Vincent… is that a fact? Was it Koch himself who promoted the redevelopment of that historic block for Marriott? I know during his administration we witnessed the loss of many cinema treasures (RKO Keith’s, Rivoli, State, Strand) but I just thought it was business as usual being conducted in offices peripheral to the Mayor (ie, Queens Boro Pres Donald Manes culpability in the Keith’s fiasco).
I guess now that he’s free from the bonds of political indebtedness, he has an opportunity – presented by Andres – to make up for some of the sins of his past. If not, Vincent, where do you think Andres should turn in his efforts to restore this theater to its intended use?
Yes SimonL… but was it truly your “wish” to have a no-tipping policy? If so, you put my cynicism to shame and I tip my cap to your exemplary work ethic – something, I might cynically add, that is woefully lacking these days.
Actually, if you scroll up to the 2nd image posted by Warren on October 27th, all is revealed. It’s an overhead shot presumably taken from high up on the Radio City building that shows the fully exposed rear wall of the Roxy, thanks to the adjacent parking lot on the 6th Ave side of the block. That’s W. 50th on the left side of the photo and W. 51st on the right. You can clearly see the balcony fire escape on the 50th Street side and the orientation of the auditorium towards 51st. The loading dock is not evident, but it must be on 51st. This makes sense since the entry foyer was on the opposite corner of the building at 50th and 7th Ave.
Turns out I saw “Not a Love Story” at the 57th Street Playhouse back in ‘82 (thanks to AlAlvarez for verifying that info – as well as a fantastic list of bookings for the Beekman Theater for the '60’s, '70’s and '80’s). But I definitely saw that French farce “The Gift” here and I also recall seeing Werner Herzog’s sisyphean “Fitzcarraldo” in '82.
I hope Al soon finds some time to work his magic for Paris Theater bookings as well.
I saw the Henry Jaglom film “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” starring Karen Black here back around 1983. Also came here to see Paul Bartel’s dark comedy “Eating Raoul” which played the 68th Street Playhouse for quite a long run the previous year.
I think Andres is purposely writing to our former Mayor Koch to engage his considerable influence as a private citizen. Andres would probably never get the ear of the Bloomberg administration, but he might reach Koch – who in turn can use his clout and connections to get Bloomberg’s ear on the matter. Here’s to that effort!
Warren… Did you ever resolve your inquiries about the Tivoli Hotel and adjacent theater depicted in the photo that accompanied that Times piece on Benjamin Appel? I read the article and had the same curiosity about that photo. It seems reasonable that the depiction is of a Theater District location.
Yeah, I’ll bet that the uniformed staff wanted that policy instituted! They even petitioned management to make the public aware that tipping was not desired! In a pig’s eye.
Nowadays, you can’t get a cup of coffee at the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru – or even over the 7-11 counter – without seeing a tip cup on prominent display!
Hey listen… the non Christian Darwinian view of evolution also falls apart with oral sex and masturbation as well as with heterosexual anal intercourse. Anyway… we seem to have some people here who are entrenched in their views on either side of the equation. Let’s agree to disagree and call a truce before this devolves into a regrettable exchange of hurtful words.
By the way, you can still make out some of the letters on the south side of the marquee under the white sheet draped upon it with the “For Lease” sign. I believe the title at the top of the marquee is the Will Smith film “Enemy of the State” from 1998.
Thanks, Andres… I hope your letter sets things into motion. The Mayfair, in fact, did present 3-strip widescreen on at least one occasion. I was reading through some old movie reviews on the NY TImes website and came across Vincent Canby’s piece on the 1966 “Cinerama’s Russian Adventure” that was playing at the Warner’s Cinerama (former Strand). In the review, Canby mentions that that this was actually a film in the Russian process called Kinopanorama and further states that a film called “Great is My Country”, which was also filmed in the Cinerama-like 3-camera system, had played at the Mayfair (“now the Demille” he points out) in July of ‘59.
I doubt the equipment is still there, but I’m sure the theater could be very easily re-furbished for exhibition of 3-strip Cinerama. Keep us informed as to how we might get involved.
The last time I had been in the Winter Garden was for “Beatlemania” back around 1977 or ‘78. “Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation.” Wow, nearly 30 years ago… time flies when you’re having fun!
