San Francisco International Airport

Seating show (part 2) at San Francisco International Airport

Art

Keeping with the SFO and the chair theme for one more day…

There’s another exhibition at San Francisco International Airport that features a few cool chairs.

Scandinavian Modernism: In Pursuit of Function and Beauty includes more than 50 examples of furniture, ceramics, glass and lighting designed by prominent Scandinavian Modernists from the 1920’s through the mid 1960’s.

In addition to Arne Jacobsen’s Ant chair (above) there’s Hans Wenger’s Valet chair and Bruno Mathsson’s bentwood Pernilla lounge chair.

You can see these chairs, and the rest of the exhibit pre-security in the International Terminal Main Hall, through October 26, 2008.

(All photos courtesy San Francisco International Airport)

Seating show at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Art

Designers might call it a “sitting machine” but to you, it’s probably just Seat 22B.

Either way, that airplane seat has come a long way from the days when it was probably made of wicker and bent wood.

(Airline single passenger seat c. 1928)

Curious about what else airplane seats have been made of? There’s a new exhibition at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) tracing the development of airline seating from the 1920’s to today.

On display are examples of passenger chairs that include early single seats made of wicker and bent wood, the transition to aluminum-framed seats, reclining seats that introduced deep foam rubber cushioning, and first-class seating with multiple controls and personal electronics.

Airline first class single passenger seat 1993

(Photos: Courtesy San Francisco Airport Museums)

Take Your Seat: A History of Airline Passenger Chairs is on view through January 15, 2009 in the airport’s Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum pre-security on the Departures/Ticketing Level of the International Terminal (next to the entrance to Boarding Area A)

A musical summer close-out at SFO

Music

Fridays have been very festive at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this summer, thanks to the airport’s “You are Hear” concert series.

But now that the summer is ending; so is the music. The last concert takes place this Friday (August 29) between 11 am and 3 pm on three stages throughout the airport (two stages are pre-security; one is post-security).

The line-up for this final event includes Quinteto Latino (Latin classical music), modern cellist Zoe Keating, and “Special Guests TBA.”

SFO is a big place. Here’s a map of the stage locations

Forbes confirms: We’ll all be stuck at the airport

Delays, ,

In her Forbes article titled “America’s Most Time Draining Airports,” Rebecca Ruiz reports on the Forbes analysis of 2007 Bureau of Transportation statistics for 100 of the largest airports. (The full table of delay statistics is here.)

No surprise – Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) tops the list as “the nation’s worst airport for delays.” In defense, airport officials tick off a list of things passengers can do while they’re stuck at O’Hare: get a massage, shop at the Field Museum kiosk, or eat at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant.

That might keep you amused for about an hour.  In the Top 20 list of airports with the worst delays there are few that offer far more entertainment: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Denver International Airport (DEN) have lots of artwork to see and at Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport (MSP) there’s oodles of great shopping.

sfoart.jpg

(World Civilization,” by Viola Frey, is located in Boarding Area A. Courtesy SFO airport)

Wit and whimsy – Victorian style – at SFO

Art, Museums

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is, so far, the only U.S. airport with an accredited museum. There are twenty galleries scattered throughout the terminals displaying always cool, ever-changing exhibitions of art, history, science.

So you may find yourself wishing for a longer layover or a flight delay here.

I usually do.

Right now, for example, pre-security in the International Terminal, there’s a new exhibit of more than fifty pieces of the nineteenth-century English and French glazed ceramic known as “majolica.”

This wine cistern celebrating Bacchus is my favorite:

sfobacchusvase1.jpg

Bacchus vase 1851–1897/ Courtesy of Nicolaus Boston

Not in the mood for majolica? Elsewhere in the airport, there are exhibit cases filled with flight attendant uniform caps, aviation toys, minerals and gemstones, and other fun stuff.

And there’s no admission charge.

To help you plan your SFO layover, here’s a link to the San Francisco Airport Art Museum’s list of what’s where – and when.