The Kentucky Derby will take place on schedule this year on Saturday, May 1 and Louisville Muhammad International Airport (SDF) is decked out and ready to welcome Derby guests with lots of fresh roses.
The @kroger floral team used approximately 250 fresh cut roses in each of the eight urns that line the SDF terminal connector to welcome Derby guests, with more than 2,200 roses throughout the facility. pic.twitter.com/bORyVO3kQP
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be available to the public tomorrow from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the 44th Street PHX Sky Train® Station. Schedule your appointment at https://t.co/KA1BjQEDAI. pic.twitter.com/LMku7Ty1SU
Airports everywhere are continuing their “keep clean things clean” campaigns. Touchless tech helps, and we see Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) just added touchess/wave-to-call elevator buttons.
It’s not ‘beam me up, Scotty,’ but we’re currently installing touchless/wave-to-call elevator buttons to reduce the spread of germs. Just point to the floor where you’re headed and be transported! It’s all part of a modern, more health-conscious airport. #SafeTravelspic.twitter.com/n7mTf1vUDH
— Pittsburgh International Airport (@PITairport) April 29, 2021
Places We’d Go… Cleveland
Cleveland is hosting the NFL Draft, with lots of bonus activities.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has a new exhibit celebrating the Super Bowl Halftime Show music and performers.
The Biggest Show on Turf: 55 Years of Halftime Showswill be on exhibit through September 21 and includes performance outfits, instruments, and set pieces, including Prince’s turquoise suit worn during his unforgettable purple-rained 2007 performance, where he asked production managers “Can you make it rain harder?” and Katy Perry’s beach-ball inspired costume and “Left Shark” that ignited a pop culture phenomenon after her 2015 performance.
The folks at Atlas Obscura have a new book out. And a new daily podcast.
In their new book Rogue Routes, Atlas Obscura and Nissan outline fifty unusual drives through the United States. You can download a PDF for free here. And the Atlas Obscura daily podcast (well, Monday – Thursday) promises 15 minutes of “exploration and celebration of some of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.”
Rock Hall of Fame schedules induction for Cleveland in October
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will host the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio this year on October 30, 2021.
This year’s nominees include Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Devo, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, JAY-Z, Chaka Khan, Carole King, Fela Kuti, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren, Tina Turner, and Dionne Warwick.
Have a favorite? Fans can vote for their favorite nominees now through April 30, 2021 at vote.rockhall.com. The top five artists selected by the public will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that gets tallied along with the other ballots to select the 2021 final inductees.
Quito Airport’s new public space design
Last March, Covid-19 put a halt to a scheduled renovation project for the public areas of Ecuador’s Quito Mariscal Sucre International Airport. But when the country decided that construction projects could proceed, the airport went ahead with the renovation project.
In addition to replacing a big swatch of ceramic flooring with Brazilian granite, furniture specially designed for the airport was installed. New greenery, including vertical gardens, was added and a sculpture (above) made with local balsa wood from sustainable forests was installed in the center of the departure hall.
The #AeropuertoUIO already boasts a renewed image in its public areas thanks to a comprehensive remodeling of the departure and arrival halls of the passenger terminal, a work undertaken by @Quiport as part of its improvement plan. More information👇https://t.co/dPoBwL1efipic.twitter.com/MAc83YgmVE
Alaska Airlines offers free flights for CA residents
If you live in California and you hurry, you may be able to score a free flight from Alaska Airlines.
The first 25,000 California residents who sign up for Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan by March 3 2021 will get a flight within California for (almost) free. You’ll only need to pay taxes and fees – from $15 each way. Details here.
Art exhibit showcases WWII Trench Art
On Thursday, March 4, The National WWII Museumin New Orleans opens its newest special exhibit “SOLDIER | ARTIST: Trench Art in World War II.” The exhibit includes more than 150 artifacts and souvenirs, such as ashtrays, jewelry, tools and cookware, radios, and musical instruments that explore the military pastime of creating art, souvenirs, and tools out of the discarded materials and waste of war.
