wareontheglobe New York

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment: One of the Best Christmas Bars in NYC!

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It’s Christmas in New York City, and time to review another one of my favorite holiday spots in New York City – Lillie’s Victorian Establishment! Lillie’s is one of those over-the-top Christmassey bars/restaurants, where everyone wants an Instagram picture. This post details a visit to Lillie’s Victorian around the holidays and how to get inside, even without a reservation!

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment decorated for Christmas. Even if you cannot get inside, this window at the Union Square location is a fantastic spot for a photograph (there may be a line).

Very fun decorations at the Union Square location starting mid-November.

With two locations, Lillie’s Victorian Establishment is a year-round Victorian-era British Pub named for late British actress Lillie Langtry. The restaurant’s namesake immigrated from Britain to the US in 1882. Her acting debut, at the New York Theatre, resulted in the building burning to the ground, leaving only a sign reading Lillie Langtry. Very interesting story. In any case, for your purposes, Lillie’s is most famous for its elaborate Christmas decorations, which go up in mid-November.

Dan and I at Lillie’s Victorian in mid-November.

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment, Union Square in November 2025.

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Airport Lounge Review: Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, Terminal 8, JFK (New York)

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On our trip to the Maldives last Thanksgiving, Dan and I flew out of JFK’s Terminal 8 (AKA JFK’s American Airlines terminal). We got to the airport early, as one does, and were looking for a decent spot to waste the time before our flight. Unfortunately for us, while JFK has numerous Priority Pass lounges, as well as a Centurion lounge and a new Chase lounge that we can access, it has zero of these lounges in Terminal 8, and we could not access the few lounges in the terminal (flying Qatar without status). However, lucky for us, the Bobby Van’s Steakhouse in Terminal 8 gives Priority Pass members and 1 guest a credit of $28 (equivalent to “one lounge visit”) per person to be used on food and/or drink at Bobby Van’s (for a total of $56 for two). Dinner at Bobby Van’s it was! *SIDE NOTE – check your specific PP membership to confirm that you can bring a guest*

Bobby Van’s Steakhouse at JFK.

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Hotel Review: TWA Airport at JFK Airport (New York, NY)

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Dan and I recently completed our third stay at one of my very favorite hotels – the TWA Hotel at JFK airport! Yes, this is the former TWA terminal at JFK that reopened as a hotel in 2019. You’ve almost certainly heard about the TWA Hotel, but these are my thoughts over three separate stays spanning three years. In sum, I absolutely love, love, love this hotel, but that’s due to my love of aviation and all things flying and travel, as well as the 1960s. The hotel itself, while fantastic for “av-geeks”, is, without question, overpriced and has never lived up to the standards I expect for the price. My recommendation is to go once if you love aviation, TWA or the 1960s but otherwise, I would skip an overnight reservation. The actual hotel portion of the TWA hotel only “ok” in terms of a luxury property (which its priced as). All of that being said, a day visit to the common area of the TWA Hotel is free and certainly worth the time if you have a long layover at JFK or are in the area and curious!

The TWA hotel!

The gorgeous Sunken Lounge at TWA.

A map of the public area of the TWA Hotel.

TWA Hotel Location.

The TWA Hotel is actually located inside the former TWA Terminal at JFK.  The TWA Hotel is directly connected to JFK’s Terminal 5 (the home of Jet Blue!) via an elevator, which is very convenient. Those arriving or departing from other terminals can use JFK’s free AirTrain to travel between terminals. The AirTrain station is located across the street from the TWA Hotel in the parking area on the second floor. There are plenty of signs and large elevators for luggage. The AirTrain is easy to use and goes to all JFK terminals.  As its free, no tickets or anything of the like are required.

The TWA Hotel! This view is from the entrance to the AirTrain across the street.

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