raffy
Nov 25, 01, 11:28 am
You can count on it: If you arrive at the airport three hours early, you'll race right through the security checkpoint. (Those epic lines snaking into the next terminal only happen when you're late for a flight.) So get used to standing around your departure gate, with plenty of time on your hands. How will you spend it?
Get a haircut, flu shot or massage. Tell your problems to a chaplain. Watch a movie. Inspect a museum exhibit. Grab a shower. Research aviation history. Take your kids to the playground. Surf the Web.
All three of the Bay Area's commercial airports offer attractions beyond the predictable array of restaurants, shops and saloons. When two of those airports - Oakland and San Jose - build bigger and better terminals in the next few years, your options will increase.
Meanwhile, check out these nifty airport time-killers on both sides of the security checkpoints: .
San Francisco International
-- SFO Medical Center: Here you can get your travel vaccinations or flu shot - or, for that matter, have a broken bone set. The focus is on travel medicine, specifically inoculations for trips to far-flung shores. For $35, clinicians will offer full consultation, examining your medical history and recommending country-specific immunizations ranging in price from $20 for tetanus to $150 for rabies. Appointments are recommended. Flu shots are provided on a drop-in basis for $15. Located on ground level in the old International Terminal. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, closed Sundays. Phone: (650) 821-5600.
-- Hairport: Provides showers ($11), shoulder and scalp massages ($20) and, as the name suggests, haircuts ($15 - $25). Also: shaves ($15), beard trims ($10), facials ($35), facial waxing ($15 and up) and foot spa massage ($38). Sells hair products and lottery tickets. First come, first served (no reservations). Located on the United Airlines side of the new International Terminal. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. Closed Sundays. Phone: (650) 876-1741.
-- Kids' Spot: This is called a "children's learning and activity center," but it has rubber floors so the little ones can go nuts and work off steam. The exhibits relate to weather phenomena and are divided into age-appropriate sections. Located in Terminal 3 (the North Terminal) near Boarding Area F, Gate 90. Open 24 hours. Free.
-- Web access: Regrettably, the big business center at SFO has closed, although it is expected to reopen under new management. Meanwhile, telephone kiosks around the airport feature full-screen Web phones with dedicated T1 lines. You can access the excellent SFO Web site for free. Otherwise, it costs a flat fee of $4.95 to get online.
-- InMotion Pictures: This outfit will rent you a DVD and a DVD player (with headset) for $12 a day. You can watch the movie and return it before your departure, or drop it off at an InMotion store at your arrival airport (now in 15 locations, with more to come). You can also return the player and DVD by UPS for a total price of $19.95 (including the rental). If you have your own DVD player or a laptop with DVD functions, you can take the movie for $5 (and return it by mail within five days). Located in the United Airlines section of the North Terminal near the See's Candy stand. Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
every day. All stores have 24-hour drop-off. Phone: (650) 877-8320. Web: www. inmotionpictures.com. (Also available at the San Jose Airport).
-- Reflection Room: A chapel of sorts, this quiet space on the north side of the new International Terminal provides a refuge where you can meditate and reflect, read a book, catch a snooze or say a prayer.
-- Aviation Library and Museum: Modeled after the passenger area in San Francisco's original airport, circa 1937, this 11,000-square-foot museum in the new International Terminal features exhibits celebrating commercial aviation in the Pacific region. Some 5,000 volumes on aviation history are available for your perusal in the affiliated library. Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Mondays through Fridays.
-- San Francisco Airport Museums: SFO is not just an airport; it's an accredited museum. Every terminal and connecting tunnel contains one or more outstanding artistic, historical or cultural displays. These are available 24 hours a day, and are always worth a look. Free. .
Oakland International
-- Oakland Museum of California: The museum currently has two exhibits running at the airport. In Terminal 2 it's "African Textiles." In Terminal 1 it's "Chinese Snuff Boxes." Look for other displays over time. Available for viewing around the clock. Free.
-- Tower Lounge: It's another airport bar, but there's a bonus: Located on the eighth floor of the airport tower, this saloon offers terrific views of the runways and downtown Oakland and San Francisco. Open Mondays through Fridays from noon to 7 p.m.; closed weekends.
-- Picnic area: One problem at the Oakland Airport is that most restaurants are located inside the security area, so it's hard to have a meal with your family or friends before they bid you farewell. As an alternative, grab some deli food and chow down in the picnic area, with benches and grass, located just outside the north end of Terminal 1. .
San Jose International
-- KidPort: A play structure for the young 'uns, with mini-flight towers and a slide that looks like a runway, plus a monitor for watching activities on the airfield. Located near the information booth in the main lobby of Terminal C. Open 24 hours. Free.
-- Expedia.com: Again, a bar with a difference. Customers can get free Web access, charge their laptops or watch travel videos on the big screens. In Terminal C outside the main lobby, across from the America West counter. Open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
-- Tech Museum of Innovation: Sample exhibits from the famous Tech in San Jose. Located in Terminal A across from Gate A5. Open 24 hours. Free.
--Chaplains Program: These ministers and their associates roam the airport, offering a wide variety of services, from spiritual counseling to practical assistance with airport services, courtesy of the Interfaith Chaplaincy Program of Interfaith Services, Inc.