From the exhibit notes:
The practice of creating trench art is as old as military conflict itself. During the American Revolution, prisoners of war created ship models from the bones of their rations. Soldiers in the Civil War carved charms and trinkets from lead bullets. World War I brought the advent of “classic” examples of trench art—and gave name to the pastime—as changes in technology presented soldiers with the material that best characterized the art form: the brass cartridge. During World War II, a more mechanized army offered increased access to the tools needed to fashion trench art, and the artifacts became more varied in form and were produced in greater quantity.
New name for the San Diego Zoo
Today, March 3, is World Wildlife Day and the San Diego Zoo Global is marking the day by becoming San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA).
The new brand underscores how the health of wildlife, people, and the environment are interconnected and linked to the health of our planet.
A new mural by world-renowned artist, Romero Britto, is being unveiled today to mark the rebrand and Alaska Airlines is donating 1 million miles to support the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s efforts.
(My story about museums welcoming back visitors first appeared on NBC)
Ready to leave your house and spend some time in a museum?
With all 50 states in some stage of post-pandemic reopening, many museums are back welcoming visitors to art- and history-filled halls.
Doing so signals a return to “normal” in many communities — but it may also help plug the economic hole created when almost every museum in the country closed its doors in response to COVID-19 concerns.
“All museum revenue related to admission, gift shop and café sales evaporated, along with event rentals,” said Laura Lott, president and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, which pegs the loss at $33 million a day. “As many as one-third of the nation’s national cultural treasures may never reopen.”
Museums that are opening are doing so with extreme caution and close attention to social distancing, health and safety. Here is a sampling of what visitors will encounter.
Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee
It’s sexy when Elvis Presley croons about feeling his temperature rising in the classic “Burning Love.” But now that the gates at Graceland are reopened, anyone with a fever 100.4 degrees or higher is not allowed to enter the shrine to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
In addition to mandatory temperature checks, the attraction is limiting entry to just 25 percent of normal capacity and encouraging guests to wear masks. It is using commercial-grade cleaners, including UV light sanitizer wands and disinfectant foggers, to sanitize the campus.
The museum has its own speakeasy and, while supplies last, will be giving each guest a complimentary bottle of ethanol hand sanitizer made in the on-site distillery.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland
If it stayed closed through the end of the year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame would be facing a $12 million loss in revenue. So the museum is eager to reopen to the public by June 15.
“We have been blowing the doors off with virtual offerings on our website and reaching people where they are at this time,” said museum CEO Greg Harris, “We think that will increase the number of people that now desire to visit the museum in person.”
When the doors do open, there will be timed entry, limited capacity and newly hired nurses at the entrance to take everyone’s temperatures. The museum will reserve certain hours for at-risk groups such as seniors. Rock ‘n’ roll-themed masks will be provided to visitors who arrive without their own.
Many touch screens will be turned off until the museum installs antimicrobial covers, and “The Garage,” an exhibit that encourages visitors to play instruments and jam with others, will be closed.
Ripley’s Believe it or Not! – Branson
Ripley’s Believe it or Not! museum (home of the world’s largest roll of toilet paper) opened over Memorial Day weekend with reduced capacity and new social distancing and sanitizing systems. The odditorium is evaluating how the protocols are working out before opening for the summer season.
Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, Springfield, Missouri
To accommodate social distancing, timed entries, enhanced cleaning procedures and limits on daily attendance, the attraction is extending its opening hours. Confined spaces like the swinging bridge are temporarily closed; interactive experiences, such as the penguin encounter, are being modified; and the museum is adopting the COVID-19 response plan developed by the Florida Aquarium in Tampa and the Infectious Disease Prevention team at Tampa General Hospital.
New York City’s iconic Met said it plans to reopen in mid-August or whenever the city meets the phased-in reopening requirements.
The museum’s three locations — The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Cloisters and The Met Breuer — have been closed since mid-March.
“The Met has endured much in its 150 years, and today continues as a beacon of hope for the future,” President Daniel Weiss said in a statement last week. The institution will belatedly celebrate its 150th anniversary next year, he said.
Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming
The 40-acre Buffalo Bill Center of the West reopened May 7 with added staff members during peak hours to keep surfaces in the center’s five museums clean. Now that the south and east entrances to Yellowstone National Park are open, the museum is fine-tuning its new protocols and preparing to welcome more visitors.
