OVERNIGHT IN NEW YORK
Returning from Sweden, we did not come directly back to Maine. Given the timing and logistics, we opted to stay overnight at New York’s JFK Airport before flying to Portland. The old Trans World Airlines (TWA) terminal, built and opened in 1962, was and is an iconic building designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen. With curves and wing-like arms, the walls soar with a sense of motion and flight. Today, this striking futuristic building is the TWA Hotel.
Staying here is a trip back to 1962. If you came of age in the 1960’s as the Chief Penguin and I did, you know the words to the continuous rock ‘n roll playlist (Beatles, “Johnny Angel” by Shelley Fabares, and “Let’s Twist Again,” e.g.). You probably recall playing Twister (there’s a Twister alcove), and maybe you went to a beauty parlor (they weren’t called hair salons) like this mockup, all in pink with helmet-like hair dryers.
Billionaire businessman and aviator, Howard Hughes acquired control of TWA in the late 1930’s and expanded its routes and operation. He and his partner, fellow aviator Jack Frye, were the first to fly the Constellation, a beautiful new Lockheed plane, from DC to California. When jet engines replaced propellers, the Constellation, or “Connie” as it was dubbed, was immediately obsolete.
This building functioned as an air terminal until 2001. As it was transformed into a hotel, the original terminal and two adjacent buildings were joined together. Partially encircling the original building is a replacement terminal for JetBlue which opened in 2008. The hotel opened to the public in 2019, and it and the new terminal are together known as Terminal 5.
Staying at the TWA hotel is a unique experience. The spaces are cavernous and grand while the swoops and curves of the walls and ceilings inspire gasps or even awe. Tubes that took passengers to their aircraft are now passageways that eventually connect to guest rooms. Rooms are minimalist, but quiet, with rotary phones.
The Constellation, that marvelous plane, was acquired in 2018 and after being refurbished in Maine, made the long journey by road back to the terminal. It now sits on the hotel property and is considered by some to be one of the world’s best cocktail bars. It’s certainly one-of-a-kind!
We couldn’t resist the lure of the Connie. Like others, we boarded just after 4:00 pm, had plastic cups of wine and a snack package of pretzels, and soaked up the atmosphere on a red banquette. I also tried out the cushy, but worn, seats.
Dinner in the Paris Café, part of Jean George’s empire, was meatballs and a Caesar salad, and better than we expected. You can also eat in a food hall, spend money on TWA memorabilia, and read the history of this terminal and that plane on the walls. We enjoyed this taste of history and absorbed all we could in our one-night stay. The Chief Penguin and I both have memories of flying out of this TWA terminal.
VACATION READING
Here are my thoughts on a novel I read while on our Sweden trip. This is a contemporary one by Frances Mayes.
A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes
I have a soft spot for Frances Mayes. I loved Under the Tuscan Sun and have read many of her subsequent works, both nonfiction and novels. At Lehigh University, the Chief Penguin and I had the pleasure of hosting her at a small dinner. More recently in 2022, we soaked up the atmosphere and the architecture in Cortona, Mayes’ Tuscan hilltop town.
Despite all this, I think Mayes is a better writer of nonfiction than fiction. But I did enjoy her new novel, A Great Marriage. It’s set mostly in in the Research Triangle Area, but also in California and London. The North Carolina towns have new names, but the setting is one I know, and one my NC friends will recognize.
Days before her upcoming wedding, Dara breaks her engagement to Austin when he gives her some shocking news. Dara has always admired her parents’ wonderful marriage and knows that her grandmother had a very successful long marriage to her senator husband. The book focuses on how she and Austin separately manage their lives after their break-up with an underlying message about what one needs to create an enduring relationship.
The situation is an intriguing and complex one, but I found the characters a bit like board pieces being moved without enough explanation. What Mayes excels at are descriptions of scenery and streets, colors and smells. A Great Marriage is diverting and good end-of-summer reading. (~JWFarrington)
Note: All photos except one ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is of lobby area at TWA Hotel.