-- InMotion Pictures: DVD and DVD player rentals (for prices and details, see listing under San Francisco International). Located on the south concourse of Terminal C. Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Phone: (408) 295-1727.
Source: SF Chronicle
Get a haircut, flu shot or massage. Tell your problems to a chaplain. Watch a movie. Inspect a museum exhibit. Grab a shower. Research aviation history. Take your kids to the playground. Surf the Web.
All three of the Bay Area's commercial airports offer attractions beyond the predictable array of restaurants, shops and saloons. When two of those airports - Oakland and San Jose - build bigger and better terminals in the next few years, your options will increase.
Meanwhile, check out these nifty airport time-killers on both sides of the security checkpoints: .
San Francisco International
-- SFO Medical Center: Here you can get your travel vaccinations or flu shot - or, for that matter, have a broken bone set. The focus is on travel medicine, specifically inoculations for trips to far-flung shores. For $35, clinicians will offer full consultation, examining your medical history and recommending country-specific immunizations ranging in price from $20 for tetanus to $150 for rabies. Appointments are recommended. Flu shots are provided on a drop-in basis for $15. Located on ground level in the old International Terminal. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, closed Sundays. Phone: (650) 821-5600.
-- Hairport: Provides showers ($11), shoulder and scalp massages ($20) and, as the name suggests, haircuts ($15 - $25). Also: shaves ($15), beard trims ($10), facials ($35), facial waxing ($15 and up) and foot spa massage ($38). Sells hair products and lottery tickets. First come, first served (no reservations). Located on the United Airlines side of the new International Terminal. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. Closed Sundays. Phone: (650) 876-1741.
-- Kids' Spot: This is called a "children's learning and activity center," but it has rubber floors so the little ones can go nuts and work off steam. The exhibits relate to weather phenomena and are divided into age-appropriate sections. Located in Terminal 3 (the North Terminal) near Boarding Area F, Gate 90. Open 24 hours. Free.
-- Web access: Regrettably, the big business center at SFO has closed, although it is expected to reopen under new management. Meanwhile, telephone kiosks around the airport feature full-screen Web phones with dedicated T1 lines. You can access the excellent SFO Web site for free. Otherwise, it costs a flat fee of $4.95 to get online.
-- InMotion Pictures: This outfit will rent you a DVD and a DVD player (with headset) for $12 a day. You can watch the movie and return it before your departure, or drop it off at an InMotion store at your arrival airport (now in 15 locations, with more to come). You can also return the player and DVD by UPS for a total price of $19.95 (including the rental). If you have your own DVD player or a laptop with DVD functions, you can take the movie for $5 (and return it by mail within five days). Located in the United Airlines section of the North Terminal near the See's Candy stand. Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
every day. All stores have 24-hour drop-off. Phone: (650) 877-8320. Web: www. inmotionpictures.com. (Also available at the San Jose Airport).
-- Reflection Room: A chapel of sorts, this quiet space on the north side of the new International Terminal provides a refuge where you can meditate and reflect, read a book, catch a snooze or say a prayer.
-- Aviation Library and Museum: Modeled after the passenger area in San Francisco's original airport, circa 1937, this 11,000-square-foot museum in the new International Terminal features exhibits celebrating commercial aviation in the Pacific region. Some 5,000 volumes on aviation history are available for your perusal in the affiliated library. Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Mondays through Fridays.
-- San Francisco Airport Museums: SFO is not just an airport; it's an accredited museum. Every terminal and connecting tunnel contains one or more outstanding artistic, historical or cultural displays. These are available 24 hours a day, and are always worth a look. Free. .
Oakland International
-- Oakland Museum of California: The museum currently has two exhibits running at the airport. In Terminal 2 it's "African Textiles." In Terminal 1 it's "Chinese Snuff Boxes." Look for other displays over time. Available for viewing around the clock. Free.
-- Tower Lounge: It's another airport bar, but there's a bonus: Located on the eighth floor of the airport tower, this saloon offers terrific views of the runways and downtown Oakland and San Francisco. Open Mondays through Fridays from noon to 7 p.m.; closed weekends.
-- Picnic area: One problem at the Oakland Airport is that most restaurants are located inside the security area, so it's hard to have a meal with your family or friends before they bid you farewell. As an alternative, grab some deli food and chow down in the picnic area, with benches and grass, located just outside the north end of Terminal 1. .
San Jose International
-- KidPort: A play structure for the young 'uns, with mini-flight towers and a slide that looks like a runway, plus a monitor for watching activities on the airfield. Located near the information booth in the main lobby of Terminal C. Open 24 hours. Free.
-- Expedia.com: Again, a bar with a difference. Customers can get free Web access, charge their laptops or watch travel videos on the big screens. In Terminal C outside the main lobby, across from the America West counter. Open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
-- Tech Museum of Innovation: Sample exhibits from the famous Tech in San Jose. Located in Terminal A across from Gate A5. Open 24 hours. Free.
--Chaplains Program: These ministers and their associates roam the airport, offering a wide variety of services, from spiritual counseling to practical assistance with airport services, courtesy of the Interfaith Chaplaincy Program of Interfaith Services, Inc.
-- InMotion Pictures: DVD and DVD player rentals (for prices and details, see listing under San Francisco International). Located on the south concourse of Terminal C. Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Phone: (408) 295-1727.
Source: SF Chronicle