By Devin Gannon, Thu, May 13, 2021 All photos courtesy of TWA Hotel unless otherwise noted
Roller skating is having a major moment, brought on by the pandemic and possibly quarantine boredom. New Yorkers can now embrace the nostalgia at one of the most fitting places in the city: the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy Airport. The retro 1960s-inspired hotel is opening a roller skating rink this month on the tarmac outside of the 1958 Lockheed Constellation “Connie” airplane-turned cocktail bar. Roll-A-Rama at the Runway Rink launches May 14 and will operate on weekends.
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By Devin Gannon, Tue, August 25, 2020 Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr
New coronavirus testing sites will be set up at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports to limit the spread of the virus from out-of-state visitors, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday. The testing sites will allow “faster testing of people coming in, including hospital staff,” the governor said during a press briefing. The additional measure comes as New York saw a record low COVID-19 test positivity rate of 0.66 percent on Monday, making it the 17th straight day with a positivity rate below 1 percent.
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By Michelle Cohen, Fri, November 15, 2019 Photo courtesy of TWA Hotel.
Yet another cool way to experience the Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Hotel at JFK Airport arrives this month: Starting November 30, a custom 56-by-44-foot Runway Rink will be open for ice skating on the hotel’s tarmac surrounding the 1958 Lockheed Constellation Connie airplane-turned-cocktail-lounge. In addition to sharpening your figure-8 skills, you can catch nostalgic ice skating shows and chill with frosty beers, sno-caps and more.
Winter wonderland, this way
By Alexandra Alexa, Tue, September 17, 2019 Image courtesy of MCR and Morse Development
It’ll cost you a pretty penny—$340 per person, to be exact—but you can now take a private helicopter to brunch at JFK’s buzzy new TWA Hotel. Helicopter service Blade and the Gerber Group have partnered on the limited-edition offering, which is open for reservations on Sundays only through November 3rd.
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By Michelle Cohen, Wed, July 17, 2019 Illustrative rendering of the developed northwest corner of the site courtesy of PANYNJ.
As part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s planned $13 billion transformation of JFK into a modern international airport, it was announced Tuesday that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is issuing a Request for Information for the design and development of JFK Central, a 14-acre mixed-use space at the airport’s core at the Ground Transportation Center. The site offers designers and developers a blank canvas for creating a unique centrally located public space for travelers, employees and the community, offering commercial and recreational services.
Ideas and examples for the site, this way
By Devin Gannon, Wed, May 15, 2019 Looking down on the terminal from the London Club; Photo courtesy of TWA Hotel/David Mitchell
The much-anticipated rebirth of Eero Saarinen’s historic TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport is complete. The TWA Hotel officially opened on Wednesday, more than two years after the project broke ground in Queens and over 18 years since the iconic 1962 terminal shuttered. The project was developed by MCR and MORSE Development and designed by architecture firm LUBRANO CIAVARRA. Beyer Blinder Belle Architects handled the restoration of the original Flight Center to prepare for the hotel. The two six-story crescent-shaped buildings contain 512 rooms, a rooftop infinity pool and observation deck, event space, food hall, luxury fitness center, and retro cocktail bar.
Take the tour
By Alexandra Alexa, Mon, March 11, 2019 Image courtesy of MCR and Morse Development
Guests of the TWA Flight Center Hotel—set to open on May 15—will be able to experience the Jet Age through exhibitions of Trans World Airlines artifacts curated by the New-York Historical Society. Flight attendant’s logs, vintage furniture from TWA headquarters, in-flight amenities—like gilded playing cards and custom matchbooks—are some of the types of objects that will be on view in a rotating series of exhibitions dedicated to the former TWA terminal, a historic landmark designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen and opened in 1962.
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By Devin Gannon, Wed, February 20, 2019 Image of Sunken Lounge pre-construction in 2017, courtesy of MCR and Morse Development; Photo: Max Touhey
When its retro cocktail bar opens this May, TWA Hotel guests will be able to sip Sixties-style beverages in an expertly designed space. The Sunken Lounge will not only offer classic drinks like Old Fashioneds and Martinis but also views through its floor-to-ceiling windows of the 1958 Lockheed Constellation airplane parked outside. MCR and MORSE Development announced on Wednesday that Gerber Group, of Mr. Purple and The Campbell bar fame, will operate the restored Sunken Lounge, which will officially open on May 15, the same day the first guests will be welcomed to the hotel at John F. Kennedy Airport.
Drink it in
By Michelle Cohen, Fri, February 15, 2019 Via Flickr
In looking for out-of-the-box ways to cut travel time between Manhattan and JFK Airport in Queens, New York officials recently reached out to Tesla founder Elon Musk for engineering ideas, Crain’s reports. Musk’s The Boring Company reportedly outlined strategies for connecting John F. Kennedy International Airport with Manhattan based on the tunnel system the company has developed, though several challenges were immediately evident.
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By Devin Gannon, Wed, February 6, 2019 American Airlines and British Airways will invest $344 million over the next three years to revamp its terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. The project includes expanding and improving the customer experience at Terminal 8, where British Airways will move to from its current location in Terminal 7. The project falls under Cuomo’s $13 billion plan to overhaul JFK announced last October. The Port Authority is not contributing funds to the Terminal 8 project; 90 percent of the governor’s JFK plan will be privately funded.
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