30
October

TWA Flight Center Open House

The annual Open House New York happened to be a couple Sundays ago (10/16). Usually I only find a a handful of events that I’m interested in and usually they require a reservation, which I’m always too late for.

This year there was one event I was interested in that didn’t require a reservation: The TWA Flight Center Open House at JFK Airport.

This building has been closed since 2001, when American bought the struggling TWA. Much of the complex (concourses and gates) was torn down to make room for the new JetBlue Terminal 5, which now sits behind the historic building, also known as the Eero Saarinen Head House.

Unlike all other classic JFK terminals such as the Pan Am Worldport and the National Airlines Sundrome, this building has landmark status and will stick around. But there currently isn’t a clear plan on what to do with it. The building’s famous passenger tubes now connect (in an awkward way) to the the JetBlue terminal’s arrival area. Occasionally it is mentioned that this terminal could be used as an optional check-in facility for JetBlue, but that plan seems to have gone nowhere in the three years the new Terminal 5 has been open. Interestingly enough, there are two out-of-service self-check-in machines sitting in the historic building’s lobby.

The other plan the has been surfacing as of late is to construct a hotel behind the building. I am no architect, but I fail to see how this would work without destroying the already limited view out of the back of the terminal. I would love to see the building used as an aviation museum, however, the location isn’t exactly the most accessible in the city.

Full set on Flickr

TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 (HDR) - 01TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 01TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 02TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 03TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 04TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 05
TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 06TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 07TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 08TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 09TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 10TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 11
TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 12TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 14TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 15TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 16TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 17TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 18
TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 19TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 20TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 21TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 22TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 23TWA Flight Center Open House NYC - 10/16/2011 - 24

TWA Flight Center Open House NYC – 10/16/2011, a set on Flickr.

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26
December

The Journey to Vienna Has Begun

I’m probably approaching 50 lifetime trips to/from Vienna. Amazingly I’ve never experienced any serious travel disturbances. About the worst that has happened so far is that I got into Syracuse at 2:45am instead of 10pm back when I was in college.

So maybe I’m due for some travel insanity. I just got on a New York Trailways bus heading to New York City. By the time this gets there around 1:30 a blizzard is supposed to have reached the city.

While the Austrian Airlines plane that I plan to take to Vienna is supposed to land at JFK around this time and will probably have no trouble doing so, the challenge is going to be dealing with the four-hours-worth of snow that will fall before the scheduled return trip to Vienna.

I plan on getting to the airport around 2:30pm. Hopefully I’ll be able to get out before the snow becomes overwhelming.

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24
December

Lost in Translation Series: Pimp Your Economy Class Ticket

Austrian Airlines Press Release Pimp your Economy Class Ticket

Austrian Airlines' Press Release: "Pimp your Economy Class Ticket"

As my blog turns ten years old next week and I’m flying over to Vienna on Sunday, I thought it might be nice to give a little fodder to my “Lost in Translation” series of posts, where I present some amusing and ridiculous attempts by companies to translate content from German to English.

Whether it’s Vienna’s public transportation corporation wishing you a happy new jear or an airport restaurant requesting that you order at the eating version, these little amusements make me smile.

With the background on the series out of the way, let’s look at this unique case. This isn’t so much an oversight or bad translation software as it is a cultural phenomena.

I remember being in Austria in the summer of 2005 and Pimp My Ride littered the daily MTV Germany schedule morning, noon and night. To make matters worse multiple localized spin-offs were created that “pimped” everything from bikes to doghouses.

Five years later Austria’s flag carrier, Austrian Airlines, feels it’s perfectly normal to place this phrase in an official press release.

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4
July

Fire in Williamsburg

Williamsburg Fire 1I saw a fairly large fire on my way to see the fireworks tonight. It was in an industrial building at the corner of North 9th Street and Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg.

I saw the first smoke around 9:15 while walking on Berry Street along McCarren Park. I quickly walked down to North 10th Street, and that’s when I first saw the flames.

I’ve uploaded several more photos after the jump.

