KNEW is a really awesome airport to fly into, the approach over the water is sweet. In the past few years they've redone the terminal and there's a diner inside I've been wanting to check out. Not sure if the terminal has a good viewing spot or not, haven't been inside.
The area around the airport itself does strike me as being pretty shady, but I've never had any issues personally, but not sure there's anything around there that you'd want to walk to. The aquarium and WWII museum downtown are both great, but you'd need to take a cab or rental car from KNEW to get there.