Booths with iPads, waiting area of MSP

Traveling acquaints us with what’s up and coming, so we were fascinated with the new (well, about a year and a half old) Terminal G in the Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport (MSP).  Filled with booths and tables rather than rows of seating, the waiting areas are outfitted with iPads for travel convenience – already downloaded with today’s edition of USA Today, numerous gaming apps, and reports on everything from weather to airline delays.

We checked one of the screens to make sure we had ample time for breakfast before departing for Spokane.

iPads at counters in Terminal G of MSP let you check on flight status, weather, etc.

We seated ourselves on barstools at Twinburger only to be faced with more iPads, this time loaded with menus offering everything from beer to burgers and then some.  Ordering from an iPad was a new experience for us, but we took to it rapidly.

Twinburger counter at MSP with big screen TVs overhead, iPads for ordering on the counter

Most people were involved with more than one device be it iPad, iPhone, laptop, or something else.  And then there were Hoda and Kathie Lee on the big screen!  A real techie morning!

Surrounded by tech — breakfast at MSP!

If you want to order breakfast, you swoosh the screen side to side to see what’s available.  Then tap your choice.  It all collects in a “cart” similar to the ones we use with online ordering at Amazon or J. Jill or Eddie Bauer.  It even adds a tip — a convenience that may cost you more than you had intended giving, but nevertheless an expedient operation.

Ordering from an iPad at MSP — Yes, you can order beer, if you want! Just swipe and tally!

And then you swipe your card.  Just like that, the whole process is done.  Complete.  Breakfast is on its way.

Just swipe card here, and breakfast is served!

With a long layover, we lingered at the bar and watched the chef cook more dishes ordered from iPads:  egg white omelets, stuffed French toast, doughnut burgers.  You read that correctly: doughnut burgers – a red meat concoction between two slices of a glazed doughnut.  Heart attack on a plate, I thought.

One doughnut burger comin’ right up!

I asked the chef if he sold many of these.  He smiled at me and said, Yes.  Yes, we do.  I don’t eat them myself.  But a lot of people, I guess, want to try something new.

Chef preparing orders of the day with big screen TVs overhead: Twinburger at MSP

And so that’s breakfast in Minneapolis.  At the airport.  Terminal G.  We ordered from an iPad, watched a chef prepare a doughnut burger, and then settled in at a booth to read the news from USA Today – on a mobile device.  Are we The Jetsons?  Close enough.

Techie breakfast at MSP

P. S.  Just in case you have this vision of an obese blogger sitting on a barstool pigging out on a doughnut burger, I did NOT order nor did I eat one of those!

Have you ordered a meal on an iPad?  (It’s probably an ordinary occurrence for many readers.)  Well, if you have, let us know where and when!  We’re just now moving into the future!

So, here’s my entry this week for the Weekly Photo Challenge:

Inside Terminal C — Chicago O’Hare International Airport!

And here’s hoping that as school winds down, I’ll be outside a little bit more!

For more entries in this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside, click here.

To read a previous post entitled

Since we live in Knoxville but sometimes want to fly Southwest, we head to Nashville International Airport (BNA) and board a plane to wherever that economy airline will take us.  And if you’ve visited the Southwest terminal lately, you may have noticed a little bit of country right there in the airport!

It was this first sign we saw after check-in that reminded us of how long it had been since we’d had a Goo Goo Cluster. (We chose to remedy that situation . . . fast.)

Dubbed the “world’s first ever combination candy bar,” Goo Goo’s (named for the first words a baby speaks) are a yummy combo of caramel, marshmallow nougat, and roasted peanuts covered in rich milk chocolate.  What’s not to like?!! Tennesseans are accustomed to seeing Goo Goo’s in gift baskets or the logo on t-shirts, mugs, and the like — just like we saw at Nashville Star in the airport.

Moon Pies, iconic marshmallow sandwich treats from Chattanooga, lined the shelves, and now come in more flavors than just the original chocolate, banana, and vanilla.  New to us were Peanut Butter Moon Pies (We’re taking these home!) and Mint Moon Pies which the saleslady at Nashville Star declared taste just like those Thin Mints the Girl Scouts sell! 

