Not flying? You can still hang out at these US airports

10.21.23

This week in travel news: a record-breaking temple has opened, one of Europe's best cities is reinventing itself and a Japanese airplane encountered a weighty issue.

By Lilit Marcus

🛬 Like old times at the airport

Philadelphia International Airport. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Remember when you could escort a friend or relative to their airport gate and wave goodbye? That's not typically been an option since security stepped up post 9/11.

On November 1, Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) will debut Wingmate, a program that allows some non-travelers to apply for passes that will let them access the post-security area of the domestic section of the airport.

And Philadelphia isn't the only one bringing the practice back. Tulsa, Detroit, Seattle and New Orleans are among the other American airports running similar programs.

That's good news for anyone who wants to surprise their loved one with an airport proposal.

🍚 Rice-a-rama

Whether it's paella, onigiri, arancini or jollof, one thing is clear: the world love rice.

As a staple for more than half the people in the world, rice comes in a range of colors and textures, but many cultures interpret the grain in their own way.

This roundup reveals 20 of the best rice dishes from around the world. Whether it's wrapped inside a bamboo leaf, mixed with coconut or rolled into a ball, there's one thing we can guarantee – you'll be really hungry after you read this.

If that's the case, our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews website owned by CNN, can recommend some of the best rice cookers on the market.

🇭🇺 Beauty and the beast

These days, it's one of Europe's most popular cities for tourists, but postcard-pretty Budapest wasn't always a happy place.

Following the collapse of communism and the Iron Curtain in 1989, the Hungarian capital has rebuilt and reimagined itself.

But the city also won't gloss over its past. The fashionable Ruin Bar district, the House of Terror Museum and Memento Park, where Soviet statues go to "retire" from public view, have become some of Budapest's major attractions.

As CNN's Richard Quest and Joe Minihane put it, Budapest "is a city steadfast in raising up its traditions and culture in the face of adversity."

🛕 Sacred site

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham (CNN)

The largest Hindu temple in the United States made a splashy debut in New Jersey earlier this month.

By the numbers: BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham spreads across more than 180 acres, is 191 feet tall, uses 2 million cubic feet of stone and features 10,000 statues.

It's located in Robbinsville, New Jersey, about 62 miles southwest of New York City. Some call BAPS the largest Hindu temple outside of India, but that depends who you ask – the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia is larger but not used for religious purposes these days.

👀 In case you missed it

'Love locks' are causing a problem at the Grand Canyon.

Endangered condors like to eat the keys.

Japan Airlines had to order an extra plane to carry sumo wrestlers.

"The middle seat was the toughest," one said.

A billionaire bought Leonardo da Vinci's former vineyard.

No one knows if it'll ever be open to the public again.

The solar eclipse coincided with the world's biggest hot-air balloon festival.

Watch the celestial event here.