San Francisco International Airport

SFO shows off renovated T2

Airports, Art, , ,

Look what showed up for official unveiling of the newly renovated Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport:

White Knight 2 /Spaceship 2

A new Virgin America A320 with White Knight 2 carrying Spaceship 2

StuckatTheAirport.com readers have gotten a sneak peek of many of the features of T2 over the past two weeks (see here and here and here) but the completed facility was officially shown off today to dignitaries and media folks.

Passengers flying on American Airlines and Virgin America will be the only ones who get to enjoy the new terminal, but in addition to the art, amenities and services described here earlier (see the links above), here are a few more photos of what’s inside.

Many works of art that were in the original Terminal 2 have been reinstalled, including this piece from 1983 by Dan Snyder:

SFO T2 reinstalled artwork

Welcome North, Welcome South, Welcome East, Welcome West

(Photo by Bruce Damonte, courtesy San Francisco Arts Commission)

The terminal has a ‘recompose’ area just past the security checkpoint:

Restrooms with Ann Sacks tiles, Dyson hand dryers and, space to put down your stuff.
SFO T2 Women's restroom

Plenty of “Egg” chairs and other comfortable seating areas, work spaces, free Wi-Fi and (yes they counted them) 341 duplex outlets in the main hold room at at the communal tables:

Seating at SFO T2

There are also outlets on each column in the terminal and on some of the walls.

An audio tour of T2 has been commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission and will be available shortly.

SFO’s new Terminal 2: preview part 3

Airport shops, Airports, Art, Bathrooms, Food, Renovations, Shopping, , , ,

San Francisco International Airport will re-open its newly renovated Terminal 2 to the flying public on April 14, but first there will be a media day (April 6th) and a community open house (April 9th.)

For those who can’t attend the open house or who won’t be flying to or from San Francisco on American Airlines or Virgin America – the two airlines that will be using T2 – anytime soon, StuckatTheAirport.com has been offering previews of the terminal.

Part one was about the artwork in SFO’s T2.

That artwork includes a fun piece by Charles Sowers that includes mechanical butterflies.

Elsewhere in the terminal, sound artist Walter Kitundu has installed interactive benches that double as musical instruments.

SFO bench doubles as musical instrument

The wings in one of the birds in Kitundu’s mural can also be played.

SFO mural

Part two of our SFO T2 preview focused on some of the special touches, such as live plants, living-room style furniture, work areas, generous restrooms and those handy water bottle refill stations.

SFO T2 Refill station

There’s more…

The dining options – which were still under construction when I toured the building – will include: Andale – made-to-order Mexican food
Burger Joint
A restaurant/lounge by Cat Cora, one of the Food Network’s Iron Chef judges
Lark Creek Grill
Napa Farms Market
Vino Volo
Peets Coffee & Tea and Starbucks
Wakaba Sushi & Noodle
and The Plant Organic and Pinkberry frozen yogurt

Shops will include:
Compass Books
Greetings from San Francisco
I-Tech X-perience
Kiehl’s (skin and hair products)
Mango (clothing)
Mosaic Gallery
Natalie’s Candy Jar
Pacific Outfitters
Sunset News
and a branch of XpresSpa

Here a few more photos of what you’ll see in T2:

Artwork that was been stored away during renovation:

Fun seating – even in the baggage claim area:
Baggage claim seating

And plenty of places to plug in and get to work.

Souvenir Sunday: showers and sundries at SFO

Air Travel, Airport shops, Airports, Art, Baggage, Exhibits, Health, Layover, Massages, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, Stuck at the Airport, , , ,

Every Sunday here at  StuckatTheAirport.com is Souvenir Sunday: a day to unpack our carry-on and take a look at some of the fun, inexpensive goodies you can find for sale at airports.

This week’s souvenirs come from San Francisco International Airport, which is getting to ready to open the new and very much improved Terminal 2 to the flying public.  They will be a grand opening celebration for T2 on April 9th (anyone can go, but you’ll need to sign up for a free ticket). Virgin America and American Airlines begin using the terminal for regular flights on April 14th.