T-shirts touted the cultural offerings in Nashville.  We saw printed wearables that said Welcome to Nashville Music City, Country Music Hall of Fame, Bluebird Cafe, Ole Smoky Moonshine (See? I told you this was Tennessee!), and our favorite one from the Loveless Cafe right here in Nashville.

Sitting beside it were products from the Loveless (a tourist court turned family-style restaurant and place to spend the night) like this jar of picalilli relish — a mixture of green tomatoes, cabbage, corn, and heaven only knows what else.

A t-shirt from Loveless that we could use in Knoxville during the Biscuit Festival stole our heart for saying what we all know makes for good eatin’ around here:

You can get barbecue sauce at the airport, too, from Chef Tony Neely of the family on Food Network’s “Down Home With the Neelys.”  Or you may want to visit their restaurants in Nashville, if you’ve got some time on your hands for slow-cooked, savory ‘cue that’s hard to beat.

In this terminal, however, you don’t have to walk far to sample Whitt’s, a delicious barbecue from a franchise developed by Bill Dean, former scientist.  The heading of a poster caught our attention — Barbecue? Being rocket scientist helps! — but we were really more interested in our heaping plates of oozy, saucy meat and two sides!

If music’s your thing, spend your layover at Tootsies — the little bar and music joint that faithfully mimics the downtown venue — Tootsies Orchid Lounge — right down to the live music, lavender color scheme, and back wall plastered with music memorabilia.

Or if you like making music of your own, head to the Gibson Cafe where you’ll recognize fine “gee-tars” (made by Gibson, of course) hanging overhead.

Maybe you’ll just have to have this t-shirt if you’re hanging with the hundreds of thousands of music fans that swarm the state in search of the best in country music– or any kind of good music, for that matter — every year.

So, come on down to Tennessee and stay a while — or just hang out at the airport.  We’ve got culture you can get into.  And you can take a little Tennessee goodness to the folks back home!

We’d “lak” that, too!

*Note to those of you who don’t speak East Tennessee:  “lak” is how we say “like” in these here parts!

Nashville International Airport (BNA) — 1 Terminal Drive, Nashville, TN; 615.275.4311; www.flynashville.com

Nashville Star — http://www.hudsongroupusa.com/store_nashville_star.php

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum — 222 5th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203; 615.416.2001; http://countrymusichalloffame.org

Grand Ole Opry — 2804 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN 37214; 615.871.6779; www.opry.comOle Smoky Moonshine — 903 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738; 865.436.6995; www.olesmokymoonshine.com

Loveless Cafe — 8400 Hwy. 100, Nashville, TN 37221; 615.646.9700; www.lovelesscafe.com

Tootsies Nashville Airport — http://www.tootsies.net

Whitt’s Barbecue Nashville — http://www.whittsbarbecue.com

Goo Goo Clusters — www.googoo.com

Moon Pies — www.moonpie.com

No, it wasn’t the artwork I’m so fond of seeing in airports.

No, it wasn’t the slot machines.  Not even Wheel of Fortune that gets you to come over with that methodical TV kinda voice:  “Wheel. Of. Fortune.”

The slots at Vegas. Even at the airport.

And no, it wasn’t all those ads for the headliner shows or even the banner for the Chippendales. (After watching Amazing Race, I always look for Jaymes and James.)

It was something quite simple . . . practical. . . workable — a sign that a chauffeur or greeter held up to indicate who he was looking for.

I’ve seen dozens of these signs, but they were always printed on card stock or affixed to a clipboard.  Not the one held by this man (and lots of other guys at McCarran).

In fact, almost all the meeter/greeter folks were holding iPads boldly showing the name of the intended connection on a bright background.  New to me.

New to you?

Just a little something unexpected you get to see when you travel!

McGhee Tyson is small compared to major airline hubs and multi-terminal airports.  But it’s that smallness that appeals to me.  I like knowing that there are only two ways to turn after going through security, and if I go left when I should go right, I’ll still only be a few steps from getting back to where I need to be.

Sometimes when I’m redressing myself (!) after going through the scanning process, I see something that really catches my eye like the newest exhibit of Arts in the Airport!  Sponsored by the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville (www.knoxalliance.com) and the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, this interesting exhibit of 2- and 3-dimensional artwork greets me right past the security gate and makes wait time far more tolerable.  More cultural, too.

