Automat

AUTOMAT. 1557 Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets. The Automat was one of Times Square’s most enduring landmarks for more than 50 years. The coin-operated cafeteria boasted plain, sturdy food in clean, anonymous surroundings; a good square meal could be bought for less than a dollar. The patron simply walked up to a wall of glass-windowed doors and inserted the price of an item in its accompanying slot. The customer then opened the glass door and voila: a piece of...