"Save your shopping for the airport"

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

On the Road With Baskas Harriet 
Save your shopping for the airport
USA Today


Someone in Canada thinks I'm rich. Really rich. 

How else would I end up on the mailing list for the announcement that the
world's most exclusive cognac is now available at the Vancouver
International Airport? 

True, it is summer travel season. And I have been known to prescribe
shopping at the airport as a perfect way to fill all that down time before,
between and after flights. 

In fact, I'm such a proponent of stocking up while stuck on the ground, that
for years I've done just about all my holiday shopping in airports. And
until I wrote about it here, no one on my list had a clue.

Not that anyone has any reason to complain: it's getting easier and easier
to find perfectly lovely gifts at an increasing number of airports here and
abroad. 

This summer, all signs point to packed airplanes and crowded beaches. So
don't worry if you find yourself too rushed on that last day of vacation to
spend much time shopping. Many airport shops stock the same souvenirs you'd
tote from town, often at the same prices. And just in time for the summer
rush, a batch of fresh, new shops have opened in airports around the
country, offering yet another reason to show up early for your flight. 

At Vancouver International Airport, of course, there's that exclusive
cognac. It's being offered at the Connoisseur Shop, which stocks a wide
variety of fine wines, rare liquors and imported cigars. This is the cognac
that most recently gained attention as the main ingredient in the world's
priciest cocktail, that $1,000 "You're Hired" drink created by Trump World
Tower's World Bar and served to winners of the first season of The
Apprentice. For about $4,660 (tax and duty free), travelers can take home a
bottle of L'Esprit de Courvoisier, a blend of cognac vintages dating from
1803 to the 1930s. 

Too rich for your budget? Mine too. But here's a round-up of some new shops
and items being offered this summer at some airports around the country:

   . At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, there are nine new shops
circling the soaring new Central Terminal. Made in Washington sells things
grown, caught or made in the Evergreen State and in the Pacific Northwest,
while Discover Puget Sound carries items from area museums and cultural
attractions. Other local favorites include Fireworks, a gallery filled with
crafts and artwork by area artists, and Ex Officio, a Seattle-based company
well-known for clothing that's sun protective, quick-drying and
wrinkle-resistant. The company's insect-repellant line Buzz Off is
especially intriguing as I head off to visit friends who have warned me
about wasting away in "mosquito-ville." 

   . The Philadelphia International Airport has also added a variety of new
shops and about 30 retail carts. The Hallmark store seems like a great place
to pick up a thank-you card for that friend loaning you their summer cabin.
And the sports-themed SA Collectibles cart should have something suitably
emblazoned with a Flyers, Phillies or Sixers logo for that score-keeping
buddy at work. 

   . In New York, the new Taxco Sterling shop in the Central Terminal at
LaGuardia Airport has a variety of solid sterling silver charms that come in
the shape of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building or New York
state. Any one of these lightweight souvenirs would be a great (and easy to
carry) gift.

   . Heading to or through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport? Get
ready to shop because the airport recently opened 20 new shops in Terminal
4. The new PHXpress does a brisk business in scorpion and tarantula
paperweights and, as shop owner Yolanda Kizer puts it, "anything cactus,"
including prickly pear cactus candy and cactus-shaped car-antenna toppers. 

   . Nestled among the new shops in the International Terminal D at
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport will be its second branch of La
Bodega Winery, where travelers can taste a wide variety of award-winning
Texas wines and rustle up a few bottles to take home. (Terminal D is
scheduled to open later this month.) 

Speaking of tasting, let's go back to that snazzy cognac at Vancouver
International Airport. While I won't be snapping up this costly cognac
anytime soon, I will definitely make a point of visiting the Connoisseur
Shop the next time I cross the border. The shop offers daily samplings of
wines, scotch, whisky, liqueurs, ice wine, infused oils and special cheeses.
Unfortunately, it seems there will be no free tastes of that exclusive
L'Esprit de Courvoisier.


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