San Francisco International Airport

Dwell well at San Francisco Int’l and Singapore’s Changi Airport

Design, , ,

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Dwell magazine’s June 2009 issue picks San Francisco International Airport’s International Terminal as the Best Airport in the United States and Singapore’s Changi Airport as the Best International Airport.

Writer Tom Downs says SFO’s International Terminal “elevates expectations with its sweeping, wing like roof and custom lettering oozing cosmopolitan style… Waylaid travelers can busy themselves with an aquarium, an aviation museum, thoughtful art and culture exhibits, spa treatments, quality restaurants, and wireless Internet.”

changi-aiport-singapore-interiorWhile Downs says Changi Airport’s indoor waterfall “does approach Las Vegas standards of excess…,” he allows that “the vines, tasteful wood trim, and warm tones help offset the coldness commonly found in international hubs.”  And he certainly approves of the “24-hour cinema, spa, showers, children’s play areas, and free Internet service.”

Do you agree?

Souvenir Sunday: San Francisco Int’l Airport

Souvenirs, ,

Happy Souvenir Sunday!

When I’m stuck at the airport, I poke around for fun “of that city” souvenirs.

My rules:

1. No shot glasses or t-shirts.
2. Cost: less than $10.
3.  Nothing generic or simply stamped with the city name. (See rule 1).

So while these Alcatraz shot-glasses with the escaping prisoner were sort of cute, I had to pass them by.

sfo-shot-glass

Ditto with “The Governator” t-shirt.

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I’d thought I’d hit pay dirt with the Scharffen Berger candy bars, but it seems that this locally-grown company is now owned by Hershey and the chocolates are now being made in ….Illinois.

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So, I had to fall back on an old, but tasty, standard: sourdough bread.

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Found a great airport souvenir?  Let me know: maybe I’ll feature your find on a future  Souvenir Sunday!

SFO Museum explores history of airline branding

Art, Exhibits, History

sfo-pan-am-bag1950’s Pan Am World Airways flight bag; photo courtesy San Francisco Int’l Airport)

If you’ve got a layover at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) be sure to check out the exhibition of more than 125 vintage and present-day items from 45 airlines, including flight attendant uniforms, airline signage, flight bags, in-flight service items, luggage labels, ticket jackets, safety cards and model aircraft.

sfo-luggage-ticket(Colonial Airways luggage label c. 1925; courtesy SFO airport)

The objects help tell the story of how airlines establish an identity through graphic design, interior design, architecture, fashion, and cuisine.

Painted Wings: A History of Airline Identity is on view at SFO through August 14, 2009 in the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum. The museum, a gem on its own, is located pre-security on the Departures/Ticketing Level of the International Terminal, next to the entrance to Boarding Area A.  Admission to the museum is free.

Greetings from SFO…or maybe outer space

Art,

Sometimes three hours for a layover at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) isn’t quite enough.  Especially when there are exhibits like Out of this World! The Twentieth-Century Space Invasion of American Pop Culture

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On display are more than 300 space-themed objects from the 1930s through the 1980s, from toys such as flying saucers, space guns, rocket ships and robots, to everyday household objects like air fresheners, sewing needles and packaged foods.

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The exhibit is on view in Terminal 3 through March 14, 2009 and accessible only to passengers ticketed through Terminal 3.   If you’re anywhere nearby, make sure to see this before everything here goes back to an alternate universe.

(Photos courtesy Ross Reynolds)

A lounge within a lounge at SFO

Lounges, ,

Sunday mornings at SFO can be fairly quiet. Unless it’s a holiday weekend and rain and fog are causing flight delays.

United’s Red Carpet Club on Sunday morning? Quiet as well. Not the usual zillion folks making cold calls, excuses, or dates from the cubicles in the business center.  And plenty of bagels and bananas left on the buffet.

And back in the Westin Renewal Lounge section of the Red Carpet club? It’s even quieter; verging on the serene.

And that’s the goal.

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The co-branded lounge-within-a lounge welcomes travelers with an “elixir” made from orange juice, green tea and ginger. There’s also a large window overlooking the activity at a few gates and special photo-therapy lighting that promises to make any jet-lagged passenger feel “more alert, awake and energized.”

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I have only one small quibble: there’s a large screen showing really lovely, very calming nature scenes (wait for the orange butterflies!) in HDTV, courtesy of Blue Marvel.  But a narrated informational tag kept cycling through explaining that the programming is so soothing in part because it’s narrative-free.

The are Westin Renewal Lounges in two Red Carpet Club locations: San Francisco (Terminal 3 by gate 80) and Los Angeles (Terminal 7 by gate 70). There’s also one in the First Class Lounge in New York (JFK terminal 7).