Yes… My cynicism aside, I would also like to see the Loew’s name continue on (even if the theaters themselves are pale shadows of the original showplaces associated with the circuit).
And so it is finally settled. So what was on channel 5 Saturday nights? Anyone remember “Creature Features” with its host “The Creep”? I think that may have been on Saturday mornings or early afternoon. I remember loving it as a kid but in retrospect, the movies were never really that scary (“The Crawling Eye” with Forrest Tucker? I mean come on…) and “The Creep” was just some middle age guy in a black turtleneck and big dark sunglasses with a monotone delivery. I preferred the six-fingered claymation hand that rose out of the swamp in those WPIX channel 11 “Chiller Theater” openers to set the mood for a good ole bad horror movie! “Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror!”
But.. what does this have to do with the Loew’s 46th Street? No more digression from me…
Isn’t it? I also got in to the Broadway Theater, Winter Garden Theater and the legitimate Majestic Theater (which, having never hosted movie exhibition, is not listed on this site) in the same weekend and took photos of each. The Majestic is an impressive bit of Roman inspired architecture, but I think the Hollywood outclassed the others that I toured, by far (and these photos came out the best of the bunch).
Just to digress even further… I don’t know if there is a website that details history of local TV listings, but the imdb.com site lists ABC as distributor in the production credits for Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. That would support East Coast’s assertion that the show was on WABC-TV channel 7 in New York. It’s possible, but doubtful, that the New York affiliate – which is owned by the network – wouldn’t carry its own production and allow it to compete on an independent station like Metromedia’s WNEW-TV channel 5.
Here’s the {url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0252784/combined]imdb page[/url].
I visited the church with my camera this past Sunday and was able to roam around and take a few photos. I shied away from taking any shots from the orchestra area as there were people kneeling before the altar, so I relegated myself to the balcony and rotunda foyer. As has been noted here, this is a spectacular theater and I’m thankful that the church has kept it maintained and open for the public to appreciate. I intend on going back for a service one of these days as the choir (which could be heard practicing downstairs in the lower level) sounded splendid.
I could have taken dozens of detail shots, there is so much intricate ornamentation. The rotunda mirror pictured above is situated on the eastern foyer wall which is in the direction of Broadway, so I assume that the vestibule from the original B'way entrance must have emptied into the rotunda at this point below the mirror. I neglected to take a photo of the exterior auditorium facade just to the left of the marquee pictured in the first photo. However, you can make out in that photo two green copper flag-pole holders just to the left below the roof line (and obscured by some tree branches). There is a matching set on the other end of the building further down the block with the flagpole still intact intact. Atop that flagpole is a metal cast bird in flight (an eagle perhaps, but I couldn’t make it out).
This place is, in a word, sumptuous! Sunday services 10AM, 3PM and 6PM… As Warren said, one of the best shows in town and it’s FREE!
Was here over the weekend with camera in hand. A beautifully ornate theater with a vast high ceiling and a shallow balcony. Unfortunately, the ushers and security staff (this one dour jack-booted stiff stationed in the foyer particularly) were quite adamant about not allowing photographs of any kind within the theater. I did take a few shots surreptitiously from my seat at the back of the orchestra (and their clandestine nature shows through, unfortunately) before the show began (“Mamma Mia” which seems to be entrenched for a very long run). Later on during intermission, I worked up some courage to sneak a few quick shots of the space while everyone was up on their feet for a stretch. Here’s what I got:
The shots of the light fixture were literally snapped from my lap! And the quick shot of the foyer snapped on the way out the door before the Nazi patrolling the area (who had stood over my shoulder when I first came in and made me erase from the camera my well-framed original shot of the foyer) could see what I was doing. I’m still not sure I have my architectural styles down… would this be an example of the Adams style or some derivative? Anyway, forgive some of the darkness in the shots… and I also did not have a wide enough lens to capture the vastness of the proscenium and cavernous ceiling.
Here’s a shot of the Paramount Plaza (nee Uris) office building that replaced the Capitol Theater back in ‘68. Unfortunately for me, the Mars 2112 theme restaurant that occupies the northern end of the building’s sunken plaza is one of my daughter’s favorite places to eat in Manhattan.
