News

By Drake Bell February 21, 2017 Original Story

By Robert Silk March 1, 2017 Original Story It’s just past 6:30 on a Saturday evening in Pacoima, Calif., in February, and a well-heeled crowd of approximately 60 people has gathered in an unsightly warehouse district in this San Fernando Valley town, 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, for a most unique dining experience. Jim Atwood, a recreational pilot and the chairman of the Wine & Food Society of Oregon, has traveled here from Portland with his wife, Dana. Rob Ekern of Phoenix has come with his date, Barb Cecrle, who lives in Tucson. Drake Bell lives locally, in the community of Silver Lake, and he’s arrived dudded in a garish blue suit that could only have come from […]

April 7, 2017 Original Story With US and UK authorities announcing a ban on iPads and other large electronic devices on flights to the Middle East, we recall what else was once permitted at 35,000 feet. 1. Smoke Ah, the golden age of flying. When air hostesses were glamorous, passengers were both dashing and polite, and fliers could enjoy an unfiltered cigarette with their G&T. Given that smoking is now banned in just about every public place in Britain, and the terror fears that grip the aviation industry today, it seems mad that air passengers were permitted to light up a Lucky Strike in the sky as recently as the 1990s. “Having a smoking section in the plane was like […]

By Steve Przybilla April 24, 2017 Original Story Die legendäre Fluggesellschaft Pan Am lebt – in einer nachgebauten Boeing 747 in Los Angeles. Talaat Captan, Gründer von «Pan Am Experience», erklärt, warum seine Kunden mehrere hundert Dollar für etwas Nostalgie ausgeben. Um ein paar Stunden in einer nachgebauten Flugzeugkabine zu sitzen, geben Ihre Gäste bis zu 345 Dollar aus. Warum? Weil sie im Jahr 1970 sind, sobald sie unser Studio betreten. Die Uniformen, der Ticketschalter, die Sitze, die Bar – alles sieht exakt so aus wie in der goldenen Zeit des Fliegens. Sie steigen in unsere Boeing 747 ein, hören Frank Sinatra, essen ein edles Menu und können im Duty-free-Shop sogar die Parfums von damals kaufen. Darauf fahren die Leute besonders […]

By Johnny Jet April 25, 2017 Original Story A few years ago, I read about how an aviation geek (I’m one too) named Anthony Toth had created a mock of a Pan Am 747 in his garage in Redondo Beach, California, and was inviting his friends over for dinner to see it. Toth said he became obsessed with Pan Am at the age of five when his parents took him on his first 747 flight to see his grandparents. He slowly started collecting Pan Am memorabilia, and in his forties he bought the lower deck of a retired 747-100 aircraft from an airplane graveyard in the Mojave Desert. He then pimped it out to recreate the golden age of flying. […]

By Robert Klara April 26, 2017 Original Story For the past three years, adventurous gourmands, wealthy eccentrics and Hollywood A-listers have clamored for seats in what just might be L.A.’s most exclusive restaurant. Bestia? The Edmon? Providence? Nah—those power scenes are merely for the rich and famous. The truly adventurous have been competing for a reservation at the Pan Am Experience. From the outside, it certainly doesn’t look very exclusive. The restaurant is located in a beige brick warehouse behind razor wire in the industrial wastelands of the city’s Pacoima neighborhood. Yet once a week, a fortunate few assemble there to travel back in time. The complex at 13240 Weidner St. is home to Air Hollywood (more on that in a minute), and […]

By Ian Zelaya April 27, 2017 Original Story 1. ‘VOGUE’S DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS GIVES PLANNING TIPS AHEAD OF MET GALA: Eaddy Kiernan, Vogue‘s director of special events, is the event-planning mastermind of the annual Met Gala, which takes place on Monday. Kiernan recently gave tips on hosting a Met Gala-worthy event. Vogue: “So what exactly does Kiernan recommend? ‘Dim the lighting, but not so much that people can’t see each other. I like lots of candlelight, and think fresh flowers are really important. Even making sure that you have flowers in your powder room can make a big difference.’  Kiernan, for her own part, favors a good garden rose. But she doesn’t necessarily believe that a professional arrangement is […]

What we really want to see is “The United Experience” By Rain Noe April 28, 2017 Original Story While the experience of driving is better today than it was fifty years ago, flying commercial has become worse. That has given rise to a rather bizarre, nostalgia-driven restaurant in Los Angeles: The Pan Am Experience, where people pay $300 a head to sit in a reconstructed 1970s-era 747 and have a 4.5-hour, six-course meal with caviar and booze. The experience is meant to evoke the days when flying was a luxury and chances were slim that you’d get your teeth knocked out on the tarmac in Chicago. The stewardesses carve your food up for you in the aisles while you studiously […]

By Mark Frauenfelder May 2, 2017 Original Story At $300 a person, the Pan Am Experience in Los Angeles costs more than many round trip plane flights. But the food is better and they won’t knock your teeth out or kill your rabbit. Your Pan Am Experience begins at our exclusive First & Clipper class check-in desk. where our Pan Am customer service agent provides each passenger with a 70’s style boarding pass, ticket jacket and first class carry-on tags. You’ll be invited into the Clipper Club where you’ll have an opportunity to peruse the vintage Pan Am memorabilia including authentic uniforms, airline seats, handbags, artwork, and more. You can mingle with other enthusiasts at the Clipper Club lounge, share stories, […]

By Steve Przybilla May 3, 2017 Original Story Die legendäre Fluggesellschaft Pan Am lebt. Zumindest in einer nachgebauten Boeing 747 in Los Angeles. Talaat Captan, Gründer von „Pan Am Experience“, erklärt, warum seine Kunden mehrere hundert Dollar für ein bisschen Nostalgie ausgeben. Los Angeles – Die legendäre Fluggesellschaft Pan Am lebt. Zumindest in einer nachgebauten Boeing 747 in Los Angeles. Talaat Captan, Gründer von „Pan Am Experience“, erklärt, warum seine Kunden mehrere hundert Dollar für ein bisschen Nostalgie ausgeben. Mister Captan, um ein paar Stunden in einer nachgebauten Flugzeug-Kabine zu sitzen, geben Ihre Gäste bis zu 345 Dollar aus. ­Warum? Weil sie im Jahr 1970 sind, sobald sie unser Studio betreten. Die Uniformen, der Ticketschalter, die Sitze, die Bar – […]