I usually dread spending time in airport terminals. Drab decor, lousy food, mounted TVs playing CNN on a loop — the sooner I can board my flight, the better.
So I was totally unprepared for the makeover at LaGuardia Airport's Delta terminal (Terminal D), which I finally got to check out this weekend before a flight to Florida.
In short, the place has been given a hipster makeover. Instead of McDonald's, there was a counter selling high-end Pat La Frieda hamburgers. The stores were filled with products from clothing brand Brooklyn Industries and kitchen retailer Fishs Eddy. And instead of old-school televisions, there were dozens of seats equipped with iPads, all free to use.
While Delta has benefitted from the overhaul, OTG Management, the concession company that runs the terminal's restaurants, paid for the $15 million renovation, The Wall Street Journal reported when the terminal reopened in August.
While the restaurants and updated technology were nice perks, what really struck me was the change to the retail experience. There were two boutiques selling trendy accessories for men and women from brands that are more commonly found in SoHo and on Williamsburg's Bedford Ave. than in an airport.
And tons of items were plastered with the name "Brooklyn."
There's no standard airport Starbucks at LaGuardia's new Terminal D. Instead there's the World Bean coffee bar, which even got props from food blog Serious Eats.
It's right next door to a counter that serves Pat La Frieda burgers. He's the same meat supplier who sells to places like Minetta Tavern and Del Posto.
The hipster retail extravaganza is right across the way. These leather handbags are by Piero Guidi, who has a boutique in SoHo. They retail for $300 and up.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider