Sherman's Travel

For mountain biking enthusiasts as well as history buffs passing through San Francisco International Airport in the next few months, an exhibit called From Repack to Rwanda is an excellent reason to arrive at the airport a few minutes early.

It offers a fascinating look at the history of mountain biking, which traces its roots to a group of daredevil riders who started bombing down hills and mountains in the Bay Area during the early 1970s on modified bikes they called “clunkers.”

Included in the exhibit is a display of mountain bikes that chronicles the influence of those riders, as well as the development of the sport over the decades, from the early versions to the super-sleek models of today. Read more

Your flight has been delayed, you’ve already been in the airport for two hours (mostly in the security line). Your shoulders are sore from carrying your laptop bag on one side, and the last word you would use to describe your mood (or your muscles for that matter) is “relaxed.”

Airports aren’t exactly stress-free, but they’re trying to make the time you spend there a little more pleasant. San Francisco International Airport introduced the airport yoga room, which officially opened on January 26. At Terminal 2 (in a former storage space), passengers can downward dog their fog delays away in a quiet, shoes-, food-, and phone-free room with dimmed lights and provided yoga mats. With the walls a mix of mirrored and dusty blue, the studio is calming, and the Zen feeling continues when you hear the cost to use the room: absolutely free. You also don’t need to worry about interrupting any classes – meditation and stretching is all self-led, so you can practice the yoga suited to your needs (or outfit) at your convenience.

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San Francisco International Airport has announced that its renovated Airport Terminal 2 (SFO 2) will be the first LEED Gold-registered airport terminal in the U.S. Designed and built in partnership by Turner Construction and Gensler, an architecture firm that focuses on sustainable design, the terminal will open in April 2011 and house 14 gates serving Virgin America and American Airlines. “The new T2 demonstrates that sustainability is achievable on many levels – from reusing construction debris to rethinking water usage to public education,” said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The new terminal will also feature art installations by renowned artists and locally sourced food and wine at its restaurants and bars.