The Golden Age

In a time when flying seems like a thing of the past, I’ve been obsessed with flying in the past.

The dawn of the commercial aviation jet age in the 1950s and 1960s saw a big transition in the visual identity of airlines and the industry in general.  The conversation was no longer that you could physically get from London to New York in the air vs on the water, but that you were getting there faster and in a sleek new piece of technology.  I’m particularly obsessed with the simple, space-age, mid-century design.  It feels innovative.  It feels exciting.  It feels uplifting.

Not since the Concorde have there been exciting advances in commercial aviation and it’s left us looking back with admiration.

The most exciting thing to happen to airline travel recently is the opening of the TWA Hotel at JFK.  Visiting the hotel a few months back before a flight had me feeling like I traveled back in time.  I played with the rotary phones, walked through the Catch Me If You Can tunnel, and had a negroni aboard the landlocked Constellation.  It was welcome nostalgia of a more romantic time before walking back through the tunnel, down the elevator, and back in to 2019.

So let’s all make a negroni and raise our glasses to taking off again soon.