For many travelers, being told to arrive at the airport two hours before a holiday flight is a ticket to boredom. What do you do after you've survived the jostle through security? Plenty, if you're at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Passengers who make a beeline to their gates haven't realized that MSP is now a legitimate shopping and dining destination, and that it offers travelers a host of services and diversions.
The Airport Mall has been open since 1998, when the Metropolitan Airports Commission made MSP one of the first airports in the country with a shopping mall linking its terminals. But only in the past few years has it developed a sense of place and become worth a good, leisurely look.
Local restaurants such as Ike's, Axel's Bonfire and French Meadow have replaced generic HMS Host venues. Home-grown retailers such as Creative Kidstuff and Red Balloon children's bookstore and most recently Surdyk's give Twin Cities travelers a reason to call the airport a destination instead of a checkpoint on the way to a gate.
"It's one of the nicest airports around," said Jerry Seymour of Brooklyn Park, a frequent traveler who had lunch at Axel's Bonfire recently while waiting for a flight. "If you're stuck here, there is plenty to do."
Not that anyone wants to get "stuck" due to, say, an 18-inch snowfall or mechanical delays, but if you do, here's a guide to making the most of your time coming and going.
The conventional wisdom that everything at the airport is more expensive might be true at restaurants but not at retail shops. Sale and clearance items were common a couple of weeks ago. Some of the sales even beat specialty stores' prices. At Hugo Boss (Airport Mall by Checkpoints 2 and 3; 612-727-1699), for example, all men's jeans were 30 percent off two weeks ago. Department stores rarely, if ever, discount current styles of Boss jeans.
Anyone shopping for cosmetics and fragrances is in for a nice surprise. Many of the cosmetics at World Passage (Airport Mall near Chili's Too; 612-355-4755) are cheaper than at department stores. "I save $5 buying my Lancôme mascara at the airport instead of the department store," said Delta flight attendant Jeanne Maumus. While Estée Lauder and Clinique prices aren't as competitive, one employee said, many of the brands are 10 to 15 percent less.