I’ve already posted a sneak preview of the terminal. See SFO T2 sneak peek -Part 1 and SFO T2 sneak peek part 2 – and check back later for more.

When I visited the new T2, the shops were not yet open, so I wandered over to the SFO International Terminal to see what I could find.  Sadly, the Sephora store is gone, but Freshen Up! is still there.

SFO showers

Located right next door to the Airport Travel Agency (on the Departures/Ticketing Level of the International Terminal, near the entrance to Gates G91-G102) and open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., this no-frills spot offers shower rooms, massage chairs, a place to iron your clothes and a wide variety of travel-sized items at surprisingly reasonable prices. 

SFO Freshen Up sundries

In addition to things like toothpaste, diapers, shaving cream and other sundries they also stock underwear, socks, shirts, pantyhose and other items travelers might find useful when they’re stuck at the airport on a long layover or while waiting for that delayed flight.

SFO FRESHEN UP -underwear for sale

A 20 minute shower at Freshen Up! will cost you $11. A 30-minute “deluxe” shower is $15 and includes shampoo, lotion, shower shoes a towel and nice soap. Store your bags at the travel agency next door and they’ll give you a coupon good for an upgrade from the standard to the deluxe shower.

Now that you’re clean – go shopping!

And if you see a great airport souvenir that’s inexpensive, ‘of’ the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along. If your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, I’ll send you a special travel souvenir.

Sneak peek at SFO T2 – part 2

Air Travel, Airports, Bathrooms, Design, Events, , , ,

Little things add up. And in renovating and rebuilding Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport, they’ve been paying attention to a lot of the little things.

SFO T2

In a open house for the community on April 9th (It’s free, but you’ll need a ticket) and when it opens to the flying public on April 14th, travelers flying in or out of SFO’s Terminal 2 will see live plants, loads of living room style furniture and lots of inviting, outlet-enhanced surfaces for getting work done.

SFO T2 Seating

SFO T2 work tables

There are some nice touches in the restrooms as well.

SFO T2 restroom

Stalls are deep (so there’s room for you and your carry-on in there) and out at the sinks, you’ll find outlets and those fast-working, Dyson hand-drying machines.

SFO Restroom T2

And for those who travel with their own water bottles, SFO T2 provides these easy-to-access refill stations.

SFO T2 Refill station

The sneak preview continues tomorrow….

In the meantime, take a look at the StuckatThe Airport.com preview of the artwork at SFO’s T2.

Museum Monday: Art in SFO’s new Terminal 2

Airports, Art, ,

When the remodeled Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport opens to the flying public in mid-April, it will be filled with newly commissioned artwork and refreshed, re-installed art that has been in storage during the terminal renovation.

Some of the artwork was still being put in place when I toured the terminal last week, but here’s a sneak peek at some of the new art in SFO’s T2.

Kendall Buster’s Topograph is made up of twin sculptures suspended above the ticket lobby.

Finishing touches on SFO T2

SFO T2

 

In the “recompose” area just past the security checkpoint, translucent colored netting draped from the skylights makes up Janet Echelman’s Every Beating Second. The nets will have computer-programmed air flowing through them, making it look as if there are breezes inside the terminal. At night, changing colored lights will make the sculpture look indigo, purple, magenta or red-orange.

Janet Echelman’s Every Beating Second

 

Two children’s play areas have original art as well.

T2 Kids play area SFO

 

Giant letters that spell out S-F-O can be climbed on and the interactive Butterfly Wall has loops of butterflies that rise and fall only when visitors man the hand cranks.

And Walter Kitundu has made two wing-shaped benches that double as musical instruments and a wonderful mural made of inlaid wood featuring local birds such as a Red-tailed Hawks, Anna’s Hummingbirds, herons, egrets, Northern Harriers, and Burrowing Owls.