Here’s a photo I took this weekend of the Winter Garden Theater blockfront on Broadway and you can see all but the very tippy-top of the very large skyscraper behind it that was built on the site of the old Rivoli:
At ground floor level is Caroline’s Comedy Nite Club and a Ruby Foo’s chinese restaurant. By the way, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, Ellen’s Stardust Diner is a fun – if crowded – place to take luncheon. The singing wait staff puts on a good show as you dine.
I visited this theater Sunday afternoon and took in a performance from 8th row center. The proscenium opening is huge, particularly from that perspective, so I can only imagine what it must have been like with the large, curved Cinerama screen installed! I’m not sure what the original decor was like, but it looks like it could have been in the Beaux Arts style or possible Adams (judging from the foyer), with lots of arch moldings creating space for mural work. Today, it is probably one of the least ornamented theaters on Broadway. The wall space in the auditorium between the moldings is now predominantly adorned with red velvet to match the seat upholstery. The most dominant feature in this space is the elliptical dome and chandelier, which is now partially obscured with rigging for stage lighting. The main foyer is much more elegantly appointed and ornate. I snapped a series of photos while I was there; however, some of the shots in the auditorium came out a bit dark. I also lacked a wide enough lens to really capture the proscenium and dome:
In the 2nd shot, you can see the way the new facade was incorporated into the adjacent skyscraper as Warren pointed out in one of his posts above. In the balcony views, you can make out where the projection booth was located (particularly in the 2nd view where you can make out the large windows at the rear of the balcony). What I’m wondering is, for the Cinerama exhibition, did they use this high projection booth? Or did they build a new booth at the rear of the orchestra (where there is a sound board now)? I know that Cinerama required a more level projection field than most rear-balcony booths provided and I notice in the ad posted by RobertR in June that the illustration seems to depict projection from the rear orchestra.
I was in the neighborhood with camera in tow this past Saturday night and snapped this sad photo of the spot where this “Cathedral” once stood. Please forgive as this is a night shot and the illumination is not as bright as I might have liked. As has been posted before, a TGIF (along with Dunkin Donuts and Tad’s Steakhouse) now occupies the former entrance vestibule and lobby that ran in a corridor through the existing Taft Hotel (now the Michelangelo) on the corner of 7th Ave and W. 50th Street. Looking down W. 50th you can see where the Hotel ends and the modern (and rather ugly) office building which replaced the demolished Roxy now stands. Further down, you can also make out the vertical red Radio City sign on 6th Avenue and some of the purple and red neon from the marquee:
You can’t really make it out that well, but the lower portion of the facade (below the 4th floor cornice) has been re-clad in a marble facing.
The Times Square area is truly a place of excess. There is another Friday’s not 4 or 5 blocks south of this location on Broadway and there are two Applebee’s restaurants (one on B'way and another on 42nd Street). Each Applebee’s is adjacent to a redundant pair of McDonald’s; And every chain/theme Stepford-wife restaurant you might imagine – Hard Rock Cafe, ESPN Zone, Planet Hollywood – has a loud storefront located somewhere along the Square. And to imagine that folks fly in from all over the country and the world to visit New York City – home of Frankie and Johnny’s Steakhouse, Puleo’s Italian Restaurant, Victor’s Cafe and other examples of fine World-class cuisine – just to wind up with a basket of warmed-up frozen chicken fingers and french fries at Applebee’s. I’m not saying that Ho Jo’s, Nathan’s and Horn and Hardart’s were the epitome of fine dining, but at least they each had their own unique character and charms. The modern chains take the Disney World mentality and scale it down to the dining experience. Fitting, I suppose, since Times Square has become the new Disney World.
Vincent… is that a fact? Was it Koch himself who promoted the redevelopment of that historic block for Marriott? I know during his administration we witnessed the loss of many cinema treasures (RKO Keith’s, Rivoli, State, Strand) but I just thought it was business as usual being conducted in offices peripheral to the Mayor (ie, Queens Boro Pres Donald Manes culpability in the Keith’s fiasco).
I guess now that he’s free from the bonds of political indebtedness, he has an opportunity – presented by Andres – to make up for some of the sins of his past. If not, Vincent, where do you think Andres should turn in his efforts to restore this theater to its intended use?
