with life in the City of Angels, “revealing intimate behind-the-scenes images of the famous, as well as the everyday Angelino.”‘

Here are two images from the show: a portrait of actor Mickey Rourke and a remembrance of actor Health Ledger.

lax-mickey-rourke

heath-ledger-ripAnd no matter what city you’re in this weekend, keep in mind that if you have a Bank of America ATM, credit, or check card (and an ID)  you can get free admission to more than 120 museums around the country courtesy of the bank’s Museums on Us program.  The program kicks off its 12th season this weekend with 40 new additions – including the Phoenix Zoo, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, and the Detroit Science Center.  One museum you might check out this weekend is the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. They’ve got an intriguing exhibition about Martha Maxwell, “the first woman field naturalist who obtained and prepared her own specimens in the same manner as her male contemporaries.”  It’s called “Did she kill ’em all?”

oklahoma-city

Tasty tidbits for air travelers

Food, Free Stuff, Restaurants, , , , , ,

A couple of tasty tidbits for hungry, thirsty travelers:

Free drinks on JetBlue

JetBlue Airways is partnering with Stirrings (they make all-natural cocktail mixers) to give each passenger traveling on Sunday, February 1, a free cocktail.    They say it has something to do with football….

football_ball_1jpg

New restaurant at LAX

Today (Thursday, January 29th) Gladstone’s, a popular Malibu seafood  restaurant, is opening its first airport location. Look for it in Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

clams1

Fresh squeezed at SAN

It’s also opening day for Jamba Juice in Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport (SAN).  To celebrate, they’ll be giving out coupons and free juice samples.  And at 11:30 they’ll be demonstrating airplane stretch exercises –  to music…

exercise-09