When I was a kid, my parents and I spent a week in New York City. I don't have many memories...lots of sirens at night, walking up the Statue of Liberty, getting my foot stuck in the revolving door at the Commodore Hotel, etc. One place I do remember, though vaguely, was the Automat we went to. This was a chain of cafeterias where food was served vending-machine style...you put change or tokens in a slot next to a given food item and then could open the door for that item. Magic. Anyway...apparently there's been an exhibit running at the Museum of the City of New York about the Automat, with the NYT running an article about it today: The Automat's Golden Age.