Better connections in SFO and PHL

Delays,

Both San Francisco International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport have added connectors that make it easier to get around.

At SFO, there’s a new connector bridge linking United’s Terminal 3 to the international terminal.  That’s great news not only because passengers connecting from domestic to international flights no longer need to exit the domestic terminal and clear security before going to the new gates, but because the international terminal has some great shops and restaurants.

sfo-intl

At PHL, there’s a new D/E Connector, which means travelers can now walk straight through from Terminal A West through Terminal E without having to through security again.  The new connector comes with new artwork and ten new stores and restaurants, including Vino Volo, Borders, InMotion Entertainment, Peet’s Coffee and Teas, Taxco Sterling, Tech Showcase and more.

Stuck at the airport – with music

Art

On Christmas day, travelers were met with antlered flight attendants on airplanes and gate agents dressed like elves at airports. All quite fun and festive, but most airports had shut down the official live holiday entertainment for the day.

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(Courtesy: Golden Gate Bell Ringers)

Scheduled music and theatrical performances should start back up this weekend at many airports and continue through New Year’s Eve. Check your airport Web site for details.

In the meantime, here’s what’s on the bill at San Francisco International Airport in the You are Hear program next Wednesday, New Year’s Eve , between 11 am and 2 pm.

International Terminal: Golden Gate Bell Ringers

Terminal 1: Zoe Keating

Terminal 3: Marc and The Casuals with Special Guest Tommy Guerrero

Airport art: definitely worth a look

Art, ,

Next time you’re at the airport, take a moment to look around. Not just at all the shops, restaurants and harried holiday travelers, but at all the really great art.

(Photo: From Inside Track exhibit; courtesy San Francisco International Airport)

In addition to some truly wonderful – and valuable – collections of permanent and site-specific art, many U.S. airports offer ambitious rotating schedules of art, history and cultural exhibitions as intriguing as anything you’ll find in town.

And this time of year, who has time to go into town anyway?

For a preview of some fun stuff currently on view in the nation’s airports take a look at my “At the Airport” column posted today in USAToday.com: Airport round-up: Best exhibits at a terminal near you. There’s a great slide show accompanying the column, but here are few extra images we didn’t have room for.

From the Stitchalicious exhibit of “sweets” made from felt, brillo pads and other non-edibles by Mindy Sue Meyers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

(Photo courtesy Phoenix Airport Museum).

This Beech Nut Circus Wagon, is one of the “jaw-dropping and wondrous” objects from 25 regional museums on display at New York’s Albany International Airport.

(Photo courtesy – New York State Museum)

Love the layover: vintage toy trains at San Francisco International Airport

Exhibits, Museums, ,

A new exhibition at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is all about trains.

(New York Central Railroad with alphabet blocks (push toy) 1885-95; Collection of Rod Cornell)

Inside Track presents more than 200 vintage toy trains and accessories-including two miniature train layouts. In addition to realistic-looking trains, there are specialty items such as Mickey Mouse handcars from the 1930s and the “Lady Lionel,” which was a pastel train marketed to girls during the 1950s.

(Mickey Mouse handcar 1934-37 Lionel Corp., Irvington, New Jersey; Collection of David & Barbara Dansky)

Inside Track: Toy Trains is located pre-security in the International Terminal Main Hall and is on view through April 2009. If you’re at the airport on November 19th, November 22-23rd, or December 6th and 7th, make an extra effort to seek out the exhibit. On those days local model train clubs will set up and run miniature train layouts.

(Blue Comet engine 1931-39; Lionel Corp., Irvington, New Jersey
Collection of David and Barbara Dansky)

Visit SFO, end up in outer space

Art, ,

We’re coming up on Halloween and the anniversary of the Orson Welles-directed radio show of War of the Worlds.

So it’s a perfect time to schedule a trip to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) just to see a wonderful exhibition filled with more than 300 classic space-related products ranging from the “fantastically silly to the truly visionary.”

“Out of this World! The Twentieth-Century Space Invasion of American Pop Culture,” features everything from flying saucer toys, space guns, rocket ships and robots, to everyday household objects like air fresheners, sewing needles and packaged foods.

Take a look:

(Tom Corbett Space Academy Set 1952; Courtesy of Mickey McGowan, San Rafael, California)

(Robot and Son c. 1956; Courtesy of Mickey McGowan, San Rafael, California)

Out of this World! also includes four sculptures by artist and collector Clayton Bailey, who began making life-sized robots back in 1975 using pieces of cookware, vacuum cleaners, bicycles, automobiles, and a variety of home appliances.

The exhibition is located post-security in Terminal 3 and will be on view through March 14, 2009.

(Rex Mars Planet Patrol Space Tank c. 1952; ection of Betty and Clayton Bailey, Port Costa, California)