Birthstones, gemstones, and more …

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Special Guest Post by Cynthia in the Marketing & Communications Division

Do you know what your birthstone is? I was born in January, so mine is garnet. I’ve always loved the warmth of the red color. But my favorite color is green, and I have to admit that I have, at times, been jealous of those folks whose birthstones are emeralds. When I recently visited the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) exhibit, GIA Celebrates Birthstones, located post-security in Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport, I found out that I don’t have to be jealous anymore.

It turns out that garnet comes in multiple variations. Although red is the most commonly known color, there is a green variation as well.

GIA is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones and pearls. This exhibit showcases raw and finely crafted gems and jewelry from the GIA collection. You’ll be guided through a variety of interesting facts and folklore related to each month’s birthstone, as well as an introduction to the tools used to grade stones in this fascinating field.

Stop by soon and see if you recognize what your birthstone looks like before undergoing polishing. The exhibit runs through February 2012.

And if you’re interested in finding out more about GIA and its collections but are not traveling through the airport, the GIA world headquarters is located in Carlsbad, California (about 45 minutes north of downtown). They give public tours of their museum and exhibits with advance reservations. You can learn more by visiting:  www.gia.edu.

One final beam. One bright future.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“One final beam. One bright future.” That was the memorable slogan on a large banner hanging over the final steel beam for The Green Build Terminal 2 expansion at San Diego International Airport yesterday, before it was lifted into place at a “Topping Out” ceremony attended by over 200 Airport Authority staff, construction workers, elected officials, community leaders and media.

There are several ways to get a taste of yesterday’s excitement if you didn’t happen to be there:

• Check out more pictures from the ceremony, including shots of the beam being lifted into place by a giant crane, at this photo album on the airport’s Facebook page.
• If you’re more the Flickr type, see some shots at the airport’s Flickr page.
• If you follow the airport on Twitter, you can see some of the first pictures posted from the event at the airport’s Twitter feed.
• Read about yesterday’s ceremony in this story from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Learn even more about the Topping Out ceremony and its significance for The Green Build in this news release issued by the Airport Authority.

In the near future, the Ambassablog will also feature a video documenting yesterday’s ceremony.

Home Treat Alert: Some of the social media links or multimedia features above may not be accessible at work. But you can view the Ambassablog at home & check them out there.

American music at SDIA

In honor of the 4th of July, yesterday passengers and other users of San Diego International Airport were treated to a special free performance in the Terminal 2 baggage claim area from the talented youngsters of the J*Company Youth Theatre, performing American musical classics. Songs included memorable numbers from such shows as South Pacific, The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof and more. The J*Company Youth Theatre is a leading youth theatre program in San Diego, garnering local and national attention with its award-winning productions. Yesterday’s review was part of the airport’s free performing arts series called à Breve. And, as the slideshow above demonstrates, it was quite a show!

Hint: On some systems, you can click the speaker icon at the top of the slideshow to turn off and on Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” playing during the slideshow.

From Mobile Lounge to Aero Train

Recently I traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in an Airport Cooperative Research Panel for the Transportation Research Board. When I arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), I was pleased to see that just a few days prior to my arrival, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) unveiled its latest terminal improvement, which has been many years in the making:  the Aero Train. Here are some pictures I took of it:

When I was in college we studied the various terminal-to-terminal passenger transit options that are used at airports. MWAA has used mobile lounges to transport passengers between terminals for many years. A mobile lounge is cross between a scissor lift and a shuttle bus. Typically they hold approximately 100 people and have the flexibility to rise up and down to accommodate various terminal door heights. Here’s what one looks like:

An airport mobile lounge.

The new Aero Train opened on January 26, 2010, after eight years of construction. Although personally I loved the uniqueness of the mobile lounge, the new Aero Train makes the journey from the terminals to curb effortless. The architecture of the train stations was open and bright and reminded me of the many DC Metro subway stations.

As the era of “old-fashioned” terminal transit goes away, it is replaced with a modern and architecturally impressive facility to exemplify the travel experience! Be sure to check it out during your next trip to IAD. And remember, San Diego International Airport has three daily departures to IAD, and many of the airfares are very reasonable.

Top of the Tower

A 'worm's eye view' of the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Traffic Control Tower at San Diego International Airport

Do you ever have one of those days when you just can’t believe what you have to do for your job … or have you ever walked into work, sat at your desk and asked yourself, “Why Me?” Well, there isn’t enough room in this post to describe what my job duties were one day a few months ago; I had to take pictures for proof, as you can see:

I knew that lead-in would reel you all in!

I recently had the chance to visit the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Traffic Control Tower at San Diego International Airport. You know – the tower you can see on the other side of the runway from the terminals.

I went over to collect information for a project I’m working on and was offered the opportunity to go out on the tower’s catwalk … and – voilà! – this Ambassablog post was born. Do I know when to latch onto a great opportunity when I’m presented with one, or what? While taking pictures, I learned all kinds of interesting tidbits of information from the air traffic controllers.

This stuff just doesn’t happen every day … well, not for me anyway! I’d like to thank the air traffic controllers that work in the tower – they play such an important role in running an airport.

And, since I like to have an “educational” spin to my posts, I’m including this link of way cool stuff for those of you who are curious about what they do up there in that bubble at the top of the world.

I hope you all enjoy the view as much as I did. It always amazes me what a beautiful city we live in. And, Mom, the picture with the flag, below, is for you. Don’t worry – my feet were planted squarely on the ground for that shot!

SDIA Airport Traffic Control Tower