THE TWA HOTEL AT JFK

THE 60's REVISITED

In the 1960's a pencil thin Twiggy was the rage but curves were sexy in architecture. Eero Saarinen was commissioned to design a flight center for TWA at JFK Airport. The design would become iconic as it pulled away from the brutalism of the Bauhaus and turned straight walls into conch shells. Unfortunately the 60's made way to the 70's, then the 80's and the 90"s and TWA didn't last  - the flight center closed. The building remained vacant for decades. To American's great good fortune New Yorkers have always been at the forefront of preservation. Unwilling to let such a significant piece of architectural history meet the wrecking ball the terminal was first declared a city landmark in 1994 and then listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It's ability to remain a viable terminal collapsed when Terminal five was built between it and the runways. It was eventually up to JetBlue to come to the building's rescue converting it into a hotel that opened in May 2019.
It's an easy but long subway ride on the E train out to a transfer point for the AirTran and a drop off at Terminal five,  but boy is it worth it.
The hotel is nothing less than theater even if you aren't planning on staying at the hotel. My first visit was just to see the space for myself. My next will be to book a room, take a drink in the airplane lounge called CONNIE and then a jump into the infinity pool on the top floor.
From the hosts dressed in TWA uniforms, to the bits of history spread around like the halls of a history museum, to the lush signature red of the decoration.   Whether you're a tourist or a native visiting the TWA hotel should be a must on your list of things to see along with the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center and The Statue of Liberty.
Enjoy!