Automat for the People
Automat for the People, originally uploaded by emilyrems.
I snapped this shadowy pic of LCF outside the new Bamn Automat on St. Marks amid a frenzy of student types fluttering like moths to its Barbie-pink flame. At the risk of dating myself, I was actually excited to see it open because it filled me with fond memories of my dad taking me to the old Horn & Hardart in Manhattan as a little girl. He would give me the change to hold, and I would very carefully survey each and every tiny little window before I finally decided which tepid treat to release from behind the glass. Then he would pick something, and we would eat across from each other in the giant, echoing central area. Unlike ye olde automat, Bamn is very small and crowded and has no place to sit. A quick survey of their greasy eats caused me to leave empty handed, an impulse later validated by Eater, who seemed to think that Bamn was a bomb. Whatevs, at least it’s pink.