My husband travels pretty regularly for work, and his international trips almost always begin with a Sunday afternoon departure out of the Indianapolis International Airport. So it's become a bit of a tradition to drive up, have lunch together in the sprawling atrium, and then bid him farewell for the week.
Civic Plaza
I can't say enough about how great it is to have a brand new airport terminal as your traveling homebase (even when you're not the one traveling!). The arrow loves the spaciousness of the airport's Civic Plaza. He wanders from pod seat to pod seat, crawling on top and pretending to be quite the king once he's mounted on his perch. The ceiling must be at least 3 stories above us, the windows stretch just as high, and there is ample room for everyone to feel as though their personal space isn't being invaded. There's a pretty good view of the planes pulling up to their gate, as well as phenomenal public art.
Airport Dining Recommendations
And the food is great, too. When designing the new terminal, it was determined that several food vendor slots would be dedicated to local, independent restaurants. So there's some unique local cuisine to sample while you wait for your flight. Our favorites are Cafe Patachou and Giorgio's Pizza (which you can access without a ticket since they are located in Civic Plaza), and Harry & Izzys, Shapiro's and King David Dogs in the Concourse areas (ticket required).
No one likes to be stuck in an airport, and it is certainly sad to say goodbye to dad for the week. But The Arrow and I like to make the best of things, so we've come to take comfort in our Sunday "travel" tradition!
This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.
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I remember how fabulous your airport was when we visited back in 2009. It was light and airy and so spacious compared to the dump we were returning to (JFK). Always glad to see local restaurants as well - makes a nice change from Sbarro's!
ReplyDeletei love that you're making those traditions - so very important. and, getting the arrow familiar with airports! bravo on the local food. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see various local food option in the airport. I'm so tired of regular fast food type place at the airport. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet tradition!!
ReplyDelete~Becca
I thought of you and your family when I saw the Indiana State Fair tragedy on TV the other night. Just awful.
ReplyDeleteI remember your post about the public art here. I'm not a fan of airports, but this looks like a great place to spend a little time.
ReplyDelete