Yes SimonL… but was it truly your “wish” to have a no-tipping policy? If so, you put my cynicism to shame and I tip my cap to your exemplary work ethic – something, I might cynically add, that is woefully lacking these days.
Actually, if you scroll up to the 2nd image posted by Warren on October 27th, all is revealed. It’s an overhead shot presumably taken from high up on the Radio City building that shows the fully exposed rear wall of the Roxy, thanks to the adjacent parking lot on the 6th Ave side of the block. That’s W. 50th on the left side of the photo and W. 51st on the right. You can clearly see the balcony fire escape on the 50th Street side and the orientation of the auditorium towards 51st. The loading dock is not evident, but it must be on 51st. This makes sense since the entry foyer was on the opposite corner of the building at 50th and 7th Ave.
Turns out I saw “Not a Love Story” at the 57th Street Playhouse back in ‘82 (thanks to AlAlvarez for verifying that info – as well as a fantastic list of bookings for the Beekman Theater for the '60’s, '70’s and '80’s). But I definitely saw that French farce “The Gift” here and I also recall seeing Werner Herzog’s sisyphean “Fitzcarraldo” in '82.
I hope Al soon finds some time to work his magic for Paris Theater bookings as well.
I saw the Henry Jaglom film “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” starring Karen Black here back around 1983. Also came here to see Paul Bartel’s dark comedy “Eating Raoul” which played the 68th Street Playhouse for quite a long run the previous year.
I think Andres is purposely writing to our former Mayor Koch to engage his considerable influence as a private citizen. Andres would probably never get the ear of the Bloomberg administration, but he might reach Koch – who in turn can use his clout and connections to get Bloomberg’s ear on the matter. Here’s to that effort!
Warren… Did you ever resolve your inquiries about the Tivoli Hotel and adjacent theater depicted in the photo that accompanied that Times piece on Benjamin Appel? I read the article and had the same curiosity about that photo. It seems reasonable that the depiction is of a Theater District location.
Yeah, I’ll bet that the uniformed staff wanted that policy instituted! They even petitioned management to make the public aware that tipping was not desired! In a pig’s eye.
Nowadays, you can’t get a cup of coffee at the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru – or even over the 7-11 counter – without seeing a tip cup on prominent display!
And who hasn’t fallen prey to a sinful temptation every now and again?
Hey listen… the non Christian Darwinian view of evolution also falls apart with oral sex and masturbation as well as with heterosexual anal intercourse. Anyway… we seem to have some people here who are entrenched in their views on either side of the equation. Let’s agree to disagree and call a truce before this devolves into a regrettable exchange of hurtful words.
By the way, you can still make out some of the letters on the south side of the marquee under the white sheet draped upon it with the “For Lease” sign. I believe the title at the top of the marquee is the Will Smith film “Enemy of the State” from 1998.
Thanks, Andres… I hope your letter sets things into motion. The Mayfair, in fact, did present 3-strip widescreen on at least one occasion. I was reading through some old movie reviews on the NY TImes website and came across Vincent Canby’s piece on the 1966 “Cinerama’s Russian Adventure” that was playing at the Warner’s Cinerama (former Strand). In the review, Canby mentions that that this was actually a film in the Russian process called Kinopanorama and further states that a film called “Great is My Country”, which was also filmed in the Cinerama-like 3-camera system, had played at the Mayfair (“now the Demille” he points out) in July of ‘59.
I doubt the equipment is still there, but I’m sure the theater could be very easily re-furbished for exhibition of 3-strip Cinerama. Keep us informed as to how we might get involved.
The last time I had been in the Winter Garden was for “Beatlemania” back around 1977 or ‘78. “Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation.” Wow, nearly 30 years ago… time flies when you’re having fun!
Yes… My cynicism aside, I would also like to see the Loew’s name continue on (even if the theaters themselves are pale shadows of the original showplaces associated with the circuit).
And so it is finally settled. So what was on channel 5 Saturday nights? Anyone remember “Creature Features” with its host “The Creep”? I think that may have been on Saturday mornings or early afternoon. I remember loving it as a kid but in retrospect, the movies were never really that scary (“The Crawling Eye” with Forrest Tucker? I mean come on…) and “The Creep” was just some middle age guy in a black turtleneck and big dark sunglasses with a monotone delivery. I preferred the six-fingered claymation hand that rose out of the swamp in those WPIX channel 11 “Chiller Theater” openers to set the mood for a good ole bad horror movie! “Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror!”