Continue reading »

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23
June

Fast Food in New York City

I created a Fast Food in New York City blog to host all my entries on dining in New York City. Now I only need to return to posting content on this blog in the spirit of the old days!

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18
May

Lunch at a Rare Dunkin’ Deli in New York City

Visited Location: 395 Hudson St @ Clarkson St

Dunkin’ … Deli?

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That’s right… It’s the strange result of Dunkin’ Donuts owning the Togo’s chain of sandwich shops, which has free-standing locations on the West Coast. Here in the East, Togo’s apparently was dual- or triple-branded with Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robins. In the late 1990s the name “Dunkin’ Deli” replaced Togo’s in these locations.

Dunkin’ Donuts acknowledges the Deli brand’s existence in the nutritional information section of its website, but otherwise makes no mention in its store locator or brand history sections.

Strange history aside, Dunkin’ Deli’s are extremely rare in New York City. Since not searchable on Dunkin’ Donuts’ site and not accurately separately listed on Google Maps and Yelp, it’s anyone’s guess to how many of these locations exist in New York City. I’ve personally been to over 50 Dunkin’ Donuts in this city, however, and I know of only one: 395 Hudson St @ Clarkson St.

Dunkin_Deli_Inside.jpgFrom the outside, apart from some Dunkin’ Deli labeling, this looks like an average Dunkin’ Donuts. On the inside, for the most part, this still looks like an average Dunkin’ Donuts, especially now that practically all Dunkin’ Donuts’ offer hot food items. However, the menu board is extended to include the deli sandwiches, with selections such as a Chicken Bruschetta Sandwich and a Turkey and Bacon Club Sandwich.

There are multiple bread selections, such as white, wheat, and flat. Toasting appears to be the norm as do onions on sandwiches where you might expect someone to want them. Unlike Subway and Quiznos, personalization of toppings is not encouraged, with order reception taking place at the coffee counter, fulfillment in a separate area separated off on many sides by a solid wall, and delivery occurring from a window labeled “Sandwich Pickup”.

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I’ve had both the chicken bruschetta and turkey/bacon club sandwiches. Both had the hot toasted taste of Quiznos, and both were loaded with onions. The tomatoes on my recent turkey/bacon club had no flavor.

One important last item of discussion is price. Dunkin’ Deli is not particularly competitive priced, with the small sandwiches priced around $4.99 and the large around $7.99. The small sandwiches come nowhere near in size to Subway’s five-dollar footlongs, so lunch here is certainly not economical.

While not inexpensive, an occasion meal from Dunkin’ Deli provides a welcome, more flavorful alternative to the suite of subs from Subway.

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18
May

Lunch at Boston Market in Manhattan

Manhattan: 271 W 23rd St @ 8th Ave (visited) & 885 10th Ave @ 58th St
Several locations in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island

Boston_Market_Outside_23rd_St_Manhattan.jpgBoston Market, with only two locations, is extremely rare in Manhattan. The location I visited was directly outside the 23rd Street Station of the 8th Avenue Subway (C,E).

For Manhattan fast food restaurants, this Boston Market was extremely clean, far more than I had expected. The presentation of the main dishes and sides was extremely appetizing. Granted, calling Boston Market fast food is almost an insult. It, along with chains such as Panara Bread, are positioned somewhere between that class and casual dining.

Boston_Market_Food.jpgBoston Market, like many other chains, has recently lowered its prices, with many lunches and dinners now costing around five dollars. For a mere $5.23 (including tax), I received half a chicken sandwich, a decent serving of stuffing, and a medium beverage (free refills). However, a friend of mine, an experienced Boston Market guest, did note that the serving size has decreased over the years. Nevertheless, my lunch cost me a good three dollars less than I expected.

Boston_Market_Catering.jpgBoston Market also provides catering. This card on the table provided for some good laughs. Note the primary upsell item of the different packages is the level of dinnerware included. The Silver Package comes with disposable dinnerware, the Gold Package comes with “upgraded disposable dinnerware”, while the Platinum Package comes with china. That’s right, you can have your Boston Market on China!

