Why, isn’t this the prettiest little airport you ever did see? We’ve heard lots of good things about Denver International Airport being up there in the stylish airport ranks, but we’d assumed its fashionista status was confined to its outside appearance of the snowy peaks on top of the building.
Not so! There was, as we found out last week, art everywhere, from the peak-shaped tiles on the floor to the train-off-the-rails-type installation at the shuttle station. ]]>
When we are at the airport waiting for our flight, we like to grab a seat with a view of the planes. But at the San Diego International Airport, we don't mind plopping down on one of these comfy rocking chairs outside of the security check and baggage claim in Terminal 1.
The seats are always full, and as you can tell from the photo, travelers plunker down to do everything to rock themselves to sleep to relax with a magazine. But we think it's the perfect place to sit with our computer. There's a bunch of outlets and the airport offers free WiFi, which means we could rock there forever. ]]>
Checking in at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport is about to get a bit weirder, not mention more unlucky. How is this possible, you ask? Well, airport management has decided to move twelve "demon statues" from the arrivals area to the check-in area.
Officially, the airport says they are moving the statues so that passengers can "appreciate the statues' beauty". But the real reason behind the move—which will cost them around $50,000 and take three months—is that shopkeepers in the arrivals area blame the statues for the bad luck which has plagued them since the airport opened, including the protests which closed the airport for more than a week last year.
So if you end up unlucky at the check-in counter, like with no good seats left on the plane or an excess baggage charge, then at least you will know that you can blame those demon statues for it.
Related Stories:
· Bangkok Airport Moves 'Unlucky' Demon Statues [The Age]
· Thai Airport Standoff Proves World Is Indeed Flat [Jaunted]
· Bangkok Travel Guide [Jaunted]
[Photo: antwerpenR]]]>
It just may be the original airport photoshoot: Chicago's Architecture Foundation is paying homage to O'Hare Airport, that great hub on the city's western fringes that usually only receives bad ratings for security wait times. The FREE show, "ORD: Documenting the Definitive Modern Airport," is displaying the vintage photographs from O'Hare's shiny past, before it became the bottleneck it is now.
On display through May 1, the exhibit wants you to get a feel for the buildings of O'Hare free of the departing flight bustle. Influenced by Mies van der Rohe (wasn't everything in Chicago in the '50s and '60s?) yet conceived by Helmut Jahn, O'Hare is known as "Chicago's Versailles," even though we think it's more akin to Chicago's Grande Arche de la Défense; something through which many people pass, but few stop to recognize.
Since nothing excites us more than the combination of free and vintage airport art, we recommend getting down to 224 South Michigan Ave. They've even got a pair of the Eames O'Hare tandem sling seats on display, as well as historical documents and an acoustic installation of airport sounds. Checking out the exhibit may not get you to your flight any faster next time you're at O'Hare, but perhaps it will make you look up and around, quieting your anxiety, and that makes all the difference.
Related Stories:
· ORD: Document the Definitive Modern Airport [Official Site]
· O'Hare Having a Party, No One Coming [Jaunted]
· Architecture Travel Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Hedrich Blessing]]]>
When we found out one of our recent flights went through O'Hare International on the way to Boston we got cold chills and our spine tingled. ORD is rightly notorious for delays and canceled flights. Given the violent weather that's been sweeping the Midwest, we crossed our fingers and stayed as positive as a meadowlark in a field full of flowers.
Not only did our flight go off without a hitch, we got to experience the awesomeness of the pedestrian connector between Concourses B and C in Terminal 2.
It was like walking through a futuristic disco version of Captain EO. All that was missing to make this the coolest transfer ever was roller skate rentals and 3-D glasses. Next time you find yourself stranded at O'Hare, head down to the moving walkway and relish the pretty lights.
Related Stories:
· Travel Snapshots coverage [Jaunted]
· Airport Art coverage [Jaunted]]]>
We had a connection last week in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (don't ask) and as we deplaned and made our way to the baggage claim in Terminal 3, we saw this public art sculpture. It was so strikingly weird that we snapped a picture right away.
Once we got back in front of a computer, we tracked down the meaning of this thing. Titled "Vendor with a Walkman" the piece was done by late sculptor Duane Hanson in 1990. Here is the official description from the Broward County Cultural Division:
Featuring a seated thirty-something male in a red T shirt and blue pants, listening to a walkman radio/cassette during a break. The installation accessories give additional clues to the narrative of the artwork: toy airplane, various signs and announcement for the shop, janitorial supplies... Hanson again presented a slice of Americana in the most unexpected locale.
Interestingly enough, the picture on the Broward County website shows the vendor with a Miller Lite hat. Our picture has the guy wearing some other sort of trucker hat. Looks like not much has changed since the 90s here. Oh well, we guess it's less shocking than sheep in formaldehyde.
Have your own travel snaps? Drop 'em in the Jaunted Flickr Pool, and we'll highlight the best.
Related Stories:
· Travel Snapshots coverage [Jaunted]
· Jaunted Photo Pool [Flickr]]]>