But.. what does this have to do with the Loew’s 46th Street? No more digression from me…
Isn’t it? I also got in to the Broadway Theater, Winter Garden Theater and the legitimate Majestic Theater (which, having never hosted movie exhibition, is not listed on this site) in the same weekend and took photos of each. The Majestic is an impressive bit of Roman inspired architecture, but I think the Hollywood outclassed the others that I toured, by far (and these photos came out the best of the bunch).
While in the neighborhood, I also grabbed some photos of the buildings that sadly occupy the sites of the former Capitol Theater, Rivoli Theater and Roxy Theater.
Ouch… here’s the working link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0252784/combined
One more thought… Could ABC have picked this up after it aired on WNEW the first year?
Just to digress even further… I don’t know if there is a website that details history of local TV listings, but the imdb.com site lists ABC as distributor in the production credits for Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. That would support East Coast’s assertion that the show was on WABC-TV channel 7 in New York. It’s possible, but doubtful, that the New York affiliate – which is owned by the network – wouldn’t carry its own production and allow it to compete on an independent station like Metromedia’s WNEW-TV channel 5.
Here’s the {url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0252784/combined]imdb page[/url].
The only reason they keep the old theater-chain names after mergers is to advance the illusion of free market competition!
I visited the church with my camera this past Sunday and was able to roam around and take a few photos. I shied away from taking any shots from the orchestra area as there were people kneeling before the altar, so I relegated myself to the balcony and rotunda foyer. As has been noted here, this is a spectacular theater and I’m thankful that the church has kept it maintained and open for the public to appreciate. I intend on going back for a service one of these days as the choir (which could be heard practicing downstairs in the lower level) sounded splendid.
Marquee and facade
Exterior detail under canopy
Rotunda ceiling
Rotunda mezzanine
Mezzanine balustrade
Balustrade detail
Rotunda view from stairs
Rotunda mirror and chandelier
Proscenium from loge
Proscenium side view
Auditorium side view from loge
Proscenium crown
Loge seat end-cap
Face at the bottom of the stairs
Close-up
I could have taken dozens of detail shots, there is so much intricate ornamentation. The rotunda mirror pictured above is situated on the eastern foyer wall which is in the direction of Broadway, so I assume that the vestibule from the original B'way entrance must have emptied into the rotunda at this point below the mirror. I neglected to take a photo of the exterior auditorium facade just to the left of the marquee pictured in the first photo. However, you can make out in that photo two green copper flag-pole holders just to the left below the roof line (and obscured by some tree branches). There is a matching set on the other end of the building further down the block with the flagpole still intact intact. Atop that flagpole is a metal cast bird in flight (an eagle perhaps, but I couldn’t make it out).
This place is, in a word, sumptuous! Sunday services 10AM, 3PM and 6PM… As Warren said, one of the best shows in town and it’s FREE!
Was here over the weekend with camera in hand. A beautifully ornate theater with a vast high ceiling and a shallow balcony. Unfortunately, the ushers and security staff (this one dour jack-booted stiff stationed in the foyer particularly) were quite adamant about not allowing photographs of any kind within the theater. I did take a few shots surreptitiously from my seat at the back of the orchestra (and their clandestine nature shows through, unfortunately) before the show began (“Mamma Mia” which seems to be entrenched for a very long run). Later on during intermission, I worked up some courage to sneak a few quick shots of the space while everyone was up on their feet for a stretch. Here’s what I got:
Broadway facade & marquee
Under the balcony
Fixture under balcony
Fixture detail
Balcony shot
Side boxes
Center dome
Foyer ceiling
The shots of the light fixture were literally snapped from my lap! And the quick shot of the foyer snapped on the way out the door before the Nazi patrolling the area (who had stood over my shoulder when I first came in and made me erase from the camera my well-framed original shot of the foyer) could see what I was doing. I’m still not sure I have my architectural styles down… would this be an example of the Adams style or some derivative? Anyway, forgive some of the darkness in the shots… and I also did not have a wide enough lens to capture the vastness of the proscenium and cavernous ceiling.