Regional artists submit pieces twice yearly for this juried exhibition offering varied expresssions from lithographs to pottery and then some.  Here are a few that caught my eye.  (Please excuse the glare from the floor-to-ceiling windows on some of my photos.  The artwork is definitely more beautiful than the pics!)

Positioned in the center is Shohreh “Nazzy” Hashemian’s “Birth of TYS”, a large mixed media and acrylic piece depicting U. S. Navy pilot Charles McGhee Tyson (lost on patrol in WWI) for whom the airport was named.

This quilt entitled “For Munner, Who Taught Me to Love Flowers” by Jake Ingram won an Award of Merit. The close-up shows off the blanket stitching around bunnies of various fabrics.

Lil Clinard’s “74 Toss Glider (circa 1950)” reveals the wonder of children in this watercolor on canvas.

A most graphic black ink and acrylic “Bug 1″ is Chris Hornsby’s entry.  You can definitely see this one from a distance!

Unlike “Bug 1,” this rubber stamped monotype had to be examined more closely.  Carl Gombert’s “Gnomandala XIV (Flight)” features tiny black images carefully arranged in circles.  From afar, it’s an interesting geometric piece, but up close the images of Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, and the Cracker Jack logo just make me smile!

These two shots of a lithograph by Emmy Lingscheit will help you examine this more closely, too.  Entitled “Interchange,” it offers a glimpse of the intersection of two 18-wheelers on the interstate while flocks of birds fly clustered in an interesting pattern overhead.  Love the color and details in this one.

Bobbie Crews, whose work can be seen at The Emporium Center in Knoxville, chose to revise a familiar subject in her watercolor and ink portrayal “American Gothic Revisited.”

“The Pets of the Protogenois” also bears a closer look.  Artist Eric Buechel labeled the medium as a “Digiograph print on Hahnemuhle hot press rag paper,” but I just call it “stunning.” Whatever creatures these are (jellyfish?), they look even better lined up in circular formation!

Acrylic cases held 3-dimensional art like this creation by Raluca Iancu: “Pile Up.”  The label accompanying it reads “Screenprinting (assembled in 3D).”  And when you walk around it, you really get a sense of the creativity and skill it took to complete.

Two other pieces caught my eye.  In the foreground is Bill Lee’s “Covered Jar.” And behind it is “Over Sand & Sea,” a clay and glass assemblage by Elaine Barnes. (Hmmm.  Would look nice in my living room.)

Exhibits remain in place approximately six months at McGhee Tyson, and viewing is confined to visitors flying in or out of the airport.  However, guests may get a first look at the exhibition during opening receptions or by appointment.  Contact Becky Huckaby, Director of Public Relations (865.342.3014.)

If you’re passing through McGhee Tyson, allow a little extra time.  You just may want to check out “Arts in the Airport” and get cultured!!

Arts & Culture Alliance

P. O. Box 2506

Knoxville, TN 37901

865.523.7543

Email: info@knoxalliance.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artsandculturealliance#!/pages/Arts-Culture-Alliance/35664237522?fref=ts

Web Site: http://www.knoxalliance.com/airport.html

McGhee Tyson Airport

http://flyknoxville.com/

Lately, I’ve done a lot of flying.  From Knoxville to Vegas to Michigan to Maryland.  A lot of flying.  I may even be identifying with George Clooney’s character Ryan Bingham in the 2009 hit movie Up in the Air — almost comfy in the confines of an airport.

Not only that, I really love grazing and shopping while waiting for yet another take-off.

Cityscape in Chicago’s O’Hare

Today’s airports are different. Long gone are stark terminals lined with boring rows of seats and filled with the sounds of those blaring Charlie Brown-type announcements.   (Well, mostly.)

Airports today — at least the big ones — are havens for gourmet foods in take-home packages, upscale restaurants bearing the names of chefs we’ve seen on TV, and power-up centers for tech-hungry travelers.  Case in point:  Chicago’s O’Hare International.

Painted window by students in After School Matters

I’m actually happy when I change planes in O’Hare (Crazy me.)

But long layovers mean more time to watch people sprinting (roller bags in tow) to their next departure point. And more time to admire the art.  And sample the food!

On display near Terminal 1.

O’Hare International was named in honor of Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare, a Medal of Honor WWII fighter pilot whose Black Panthers fearlessly stormed the skies. In 1949, the field and airport known as Orchard Depot was renamed O’Hare International Airport.

