NEWS

August 20, 2001

NATIONAL RELEASE: Contact: Ron V. Wilson Director, Bureau of Community Affairs (650) 821-4000 Jane Sullivan (650) 821-5123 SF-01-43

Nation’s Largest International Terminal Creating Buzz Among Travelers SFO Launches Handy Pocket Guide Highlighting Terminal's One-of-A Kind Culinary, Cultural and Shopping Experiences

SAN FRANCISCO -- It’s 11:30 a.m. and you’ve checked your bags and had your passports reviewed, but you still have more than an hour before your international flight begins boarding. What next? Check out SFO’s new pocket guide and map for great ideas on things to do and see at the Airport. The guide is SFO's latest way to help you discover the numerous culinary, cultural and shopping delights available in the soaring new International Terminal – the largest in North America.

Since opening in December 2000, SFO's 2.5 million square-foot International Terminal has gained a reputation for transforming the airport experience. “SFO is unlike any other international airport in the country,” said Airport Director John L. Martin. “We offer an array of services and experiences that capture the diversity and excitement of the Bay Area, and make us a true destination airport."

The world's first fully-accredited museum in an airport, an aviation history library and museum, chanting art exhibitions and 18 pieces of permanent museum-quality art are a few of the features that make a visit to the International Terminal a cultural treat. World-class shopping at over 30 specialty stores is another highlight. Airport food is also redefined at SFO: 16 new locations featuring some of the Bay Area’s best-loved eateries – with fare ranging from pannini to dim sum – offer travelers an unparalleled airport dining experience, at prices comparable to what diners pay at the restaurants street locations. (Also, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine recently rated SFO the nation's best airport for healthy food choices.)

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New SFO Pocket Guidebook

Starting August 6, the free pocket guide is available at ticket counters and information booths located in the International Terminal. Using the passport-sized guidebook, visitors can design customized itineraries based on their time availability and range of interests, including: shopping, food and wine, fine art exhibits, golfing, aviation history and more.

For example, art aficionados with 75 minutes to spare could create this self-guided tour:

“Art-Port" Itinerary

From the ticket counters, it takes less than 2 minutes to SFMOMA’s MuseumStore and an array of travel-friendly merchandise dedicated exclusively to art, architecture and design. Allow at least 5 minutes to purchase some truly unique gifts: SFMOMA signature tee shirts, ties and totes or one-of-a-kind jewelry, ceramic and glass works from the museum’s first satellite store.

Next, swing by the Emporio Rulli coffee bar for a café latte to go and proceed to the back corner of the building (adjacent to Boarding Area A). Allow 15 minutes to check out the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum. This discreet museum space occupies almost the precise footprint of San Francisco’s original 1937 passenger terminal. As you enjoy your coffee, take in the exterior gallery and an exhibit titled The Romance of Early Air. Vintage flight attendant uniforms, tableware, wicker passenger seats and more chronicle the human experience of flight from the earliest days of commercial air travel. After finishing your coffee, enter the museum. On the back wall you’ll see more historical documents, artifacts, documents and photographs that trace the History of SFO and the Bay area’s important role in the birth of transoceanic flight.

Proceed from the aviation museum to the art gallery space adjacent to the Boarding Area A security checkpoint. Allow 10 minutes to view an expansive collection of rocks and minerals from the California Academy of Sciences. The exhibit is part of the pioneering San Francisco Airport Museums program – the world's first fully- accredited museum-in-an-airport. Changing exhibits throughout the airport showcase items as varied as Valencian fans to aboriginal shields.

On Boarding Area A, stay to the right of the walkways to view several of the 18 permanent, museum quality art installations in the International Terminal (20 minutes). Mildred Howard’s wall sculpture of used saxophones, “Salty Peanuts,” in Gate A2 pays tribute to the role of African American jazz in San Francisco’s culture. At Gate A5, Enrique Chagoya’s laminated glass work, “Love Letters,” showcases multilingual ‘love letters’ hand written on paper boats – a reflection of the Mexican- born artist’s absorption with cultural diversity.

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Next, proceed to the end of the Boarding Area and Firewood Café for a last minute gourmet pizza, salad or sandwich. Check out the restaurant’s works by local artists as well as its view of the Terminal’s façade and iconic, cantilevered roofline.

After a 20-minute repast, you’ll have just enough time to visit Pacific Gateway News to pick up the latest international newspapers, en route to your gate (3 minutes).

Busy Summer Travel Months

SFO is in the midst of the busy summer travel months and the Airport's retailers and restaurants are seeing a healthy increase in passenger traffic. "Nine of our international carriers have either added flights or increased the size of their aircraft flying into SFO - for a total of nearly 12,000 additional seats each week coming into SFO during the summer," Martin said. "We see our new SFO guidebook as a way to help the tens of thousand of travelers who will either visit or transit through San Francisco this summer navigate their way through our extraordinary new International Terminal. With this handy guide, they can discover for themselves the fabulous diversions that make us a truly unique airport."

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