Here’s a shot of the Paramount Plaza (nee Uris) office building that replaced the Capitol Theater back in ‘68. Unfortunately for me, the Mars 2112 theme restaurant that occupies the northern end of the building’s sunken plaza is one of my daughter’s favorite places to eat in Manhattan.
View link
The Winter Garden Theater is directly across the street.
Here’s a photo I took this weekend of the Winter Garden Theater blockfront on Broadway and you can see all but the very tippy-top of the very large skyscraper behind it that was built on the site of the old Rivoli:
View link
At ground floor level is Caroline’s Comedy Nite Club and a Ruby Foo’s chinese restaurant. By the way, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, Ellen’s Stardust Diner is a fun – if crowded – place to take luncheon. The singing wait staff puts on a good show as you dine.
I visited this theater Sunday afternoon and took in a performance from 8th row center. The proscenium opening is huge, particularly from that perspective, so I can only imagine what it must have been like with the large, curved Cinerama screen installed! I’m not sure what the original decor was like, but it looks like it could have been in the Beaux Arts style or possible Adams (judging from the foyer), with lots of arch moldings creating space for mural work. Today, it is probably one of the least ornamented theaters on Broadway. The wall space in the auditorium between the moldings is now predominantly adorned with red velvet to match the seat upholstery. The most dominant feature in this space is the elliptical dome and chandelier, which is now partially obscured with rigging for stage lighting. The main foyer is much more elegantly appointed and ornate. I snapped a series of photos while I was there; however, some of the shots in the auditorium came out a bit dark. I also lacked a wide enough lens to really capture the proscenium and dome:
Marquee
Facade and adjacent skyscraper
Dome and chandelier
Balcony view 1
Balcony view 2
Left side boxes view 1
Left side boxes view 2
Seat end-cap
Right side boxes
Proscenium arch view 1
Proscenium arch view 2
Main foyer
In the 2nd shot, you can see the way the new facade was incorporated into the adjacent skyscraper as Warren pointed out in one of his posts above. In the balcony views, you can make out where the projection booth was located (particularly in the 2nd view where you can make out the large windows at the rear of the balcony). What I’m wondering is, for the Cinerama exhibition, did they use this high projection booth? Or did they build a new booth at the rear of the orchestra (where there is a sound board now)? I know that Cinerama required a more level projection field than most rear-balcony booths provided and I notice in the ad posted by RobertR in June that the illustration seems to depict projection from the rear orchestra.
I was in the neighborhood with camera in tow this past Saturday night and snapped this sad photo of the spot where this “Cathedral” once stood. Please forgive as this is a night shot and the illumination is not as bright as I might have liked. As has been posted before, a TGIF (along with Dunkin Donuts and Tad’s Steakhouse) now occupies the former entrance vestibule and lobby that ran in a corridor through the existing Taft Hotel (now the Michelangelo) on the corner of 7th Ave and W. 50th Street. Looking down W. 50th you can see where the Hotel ends and the modern (and rather ugly) office building which replaced the demolished Roxy now stands. Further down, you can also make out the vertical red Radio City sign on 6th Avenue and some of the purple and red neon from the marquee:
View link
You can’t really make it out that well, but the lower portion of the facade (below the 4th floor cornice) has been re-clad in a marble facing.
The Times Square area is truly a place of excess. There is another Friday’s not 4 or 5 blocks south of this location on Broadway and there are two Applebee’s restaurants (one on B'way and another on 42nd Street). Each Applebee’s is adjacent to a redundant pair of McDonald’s; And every chain/theme Stepford-wife restaurant you might imagine – Hard Rock Cafe, ESPN Zone, Planet Hollywood – has a loud storefront located somewhere along the Square. And to imagine that folks fly in from all over the country and the world to visit New York City – home of Frankie and Johnny’s Steakhouse, Puleo’s Italian Restaurant, Victor’s Cafe and other examples of fine World-class cuisine – just to wind up with a basket of warmed-up frozen chicken fingers and french fries at Applebee’s. I’m not saying that Ho Jo’s, Nathan’s and Horn and Hardart’s were the epitome of fine dining, but at least they each had their own unique character and charms. The modern chains take the Disney World mentality and scale it down to the dining experience. Fitting, I suppose, since Times Square has become the new Disney World.