SFO T2

 

For fans of the changing exhibits offered up by the SFO Museum, there will also be an exhibition space with seating that encourages lingering.  First up: a breathtaking selection of silver and metal work from the collection of Margo Grant Walsh.

 

 

Souvenir Sunday at San Francisco International Airport

Air Travel, Airport shops, Airports, Museums, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, ,
Finishing touches on SFO T2

SFO T2

San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 2, serving passengers on American Airlines and Virgin America, will host a community open house on Saturday, April 9, 2011, and begin hosting flights on Thursday, April 14, 2011.

In the meantime, workers are scrambling to get everything done. None of the stores were open when I visited last Thursday, but I’m looking forward to stopping by again to shop in Compass Books, Pacific Outfitters, the Mosaic Gallery (merchandise from local museums and work by Bay Area artists) and Greetings from SF, which promises “gifts, apparel, and souvenirs that reflect the unique culture of San Francisco.”

In the meantime, I made do with doing my Souvenir Sunday shopping in the SFO International Terminal.

Pretty much everything was tempting at the SFMOMA Museum Store, but I especially liked these 3-D magnets.

SFO MOMA MUSEUM STORE

 

And this make-your-own San Francisco postcard.

SFO postcard

 

Souvenir Sunday needs you.

If you find a great souvenir next time you’re stuck at the airport, please snap a photo and send it along. If you’re souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, you’ll receive a special travel-related souvenir.

Miniature buildings at San Francisco Int’l Airport

Airports, Art, Exhibits, , , ,

Here’s a great reason to hope – or plan – for a long layover at San Francisco International Airport: there’s an exhibition featuring more than sixty miniatures of columns, obelisks, arches, cathedrals and historic European structures on loan from the incredible collection of Ace Architects.

Eiffel Tower miniature

Eiffel Tower, Paris (clock) c. 1887
France/Collection of Ace Architects

“Some of the objects document buildings as they existed only at a particular time in history, while others depict structures that no longer exist.  Some are not true souvenirs, but were made singularly as project proposals or elaborate gifts.  All the miniatures, however, convey the architectural essence of the buildings they represent.  The objects also suggest the range of structures considered important to those nineteenth-century travelers to Europe wishing to return with a symbol of their cultural inheritance.”

Arc de Triompe ace architects

Arc de Triomphe, Paris (box) c.1870
France, Collection of Ace Architects

Grand Miniatures –19 th Century Souvenir Buildings from the Collection of Ace Architects is on view in the International Terminal Main Hall through May 22, 2011. The exhibition is pre-security on view 24-hours a day.

If you can’t make it to the airport before then or just want to learn more about this incredible collection, here’s a link to the exquisite catalog for the show. 

Pantheon Rome Ace Architects


Pantheon, Rome (double inkwell) c. 1870
Italy, Collection of Ace Architects


Photos of San Francisco’s Fillmore District at SFO

Airports, Art, Exhibits, , , , ,

SFO DAVID JOHNSON PHOTOS

Carousel/Father & Daughter, 1950 by David Johnson

My buddy Michael Johnson sent me a note last week:

“My dad’s photography work is up at SFO’s international terminal.”

Boy is it!

Not sure why I didn’t know this before, but Michael’s dad is David Johnson. And David Johnson “was the first African American student of Ansel Adams. In Adams’ school, Johnson was advised to photograph his own neighborhood and document the faces and places with which he was most familiar. He subsequently became an important chronicler of black life in San Francisco in the middle part of the 20th century.”

SFO DAVID JOHNSON Couple Dancing


Couple Dancing, SF c.1952; David Johnson

An exhibition of Johnson’s work “San Francisco’s Fillmore District 1940s -1960s”  is at San Francisco International Airport, in Terminal 1, B3-Gate 36 through the end of January.

Go see it.

