Order our new book, Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders Linger Eatuary Andrew Catellier on Flickr (Creative Commons) From historic mortuary to ultra-cool eatery, Denver’s Linger Eatuary has made quite the transition during its almost century in existence. The hip and usually-packed Denver restaurant Linger is as open as a fresh grave about the building’s history as it used to be a famed mortuary. The site is the former base of the Olinger family’s funeral empire which at one point was responsible for organizing half of Denver’s funerals, even once housing the body of Buffalo Bill Cody for six months in 1917, while Wyoming and Colorado argued over who would provide his final resting place (Colorado won). When the space was purchased by its new owners, they immediately embraced the spot’s morbid history. The rooftop neon sign that used to proclaim “Olinger Mortuaries” was barely even altered, with the capitol “O” simply being turned out and the word “mortuaries” being slightly altered so that the current sign reads, “Linger Eatuaries.”

The funerary history continues on in the interior as well where the old A/C units have been turned into hanging lamps, glass-topped metal conveyor belts are used as tables, and a church pew is used as the host’s stand. The ground floor boasts large garage doors that once welcomed corpse-laden hearses and now open simply to offer a breeze for summer diners. Below the restaurant in the basement level is now a mixed use retail space that includes an athletic club somewhat ironically, as this space was once Olinger’s embalming space where the bodies were preserved. Other deathly touches abound in the eatuary such as water served from formaldehyde bottles and a picture from one of cinema’s more touching paeans to death, Harold and Maude. To the restaurant’s credit, all of the morbid accents do nothing to make the site unappetizing, possibly because of the constant reminder that you can’t eat when you’re dead. How many arms does an octopus have? Subscribe me to the

Log In with Facebook Escape the Beaten Path We'd Like You to Like Us what color is your flavor? We’re used to thinking of airports as places that flurry with activity no matter the hour. Much like a big city, they tend to be bustling hubs that never sleep. But all around the world, there are a number of airports that have been abandoned — vast structures that became ghost towns after economic problems caused them to fail and shut down. The good news is that some of these zombie airports are now being given a new lease on life as they’re transformed into attractions like amusement parks or repurposed into places like schools. In Sweden, the former Bulltofta Airport was turned into a park and entertainment zone. In Denver Colorado, Stapleton International Airport has been redesigned into a mixed-use housing community. And in Madrid, Spain, the Ciudad Real Central Airport is currently being used as the set of a film. So it got us wondering — what kinds of cool things would we like to see airports turned into?

Just imagine all the quirky little places you could set up a restaurant. ichiban sushi menu flowood msSushi conveyor belt at the security checkpoint? sushi grade fish fresno caMeals with a view in the air traffic control tower? jiro dreams of sushi 5 attributesIt would sure beat the current airport dining experience. Go kart racing tracks. How much fun would it be to whizz around on miles of airport tarmac? I mean, really, do we even need to sell you on this idea?Old airplanes and airport facilities would make a great site for a concept hotel. In fact, the Jumbo Stay hotel/hostel in Stockholm has already seized on this idea, turning an old Boeing 747 into a funky place to crash for the night.Dragging ourselves through vast airport terminals is an absolute chore when we’re jetlagged and running late for our flight, but all that space is ideal when the goal is working out.

And those moving walkways? Yup, they’re perfect built-in treadmills. What else would you like to see old airports transformed into? Let us know in the comments!Page Laska and her family were among many who spent three hours and 12 minutes on a crowded flight from Minneapolis to Fort Lauderdale on Friday morning — and it was nothing out of the ordinary. Laska disembarked, quickly grabbed her bags from the Delta terminal and hopped on a shuttle headed for a nearby hotel with her 8-year-old son Garrett. Her husband, Dennis Anco, and 11-year-old son Benjamin, who has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a motorized wheelchair, waited outside the terminal for a handicap-accessible cab. “Pops” rang out, as Laska’s husband recalled, and crowds rushed the automatic doors outside the terminal. Laska didn’t see her son or husband for three hours. She later learned her husband lifted his 11-year-old son from his wheelchair and ran across the ground floor of the airport, well past its four terminals and the chaotic masses toward a parking lot for safety.

>> Read more trending stories Laska exchanged phone calls with them in the moments that followed — Laska from a hotel and Anco and Ben, both uninjured, from a crowd stranded at Fort Lauderdale International Airport. It was after a gunman, likely a passenger on their Delta flight, opened fire Friday, killing five and injuring six. “I told (Ben) they had gotten the shooter, that everything was going to be fine, that I was going to see him,” an emotional Laska told The Palm Beach Post on Saturday. “I said it, but part of me thought that was going to be my last phone call with my son.” Laska and Anco strained to recall the ordinary and forgettable seconds between grabbing their luggage — the first bags to roll by on the conveyor belt — and Esteban Santiago pulling out a semi-automatic handgun and opening fire on the crowd. “It must’ve been five minutes or less,” she said. It was enough time for Laska and 15 of her family members who had all flown from their native Minnesota to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise, to board a shuttle and leave before the shots rang out.

They were last off the plane, but first out of the sliding doors. “We missed it by seconds,” Laska said. “That’s not to say we aren’t completely aware that we could’ve been one of those people that didn’t make it … . There must be a guardian angel watching over us.” Ben still shudders when he hears loud noises, his mother said. “He heard a baby cry, a high-pitched cry, and panicked,” she said. “I tell him he’s safe, but it’s a hard thing to talk about. Laska and Anco didn’t immediately realize that Santiago was on their flight until it was reported that he flew from Anchorage, Alaska, to Minneapolis, then from Minneapolis to Florida before carrying out the mass shooting. Nothing was out of the ordinary during the flight, Laska said. They didn’t recognize Santiago’s face or photo, and said he clearly didn’t stand out. “It’s tough to even think about it,” Laska said. “We want to move on, not dwell on it.” Ben was reunited with his wheelchair after Delta staff, along with Laska’s niece Alli, searched for it overnight.