Here are the bus ads around town these days.
See? “Terminal 2 has arrived. April, 2011“
Click to expand
Now, is this something to get excited about?
Well, as always, You Make The Call. Hey, why not show up for the FREE SFO T2 Community Open House on Saturday, April 9th, 2011 and decide for yourself.
But hurry, they’re running out of the tickets that you all will need to get in. Check it:
(As promised, there are 11 thin White People on the invite page. Count them for yourself, why not? Where’s Waldo ‘n stuff.)
As you might have expected, Inside Scoop’s Paolo Lucchesi is all over the food sitch at our new T2. All’s I can say is that it all should be pretty pricey, but, prove me wrong, SFO, prove me wrong.
Now, leaving aside the big picture of labeling anything to do with jet travel sustainable,* I’m a little baffled as to how a “cage-free” egg is a “sustainable” egg, but oh well.
All the deets:
“Concessions Program
- organic, local products
- organic or natural meats
- rBST-free dairy products
- cage-free antibiotic eggs
- sustainable seafood
- fairly traded organic coffee
- non-modified agricultural products
- no artificial color, flavor or additives
- non-hydrogenated oils
- biodegradable to-go containers and utensils
- compostable bio-resin or paper bottles for water
- low- or no-phosphate detergents.
As with other tenants, SFO’s concession tenants are encouraged to use green building materials for their facilities and will be required to recycle and compost.”
O.K. fine.
I don’t know, I’m used to hearing all this overblown stuff from SFO. So it’s like yes, SFO was ready for the long-delayed Airbus A380 superjumbo, but so what. And yes, Lufthansa will soon be using an A380 from Frankfurt daily, but it burns more fuel than the Boeing 747 it’s replacing, right? Well, the Mayor’s Office and SFO both reported that one wrong. Oh and then QANTAS was supposed to start flying A380s in and out of Millbrae, but, instead, they’re going to bug out of NorCal entirely due to a little corporate welfare (like 3 mil., something like that) from Texas, so maybe the Mayor’s Office and SFO were, once again, wrong/insanely optimistic about that as well?
Remembering when the T2 construction site was a vast ocean of free parking. Good times.
(Man, are they still flying three-decade-out-of-production DC9′s out of SFO? Or that’s a baby McDonnell Douglas MD-80 in the upper left? Can’t tell. No matter, flying dinosaurs they are regardless.)
So, we had a Terminal 2, then we shut it down, and now we’re opening it again. O.K.
Meh.
Make that super-meh.
*Cheap international air travel using relatively cheap dino-juice is “sustainable?” Really? And instead of bringing food to the people, ’cause that’s unsustainable ‘n stuff, we’re bringing people to the food?
All the deets here and after the jump.
SFO: Ask about our “recomposure zone!”**
**Srsly. (Call us when the shuttle lands, SFO.)
Anyway:
“SFO T2 Community Open House
Saturday, April 09, 2011 from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM (PT)
San Francisco, CA
Ticket Information
TYPE ENDS QUANTITY
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free Sold Out
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free Sold Out
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free
4:00 pm- 5:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free Sold Out
The City of San Francisco, Mayor Edwin M. Lee and the San Francisco Airport Commission invite you to a special Community Open House to celebrate the Grand Opening of Terminal 2, SFO’s dazzling new terminal that elevates air travel to a new level of comfort, relaxation, beauty and fun – and all with a commitment to sustainability.
The Community Open House will feature food and beverage specials from T2′s new tenants, activities and entertainment provided by T2 partners and sponsors and local organizations. Discover how T2 + U = a greener way to travel! Compete in the Skytracker Eco-Challenge and see if you can score enough points to win exciting prizes and gifts, including a fabulous trip for two.
12 noon to 5 pm: Public Admission
Bring the family — this is a FREE event, open to everyone.
FOR MORE DETAILS: flysfo.com/t2opening
Contact: Event Coordinators: Winslow & Associates, Inc.
Phone: (415) 551-5190, Fax: (415) 551-5195,
Email: info@winslowevents.com
Back in the day: T2 under construction the first time. Can you see San Bruno back there? That’s where PG&E put in the pipeline that blew up last year – I think this shot from 1954 is from just before when that pipeline was put in. And to the right and out-of-view is the South San Francisco’s Southwood development, which voted against having Sing Sheng, a Pan-Am maintenance worker, move into the then all-white neighborhood. (I’ll tell you all about the Crackers of Orange Park one of these days…)
History
Terminal 2, formerly named the Central Terminal, was dedicated in August 1954. The $14 million structure provided 32 landing positions for all types of aircraft and could accommodate up to five million passengers per year.
In July 1983, the Central Terminal was modernized and remodeled to provide 10 gates to serve international flights. In 1995, to accommodate the increasing number of international travelers through San Francisco, SFO began construction on the new International Terminal, a 2.5 million square foot building that can accommodate 14 million passengers per year. The Central Terminal was closed to passengers upon the opening of the new International Terminal in December 2000. The Central Terminal, now renamed Terminal 2, continued to house Airport and FAA administrative offices and the SFO Medical Clinic.
With growth forecasts indicating that domestic and international traffic will generate the need for increased terminal facilities at the airport, SFO began studies to analyze a major renovation of Terminal 2. In 2008, SFO began the process to design and renovate Terminal 2 with the intention of returning it to use as a domestic terminal.
Vision
Designed by project architect Gensler, the Terminal 2 renovation focuses on creating a facility that provides travelers with an easy and memorable experience while capturing the spirit of the local San Francisco community. The renovated terminal will feature:
- A 6,000 sq. ft. recomposure zone situated just beyond the security checkpoint that will offer comfortable benches, plants, and water features inspired by Zen gardens. The zone will give travelers a comfortable space in which to replace shoes, collect themselves, and reconnect with traveling companions.
- Gates designed with a living room feel and a variety of seating options, while an open retail and concessions area will allow passengers to shop, relax, work, eat and play within visual proximity to their gate.
- Comfortable furniture evocative of top area hotel lobbies.
- Laptop plug-in stations, elevated work counters and benches, and free wireless throughout the terminal to accommodate business travelers.
- Three large double-height naturally illuminated spaces that greet passengers and aid in wayfinding at key decision-making points, such as post-security, pre-baggage claim and the departure lounge.
- A colorful meet-and-greet lobby before baggage claim that will welcome visitors with art pieces from the original Terminal 2.
- Baggage claim that has been re-imagined as a hybrid piece of “kinetic art,” exposing how the device delivers bags to passengers, efficiently distributes conditioned air and illuminates the space by bouncing light off of floating sculptural clouds.
- Two distinct children’s play areas that will feature play structures and interactive exhibits created by local artists and inspired by Bay Area habitats, featuring butterflies and native birds.
- A soothing and atmospheric color palate that reflects the qualities of light in the Bay Area, with unexpected accents of color.
- A sculptural ceiling in baggage claim inspired by San Francisco’s distinctive cloud patterns.