Where-To-Go Wednesday - Dining in Transit

We received complimentary tickets to the New York Historical for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Dining in Transit

Where: NY Historical 

             170 Central Park W. 

             New York, NY

Who: All Ages

When: Through October 19, 2025

The current Dining in Transit exhibit at the New York Historical provides a comprehensive look at the history of food service on public transportation. It primarily focuses on travel,by air or sea, but also delves a bit into train travel, particularly the 20th Century Limited, a train immortalized both on stage and in film.  There are numerous airline and ship menus, including specialized holiday menus, on display as well as some dishware, a flight attendant's cap, and more. 

The exhibit also gets into the socioeconomic history of eating while in transit. Primarily, Black chefs and porters were hired on trains; however only the rich could afford to eat in the dining cars, so the customers were mostly white. The wealthy also had an advantage when it came to airlines and ocean liners, where they were often able to order customized special meals. 

Although being a flight attendant was one of the earliest jobs open to women, and in fact, at first, it was a job only available to women, that didn't make it easy. Female flight attendants were harshly scrutinized. They had to meet certain weight requirements and more. If they dared to get married, they were out of a job.

For more about this fascinating exhibit, visit www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/dining-in-transit. For more about the New York Historical generally or to purchase tickets online, visit www.nyhistory.org

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

All pictures used in this post are our own. Address any concerns regarding image usage here.