Are you a traveling therapist or nurse?  Does the word “layover” make you shudder?  Here’s a list of some of the best U.S. airports to make the most of that “down time”.

• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – Austin, TX:  Visitors can enjoy the live music capital of the world without ever leaving the airport! Over a dozen live concerts are held every week, at one of four venues  in the east and west concourses. Get your tickets at the link above.
• J.F.K. International Airport – New York, NY:  With 9 terminals, there is something for everyone at JFK.  In Terminals 3 and 8 you can get 10 minute manicures and/or 5 minute foot massages.  Browse the Museum of Modern Art Store, or find great reading material at one of the 40 bookstores.  You can dine on every cuisine imaginable, from vegan to Turkish, at over 120 food concessions.
• Miami International Airport – Miami, FL: Two magnificent murals by Brazilian artist, Carybé, now grace the South Terminal.  They set the tone for a distinctly Latino flair throughout the entire airport, including food as good as anything south of the equator!  MIA also caters to your four-legged friends, with animal relief areas at Concourses D, E and J.
• Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – Minneapolis/St. Paul:  The airport’s Digiboo kiosks let you download to flash drives over 500 digital movies for laptop or tablet viewing.  They are available for rent or for purchase. Tired of sitting?  Take the 1.4 mile walking path in Terminal 1-Lindberg, part of the American Heart Association’s “Start!Walking” program.
• Portland International Airport – Portland, OR:  Thinking of taking your bike on your travels?  Portland is very bike friendly, so the airport caters to aficionados with a bike assembly/disassembly station on the lower terminal roadway.  You can also take a pre- or post-flight spin on the airport bike path, or use the tool check-out area across from Baggage Claim 5… just in case your tire is flat!
• San Francisco International Airport – San Francisco, CA:  Haven’t had your flu shot?  Get one while you wait at Terminal 3’s Harmony Pharmacy.  Sample Napa/Sonoma wines and Ghirardelli chocolates, practice your butterfly or dolphin poses in the Yoga Room, or observe animals and fish from the rainforests and coral reefs of the world at the Aquarium.

Every airport captures the distinct flavor of its host city.  Layovers can be more enjoyable if you plan ahead and investigate all the services and amenities terminals have to offer.   If you are a COTA, OT, PT, PTA, RN, or SLP who enjoys traveling…even the layovers…call Centra at 800 535 0076 and let us help you take to the skies!