Fresh airport art at Nashville, Port Columbus and San Francisco Airports

Art, Exhibits, , , ,

Nashville International Airport  (BNA) has kicked off the winter season of its Flying Solo art series and through mid-March you’ll be able to see work by  Virginia Derryberry

Nashville Airport Virginia Derryberry

Olen Bryant  (below) and others.

Nashville Airport, Oen Bryant

In Ohio, Port Columbus International Airport has an exhibit featuring three painted aerials of the airport by Ryan Orewiler.

Port Columbus_ Orewiler

And, through May 2011, head for the International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport to see a selection of 19th century miniature buildings from the collection of Ace Architects.

SFO miniature buildings exhibit Pantheon, Rome

Pantheon, Rome (double inkwell) c. 1870, courtesy Ace Architects

SFO_Arc de Triomphe miniature buidling

Arc de Triomphe, Paris c. 1870, courtesy Ace Architects

Fresh airport amenities for summer travel

Air Travel, Airports, Entertainment, Events, family travel, Food, Free Stuff, free Wi-Fi, Fun Stuff, Kids, Kids travel, Layover, Lounges, Music, Observation Decks, Restaurants, Wi-Fi, , , , , , , , , ,

In my msnbc.com column this week –Fresh airport amenities make the wait fly by – I offered a run-down of some of the programs and services air travelers can take advantage of this summer.

One amenity that didn’t make it into the story is self-service ice-cream sundae machine at Boston Logan International Airport.

Make-your-own sundae machine at Boston Logan Airport

We all scream for ice-cream at the airport

Using a touchscreen, customers choose a flavor (12 are available) and a mix-in. The machine then prepares and delivers the dessert.  Boston Logan Airport has two  MooBella machines installed: one is at Terminal C at the Back Bay Café (Gates 11-21); the other is at Lean & Green (Gates 40-42).

If you test it out, please send a report – and a photo.

What else is fresh and new at airports this summer?

Philadelphia International Airport offers entertainment this summer

Mimes among the entertainment at PHL this summer

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) now has free wireless and a Passenger Chillin’ Zone with sofas, tables, chairs, ottomans and foliage (Gate D-3). Throughout the summer, PHL is also hosting a Just Plane Fun program with live music, appearances by mascots from local sports teams, contests and other activities.

From now through the end of August, Miami International Airport is throwing weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) parties with a different theme each week. This weekend’s theme is Havana Nights, with domino tables, mojito demonstrations, a DJ, rumba dancing and cigar rolling.  August 20-23 you’ll find a flamenco dance show, Latin food sampling and more.

Observation Deck at Los Angeles International Airport now open

Observation Deck at LAX now open on weekends

At Los Angeles International Airport, the outdoor observation deck on top of the Theme Building in the center of the airport is finally open. Closed since 9/11, and during the building’s $12.3 million renovation and earthquake retrofit, the deck is open weekends, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free telescopes offering great views of arriving and departing aircraft, the airport grounds and the surrounding area. Pink’s, an iconic Hollywood hot dog stand, has also opened a branch in the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

At Outagamie County Regional Airport (ATW) in Appleton, Wisconsin, they’re still lining up to get candy from the giant purple machine with flashing lights.

Candy-dispening machine at Outagamie Airport

Willy Wonka candy machine dispenses mixed candy treats

Located pre-security, the Willy Wonka candy machine is one of 25 such machines in the country (there’s one at the Mall of America) and is currently the only one at an airport.

Passengers had so much fun during the special events held at Vancouver International Airport during the 2010 Winter Olympics games that the airport decided to host Take-off Fridays festivals all summer, complete with face painting, DJs spinning music, prize drawings, meal specials and frees samples from a variety of airport shops.

And San Francisco International Airport is presenting You are Hear concerts again this summer. Performances take place every Friday through August 28th between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at three different stages in the airport. This week the line-up includes Quinteto Latino in the International Terminal, Lavay Smith & The Red Hot Skillet Lickers in the United hub and, in Terminal 1, Threeocracy. See the SFO website for the full season schedule.

Enjoy!