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9
May

Lunch at New York City’s Only Chick-Fil-A

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Inside NYU’s Weinstein Residence Hall, 5-11 University Place (northeast corner of Washington Square). Closed on Sundays and possibly during the summer and other times when classes are not in session.

New York City’s only Chick-Fil-A is in the Weinstein Residence Hall of NYU, right off Washington Square. It is part of a food court near the entrance that is open to the public. To get to the food court, go straight in until you reach the dining area and then pass through a turnstile to the right. If you hit the Kosher area, you’ve gone too far!


While it’s true that this is a heat-lamped “express” location, I doubt my sandwich was out for more than five minutes since I went during lunch time. The easily accessible items were fried and grilled chicken sandwiches, some kind of chicken nugget-style items in boxes, and waffle fries. There was also a sign to ask if you were looking for something else. My fries were made on demand.

The special sauces were passed out under the watchful control of the staff. It appeared the limit was two. I took one barbecue sauce an I thought it was plenty. Mints, mayonnaise, and mustard were on the customer side of the counter, so I took a bunch.

Since this is a college food court, all counters share the same beverage selection, as well as big ketchup and mustard pumps past the registers.

This was the first time I had Chick-Fil-A and I found the fried chicken sandwich quite tasty. It had rather thin breading, and lots of chicken, which was to my liking. I also like the fact that it’s just chicken and a couple pickle pieces, allowing you full control of the rest. (It appears McDonalds and KFC have copied this concept recently).

Price: $6.12 including tax for fried chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and a medium soda. A trip to NYC’s only Chick-Fil-A is definitely worth it.

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8
May

Dinner at New York City’s Last Roy Rogers

401 7th Avenue @ 32nd Street. Right across 7th Avenue from the main east entrance to Penn Station.
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Roy Rogers was down to two locations in New York City. They were both run by Riese Restaurants. Now the Penn Station location has closed for renovation, with a sign indicating that Roy Rogers will be replaced by KFC.


So this is it! The last remaining Roy Rogers in New York City! Riese Restaurants also replaced Roy Rogers around the corner on 34th Street with more contemporary options, so I wouldn’t count on this one lasting.

It’s a real time warp walking into this place. Roy’s classic photo is hanging there, as are many pieces of Roy Rogers memorabilia. There are two former heated oven-type things to keep food warm, but they’re no longer in service and have “for display only” signs on them. Strangely enough there are aluminum wrapped sandwiches “on display”.

Roy Rogers 3.jpgIt took five minutes for service to arrive. I could have walked over to the Nathan’s counter, but I was curious how long it would take.  I ordered a Gold Rush Chicken Sandwich combo and was given the choice of several sides such as fries, cold slaw, and mashed potatoes. I chose fries. My soda was also served to me and I made my way over to the cashier.


After paying I went to the signature “Fixins Bar” to top off my sandwich. The lettuce looked a little sad, but the tomatoes and onions were fine (they last longer). There were little pre-filled cups of barbecue sauce and either mayonnaise or horseradish sauce (probably the later since Roy serves roast beef sandwiches as well). Then I went over to the Nathan’s condiment section to pump out some ketchup. I love places with a ketchup pump… If there’s one thing I hate it’s having to deal with ketchup packets.

The sandwich and the fries tasted pretty good, no complaints there. While eating I heard a woman outside ask “WTF is Roy Rogers?” Classic… Enjoy it while it lasts.

Roy Rogers 1.jpg


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30
April

Still Want Fries With That?

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal appeals court said on Tuesday that a new rule requiring New York City fast food restaurants to post calorie information on menu boards is effective immediately.

It’s a done deal: NYC calorie-count rule effective immediately: court

I’ve already become used to these menu boards at Subway, which has had them for over a year because they have nothing to hide:

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The slightly more-caloric chains fought the legislation since it might cause customers to reconsider their choice:

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One of the claims was that adding the calorie information would the make the menu impossible to read. Here is what Dunkin’ Donuts presented:

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And here is how New York City responded:

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Just another health-inspired law from the first major city to ban smoking and trans fats!

Photo Credit: Most of these photos are from Menu Board Calories Arrive in New York on “Weighty Matters” where they are licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada license.

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