O’Hare Airport

Music and art mash-up at O’Hare & Midway airports

Music, , ,

Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports are participating in the city-wide Chicago Artists Month 2012 celebration with airport events that match music groups with artists.

Performances on tap for today (Friday, October 19th) from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in O’Hare include the Breezy Rodio Duo playing reggae while artist Kenneth Amorio creates oil paintings. At Midway, artist Quinton Foreman will create art while Chicago Samba plays music.

Look for the Artist Month stages at O’Hare in Terminal 1 on the lower level baggage claim area near Ciao’s concession, in Terminal 2 past security next to Wicker Park Seafood and Sushi Bar and in Terminal 3 past security near the entrance to Concourse L. The stage in International Terminal 5 is on the lower level meeter/greeter area next to the gift store.

At Midway, the stage is in the lower level baggage claim area next to the information booth.

“Art of Science” photos at O’Hare Int’l Airport

Art, ,

From ORD’s Art of Science Exhibit: Visualization of noise from a jet engine

Scientists, it turns out, are an arty bunch.

A new exhibit at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport shows us that “in the pursuit of better batteries, cures for diseases, clean energy sources or a better understanding of the world around us, scientists often find unexpected beauty.”

You can see some of that unexpected beauty in the photos from Argonne National Laboratory’s annual “Art of Science” photo contest, which are on display through the end of the year in the hallways connecting Terminals 2 and 3 (next to the Rotunda) at O’Hare International Airport.

It looks like a tropical underwater scene, but it’s a scanning electron micrograph of ‘oval’ shaped carbon particles that can be used as an anode for lithium ion batteries.

For more information about the photos here, and to see more images from the contest, see the Art of Science Flickr gallery.

Chicago airports celebrate “Taste of Chicago”

Food, , ,

Chicago’s yummy summer event, a “Taste of Chicago,” kicks off Wednesday, July 11 and even if you just have a stopover at O’Hare or Midway International airports, you can do some nibbling.

From Wednesday through Sunday, many restaurants and retail stores at both airports will be offering “Taste” specials to travelers.

At O’Hare, Macaroni Grill (Terminal 3, H/K Concourse) and Eli’s Cheesecake Cafe (Terminal 1, Concourse B) are among the participants. At Midway, a taste-special tiramisu at Luigi Stefani’s is among the offerings.

How will you know which restaurants are participating? Look for the sign posted above.

O’Hare Airport noodles the NATO numbers

Events,

There’s been a lot of coverage of NATO-related activity in Chicago, but not much about the role O’Hare Airport has played in the summit.

So the folks at the airport tallied up some of NATO-related numbers relating to the arrivals of world leaders, international delegations and foreign press:

Number of Flight Arrivals:

O’Hare private flight NATO operations: 34

O’Hare commercial flight NATO operations: 68

Estimated number of delegates through O’Hare: more than 1,300

Estimated number of people greeting/assisting them at the airport: 700+

Agencies and organizations involved: U.S. State Department, U.S. Secret Service, Illinois State Police and the Illinois Air National Guard.

They even had time to take pictures:

Czech Rep arrives at ORD

Motorcade meeting plane bearing NATO guests at ORD

(Photos courtesy Chicago Department of Aviation/kp)

Gardening at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway Airports

Airports, Exhibits, , ,

A Green Gardens exhibit is on view at O’Hare and Midway International Airports through Monday, April 9 that “re-purposes” some of the floral displays that were on view at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show held at Chicago’s Navy Pier in March.


A series of window façade replicas with window box floral displays from Chicagoland nonprofits, are featured at both airports and, at O’Hare, there’s a replica of the White House Kitchen Garden, with raised beds to show off the ideas of growing fresh, organic, local food that are part of the First Lady Michelle Obama’s childhood anti-obesity initiative.

Vertical hydroponic gardens, which demonstrate how vertical gardens can provide compact and efficient growing space, reduce noise and improve indoor air quality, are on display at both airports.

At Midway, the Green Gardens exhibit is located on the upper level ticketing area. At O’Hare, the exhibit is in Terminal 2, post-security, next to the Kids on the Fly children’s play area, and in Terminal 3, between Concourses H/K and L, post-security.

Photos courtesy: Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA)/kp

O’Hare Airport grows an aeroponic garden

Air Travel, Food, , ,

Let’s hope this becomes a trend:

On Friday, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is opening “the world’s first airport aeroponic garden.”

What’s aeroponic? It’s a way of growing things with just water and a mineral solution; no soil.

What will the garden grow? Fresh vegetables to be used by O’Hare restaurants. It will also, hopefully, be a nice spot for passengers to visit and relax.

I’m planning on heading that way soon to see, and maybe nibble, for myself. But in the meantime, I was pleased to see that WLS-TV got a sneak preview of the garden and of the 44 different types of organic herbs and vegetables growing right there at the airport.

Look for the garden in the rotunda building, between terminals 2 and 3.

What’s buzzing at O’Hare International Airport

Airports,

I’ve been on a bee binge lately and was happy to learn that O’Hare International Airport is the first airport in the U.S. to have an on-airport apiary.

The 23 beehives, home to about 1.5 million bees, have been on O’Hare property since May 2011 and are tended to by ex-offenders and low income residents learning new skills as part of a program operated by North Lawndale Employment Network.

According to the airport, each hive is expected to produce up to 25 pounds of honey per year and that honey will be harvested and marketed, perhaps at the airport, as part of the Beeline product line of honey and skin care products.

Not so sure you’d want to eat honey produced at an airport? The folks at O’Hare point out that honey produced in urban areas may actually be more pure than honey produced in the suburbs and in rural area where crops are more likely to be fertilized.

Discounts for moms at O’Hare and Midway airports

Air Travel, Holidays, ,

To celebrate Mother’s Day, many concessionsaires at O’Hare and Midway International Airports in Chicago will be offering discounts for mothers on Saturday May 7th and Sunday, May 8, 2011.

To prove you’re a mom, show a photo of your kid or kids (or any kid or kids… ) at the time of purchase and you’ll receive a 15% discount on selected food, beverage and retail items at participating concessions displaying this sign.