Kentucky Derby Museum and Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, Kentucky
Museums, aquariums, zoos and distilleries in Kentucky cannot reopen before June 8. But in Louisville, key attractions including the Kentucky Derby Museum and the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory are already ringing up sales in their gift shops.
Next to airports, museums – especially the odd ones – are my thing.
Here’s a piece I put together for TODAY.com Travel about Hall of Fame Museums that are definitely worth a visit.
The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame is housed inside a giant steel, concrete and fiberglass fish. Courtesy of the museum.
“The best halls of fame also offer a museum experience,” said Doug Kirby, publisher of RoadsideAmerica.com. “That helps provide context about the history, industry and achievements of those enshrined on plaques.”
Among his favorites are the US National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum in Ishpeming, Michigan, which honors the sport’s best athletes and its history, and the International Towing and Recovery Museum, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which has a Hall of Fame saluting “the movers and shakers of an industry dedicated to hauling broken-down vehicles safely off America’s highways.”
Here are a few other halls of fame you won’t want to miss:
The ball Babe Ruth hit for his final career big league home run in 1935 is on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Courtesy Milo Stewart Jr. / National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
As many as 300,000 visitors make the trek to Cooperstown, New York, each year to visit and pay respects to the heroes of the game called “America’s pastime.”
Three floors of artifact-filled exhibits document baseball history, and bronze plaques honor each Hall of Famer. During this summer’s Hall of Fame Weekend (July 25-28) more than 50 Hall of Fame legends, including Hank Aaron, Cal Ripken and Sandy Koufax will be on hand to help celebrate the Class of 2014 inductees Bobby Cox, Tom Glavine, Tony La Russa, Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas and Joe Torre.
If you go: Open daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Admission: $19.50 for adults; Children 7-12: $7.
A new exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum includes the outfit Lady Gaga wore in the video for “Bad Romance.” Courtesy of the museum.
This museum in Cleveland, Ohio, holds a star-studded ceremony each spring for its newest inductees. Performers inducted this year included Kiss, Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt and the E Street Band.
The museum displays iconic rock ‘n’ roll artifacts year-round, including the most comprehensive exhibit of Beatles’ items, and offers special exhibits, such as “Right Here, Right Now,” which invites visitors of different generations to learn “how the roots and pivotal moments in rock and roll influenced current artists and the future of music,” said museum spokesman Todd Mesek.
If you go: Open daily. Adults: $22; Kids 9-12: $13.
At this Rochester, New York, museum devoted to the history of play, a new batch of popular and well-loved toys is inducted in the National Toy Hall of Fame each November.
“The types of toys people have played with over time tells us a great deal about our cultural history,” said Shane Rhinewald, spokesman for The Strong. “Because of this, the National Toy Hall of Fame recognizes toys that have inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over multiple generations.”
Past winners have included Barbie (1998), the cardboard box (2005) and dominoes (2012).
In addition to a gallery celebrating the more than 50 toys that have been inducted into the hall of fame so far, the museum offers a plethora of interactive play areas and exhibits filled with historic toys and games.
If you go: Open 362 days a year. Age 2 and older: $13.50.
Part museum, part hall of fame, this Hayward, Wisconsin, attraction is a shrine to anglers built inside the “Big Musky,” a 143-foot-long, 41-foot-tall concrete, steel and fiberglass fish.
In addition to mounted specimens, fishing gear and more than 50,000 vintage and historical fishing artifacts, the hall tracks freshwater fishing world records and honors legendary anglers, fishing guides and artists who have tackled fishing themes.
If you go: Open daily, April 15 through October. Admission: $7 adults; $5 kids 10-17.
This Elkhart, Indiana, attraction not only honors the leaders of the recreational vehicle and motor home industry, it documents the history of the vehicles and displays a treasure-trove of trailers reaching back to the 1920s and 1930s. Included along a winding “highway” that runs through the building are Mae West’s 1931 Chevrolet Housecar and a 1954 Yellowstone, an unusual 18-foot-long trailer that was equipped with residential-type appliances and two doors.
If you go: Open daily. Admission: $10 adults; $7 youth 6-18.