In honor of Butch O’Hare

But not even O’Hare could imagine what the terminals of this second busiest airport in the U. S. and the world would look like today.

“Songs of Chicago.” Mural by teens in After School Matters.

Passing through the domed glass corridor leading to Terminal 1, you can delight in the art of teens engaged in a program called After School Matters.  Teens paired with professional artists have created art — benches, murals, painted windows and walls, glass sculptures, etc. — that deserves a closer look.

One of the creatively painted benches lining the corridor leading to Terminal 1.

But from there, the shopping begins in Terminal 1.  On this cold, cold Friday, lines at Starbucks meandered through the corridor. Patrons craving something hot to sip checked emails while waiting for lattes, talls, or the new Blonde Roast.

Heads down, texting and waiting, at Starbucks O’Hare

I passed by Vosges and kept my chocolate passion in check since it’s still January and you know how those resolutions are!  Begun in the kitchen of her Chicago apartment, owner and chocolatier Katrina Markoff relied on her training at El Bulli restaurant and her international travels to launch a “veritable chocolate revolution,” according to the website. I can give it this: simply divine packaging and product, if you can judge just by looking!

A clerk straightens the artisan chocolates at Vosges

If an ordinary Montblanc writing instrument won’t satisfy your desires, check out the Writers Edition Carlo Collodi limited edition.  Honoring the creator of The Adventures of Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi, the pens are a tribute to the author’s creativity.  A dark brown cap bears pictures of animals like the loyal cricket and the shady fox while the cone resembles Pinnochio’s legendary growing nose. It can be yours for approximately $1000.00. So? It’s a limited edition, after all.

On display at Montblanc, the Carlo Collodi Limited Edition writing instruments

Diners at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant have front row seats where layover travelers can watch the on-the-move travelers go by.  Well, some of them watch, I guess. Mostly, though, people that day were focused on their smart phones, or that’s what it looked like to me.

We’re a nation of email checkers, for sure!

Garrett popcorn, to my delight, also had a presence at O’Hare.  They sell my favorite freshly popped corn by the bag or by the tin.  If you’ve never had Chicago Mix (a blend of CaramelCrisp® and CheeseCorn®), you’re missing out.  Order online if you have to, but there’s nothing like getting it fresh, even at 8:00 AM!!!! (http://www.garrettpopcorn.com/tin-builder/)

Chicago-themed tins ready to be filled with Garrett’s popcorn

My picture of the Field Museum Store doesn’t do it justice.  Loaded with little take-home gifts, especially for children, the store is neat and engaging, even if it is overshadowed by the ceiling-tall replica of a dinosaur skeleton. And if you weren’t traveling, you could go to the real museum to check the rest of ‘em out!

Look behind to see the towering dinosaur skeleton behind the Field Museum Store.

Oakley was busy selling sunglasses the morning I was there — maybe to travelers needing eye protection at the ski resorts or in the Midwest where looking at snow can make you squint, for sure!

I spy someone peeping through the Oakley case!

As if the Vosges chocolates and Garrett popcorn weren’t enough temptation, there was always Eli’s Cheesecake, recently famous for creating the celebration cheesecake for President Obama’s Inauguration!  What’s not to like about that?

You can get a boxed-up, ready to fly home cheesecake from Eli’s!

Ooooh! Salted Caramel Cheesecake!

Rick Bayless’s Tortas Frontera lured travelers with the sight of freshly baked loaves of bread stacked up in the window and the smell of tortas — griddle-baked Mexican sandwiches filled with chipotle chicken!

Posted on the website is a quote from the Chicago Tribune: “Finally, a reason to get delayed at O’Hare”! I agree.

Loaves of bread invite shoppers into Tortas Frontera

But movement and tech were as important as food and art that day.  Lined up at charging/working stations were travelers catching up and powering up. . .

Hardly an empty seat at the charging stations!

while outside, taxis lined up to move people — wherever they needed to go.

Taxis don’t sit long at O’Hare

At the end of the terminal, however, it was hurry up and wait.  And talk.  And check that email one more time.

Read. Reply. Text. Repeat.

After all, that’s what travel is today!

See you in the terminals!

Chicago O’Hare International Airport, ORD

http://www.ohare-airport.org