Join us for a guided tour of the Dining in Transit exhibition at the New York Historical Society as we explore the golden age of travel through the lens of food and menus. This docent-led tour will trace how ocean liners, luxury trains, and early commercial airlines used fine dining to elevate the passenger experience and also build early 20th-century brand loyalty. We will discover how French chefs, holiday menus, and elegant tableware helped define travel culture while viewing an array of objects—from fascinating souvenir menus and promotional recipe books to collectible dishware. Our tour also will shed light on complex labor histories, including the Pullman Company’s recruitment of formerly enslaved Black men as cooks and waiters. We will also explore the strict physical criteria airlines previously considered when hiring female flight attendants. Tour highlights include a dazzling selection of vintage menus from the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, midcentury railroad and airline recipe books, and insig hts into the evolving food trends that shaped meals at sea, on the rails, and in the air.

Please contact Aliza at 212-480-2889 x200 or zoom@royal-oak.org for registration.

MEETING PLACE:
The New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West

Tickets: $35 members*; $45 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account