Date:  Fri, 24 Nov 1995 15:44:29 -0500

From:  ALICE FABER <faber[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]HASKINS.YALE.EDU>

Subject: AUTOMAT



"Allan M. Siegal" <siegal[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NYTIMES.COM> writes about automats:

Subject: Re: The Automat



On Nov 23, 1995 07:11:09, 'SETH SKLAREY <crissiet[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IPOF.FLA.NET>' wrote:



> I believe the places were

>called Horn & Hardardt's Automat, but it was a long time ago. Can anybody



>add some info?



    The last working Automat, at Lexington Avenue and 42d Street, closed 10 or

15 years ago. It became a Horn & Hardart (sic) restaurant with table

service. The greatest loss was the nickel ladies -- those wonders who could

dip a hand into a bucket of nickels and weigh out a precise dollar's worth

without looking, for customers needing change for the slots.

******************************************************************************

I moved back north in Jan 1988...I could have sworn I took a Floridian to the

Lexington Ave Automat around Christmas of 88 (both for the pie from little

windows *and* for the bathroom!--not that there's anything special about it,

but I find that I spend at least half my time in the city waiting on line for

reasonable public restrooms), but perhaps I'm confusing this excursion with

one during the early 80's (1981?) LSA meeting in NY.



Alice Faber

faber[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]haskins.yale.edu