My next Christmas memory always occurred the week before Christmas. The family trudged into Manhattan to view all the department store Christmas windows. It was about an hour subway ride from Brooklyn, to the Seventh Avenue stop in the mid-fifties.
We usually arrived for an early dinner at one of the first fast-food restaurants, the Horn & Hardart automat. Besides being inexpensive, the food was plain, and healthy. I know that, because my father was a health food advocate. It was only when he was in his mid-90’s, that his doctor ordered him to have a Big Mac and fries every day, to keep his weight up. But back to the automat.
It had a cafeteria style hot food table. One would take a plate, then go down the line, and select what foods you wanted. The servers, would then place them on your plate, and you paid for what you ordered. The really fun part, was to purchase the prepared foods behind small glass windows. Each stack of glass-window dispensers had a metal cylinder that could be rotated by the staff on the other side of the vending wall, where they refilled each dispenser in the stack with a fresh item. Each dispenser had a slot for nickels, and a knob to rotate to allow the glass door to be raised and locked in position for easy removal of the food. The food choices ranged from beans, fish cakes, sandwiches, salads, and even deserts.
In the late 50’s you could enjoy a large plain meal for under $1.00, purchased with nickels, obtained from the cashier.
If you want to see the automat in action, it was featured in the film, “That Touch of Mink.” It’s a romantic comedy starring Cary Grant, and Doris Day. It had a wonderful supporting cast. Gig Young, Audrey Meadows, and John Astin. Audrey Meadows, is Doris Day’s roommate, and works at the automat. She is one of the workers who refills the rotating food items behind the glass windows. There several scenes with Doris’s ordering, and Audrey giving her free food.
After we finished dinner, it was time to view the city. The first stop was Rockefeller Plaza, to see the huge decorated Christmas tree, and watch the ice skaters. Next, we went across the street, and into St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was always beautifully decorated.
Now came the special event of the evening. The stroll down Fifth Avenue, stopping at each department store to view the animated Christmas windows. First it was Saks Fifth Avenue, close to St. Pats. Several streets down fifth was Lord & Taylor. Sometimes there was a waiting line, wrapping around the corner. I’m pretty sure B. Altman & Co. came next, and then at Fifth Avenue, and 34th Street, there was Best & Co. They all had magical widows, but they were small compared to the final store on our tour, Macy’s.
Macy’s is located on 34th Street, starting at 6th Avenue, or now referred to as the Avenue of the Americas. It stretches to 7th Avenue to the west, and 35th Street to the north. It is an entire city block, and seven stories high. We always started at the 35th Street and 6th Avenue windows, and worked our way to the 34th Street and 7th Avenue Street windows. It took us quite a bit of time, to carefully examine each window. Once we were finished, we caught the train at 7th Avenue for our ride home. I forget how many years we carried out this tradition. But they were all memorable.
