Visiting the TWA Hotel
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If you follow my Instagram you know that I just went on a road trip to the East Coast. We visited 5 states over 6 days but my favorite part of our trip was visiting the TWA Hotel. We ended up visiting the hotel for a few hours instead of spending the night and that worked out great.
What is the TWA Hotel?
The TWA Flight Center was built in 1962 and is located in Queens, NY at the JFK Airport. It was an airport terminal and an architectural marvel that deserved to be restored to its former 60's glory. Now it has been fully reimagined into a hotel that will take you back in time to when air travel was a luxury. The TWA Flight Center was also one of the filming locations for the movie Catch Me If You Can.
Just visiting?
We had already booked an AirBnb before I decided to visit the TWA Hotel so we couldn't stay the night. There's a rooftop pool that you can experience if you stay over that I wish I could have seen. I wasn’t sure if we could just walk in and see the hotel without staying there but I went for it anyway. We walked right in and had no problems visiting.
We drove to the airport and parked right across from the hotel for $20. Walking up to the hotel we saw a bunch of vintage cars which was a surprise. There were classic cars parked at the front (and inside the building!) but my favorite was the VW bus.
Walking into the hotel you'll see two giant arrival and departure boards that are always clicking and changing. You're able to check in for your hotel or if you're just visiting then don't bother. Looking ahead you'll see an amazing view of the airplane Connie. There's the famous red conversation pit straight ahead which is roped off. I'm not sure if that's due to COVID or if that's always inaccessible.
On the first level there's a gift shop (Expensive but cool stuff) and next door is a photo booth room with this super cool chair. There's vintage cameras all around that you can use as props for photos.
Across the way are restrooms that definitely have cute vintage vibes. There's also a row of vintage payphones for a quick photo opp.
Make sure to check out all the different alcoves and hallways. There were a bunch of retro travel posters down this hallway.
Next door to the payphones is a unique and interesting room. It's designed to look like the game Twister which would be a ton of fun to play if you stayed the night. Since I was only here for a few hours I took a quick photo and moved on.
Follow the grand staircases up to the second level where you'll find the Paris Cafe. I went in the early morning so it wasn't open yet but apparently, the food is amazing. Also on the upper level is the TWA flight attendant uniform exhibit. Gosh, I wanted them all, they are so cute!
Once you've finished the main two floors you can start exploring the passageways to the hotel wings. Even if you aren’t staying at the hotel be sure to walk down these hallways because there’s a ton more to see!
I did not plan on there being so many cool 1960 set ups everywhere! There's a really cool TWA office that definitely made me feel like I was about to run into Donald Draper. There's also another office that's set up for an architect.
The highlight of the visit was the 1960's living room. I loved seeing all the vintage pieces they used to decorate the room.
Most of the decor is taped down but some of the items can be used as props. They also have flight attendant aprons and dresses you can slip on for different photos.
Head over to the opposite wing and you'll be able to walk out and see the runway. There's the cutest airport luggage vehicles with vintage suitcases stacked inside. This is also where they host roller skating events!
The Connie is a fully restored vintage airplane that has been converted into a cocktail lounge. Due to COVID they are taking reservations only so I wasn't able to see inside. But you can still see the plane and walk up the steps.
Final takeaway: We spent about 3 hours here and loved every minute of it. All we paid was $20 for parking to experience the hotel and it was worth it. When I go again I will definitely stay the night to see the rooftop pool AND make sure I bring a vintage suitcase. That's the one thing I wish I had brought with me for photos. So be sure to bring a flower power suitcase along!
Now that you’re in the retro travel mood be sure to check out my vintage travel souvenir display that I made here.
