Art
Automats were vending-machine restaurants where customers inserted coins to retrieve hot meals from small glass doors. From the 1910s through the 1960s, they offered busy New Yorkers an affordable, fast alternative to sit-down dining—no waiters, no tips, no fuss.
Art · Full story
You're hungry and have fifteen minutes. You walk up to the gleaming wall of small brass-framed windows, drop your nickels and dimes into the slot, turn the knob, and pull out a steaming cup of coffee and a warm slice of pie. Around you, strangers eat standing up or perched on tiny stools, each in their own quick transaction with the machine.
Reflect
What draws you to grab food quickly today, and what do you lose by not sitting down?