Automat

There was an Automat left in New York within living memory.

That’s an expression, I have not used ever before but I do like it.

My living memory, as around the 1970s or perhaps 1980s, when it could be found on 3rd Avenue and 42nd Street. Circa that same era, the Horn and Hardart chain was still on or around Broadway in the 40s.

I enjoyed a cream cheese on a dark pumpernickel raisin bread.

That was the signature Horn and Hardart sandwich.

There were other beloved dishes on their menu. The offerings at the Automat were simpler and also complicated by those little compartments.

I have no recollection of dining at any Automat. The sign, above, is a cry for nostalgia at my new, local  dumpling shop on 78th. It mimics the Automat delivery system.

It’s not too late to get in on that Automat experience, I guess.