By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-23 14:37:43 | Updated at 2024-12-23 17:46:08
3 hours ago
It’s rage for the machine.
Grand Central commuters headed home this holiday season might be shocked to see a Disney World-level line snaking through the halls and out toward the exits.
Don’t worry, the TikTok crowds haven’t suddenly discovered the charms of Dobbs Ferry or Darien — but they are here for artist Anastasia Inciardi’s viral $1 image vending machine, in its final days at the transit hub.
Since Nov. 11, the quarters-only mini-print producer, part of the terminal’s annual Holiday Fair, has proved popular enough with the public that security guards have had to be hired for crowd control.
Plug in your change and you’ll randomly receive one of 10 iconic illustrations of New York City, depicting the likes of Grand Central’s clock, an oyster from the Oyster Bar, a New York City MetroCard and NYC hot dogs, among others.
And despite being asked to play a game of memorabilia roulette, fans have nonetheless been waiting for up to half an hour to score the charming Big Apple souvenirs — each measuring about 2½ by 3½ inches — before the machine disappears on Christmas Eve.
“I’m a New Yorker, so I want to collect all the iconic New York items,” April Mak, 34, told The Post. She has reportedly been back to the machine three times in the hopes of bagging Grand Central’s ceiling — but to no avail.
The randomness is part of the attraction’s draw — along with the affordability and simplicity.
“It’s a great way to support a local artist and have affordable art and a keepsake of New York,” Shelley Lewis from Toronto, Canada, said.
Meanwhile, Deedra Hollis, visiting from Tennessee, visited the machine — which is open from 10 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays — for her daughter, explaining that, for her, it’s about the “New York-specific” pictures.
Like many waiting in line, Hollis said she had heard about the project on social media, which, like other recent retro trends such as vintage fashion, helped make the machine one of the hottest spots in Midtown in recent weeks.
In one TikTok clip with 2.5 million views last month, a woman shrieked like she won the lottery after getting a subway card print.
Due to soaring demand, the automated nostalgia hawker sells around 2,000 prints every day, requiring machine minder Kai Gibson to repeatedly restock the desirable dispensary.
“Every time we refill … it’s about maybe four or 500 prints in there,” Gibson said. “And I’ve got to refill it, like, four times a day.”
Gibson’s job is also to prevent people from trying to cut the line — which is not always possible as he “can’t be everywhere at once.”
The artist, Anastasia Inciardi, is a former Brooklynite, now based in Maine. She said she was inspired by temporary tattoo machines back in 2020, Travel + Leisure magazine reported.
Last year, the creative collaborated with Grand Central to bring her vision to life at the train station — and said she’s been surprised by the response.
“We expected the machine to be popular, but the scale of the excitement blew us out of the water,” Inciardi told T+L.
“The nostalgia of the coin-operated machine has always delighted people. In a time where everything is tap-to-pay and virtual, it is gratifying to experience the process of pushing four quarters into the mechanism and receiving a work of art.”
Fans can also find different NYC prints in a permanent machine at The Whitney in the Meatpacking District. There’s another outlet — with non-NYC art — in SoHo, as part of a collab with Warby Parker, as well as other locations across the country.
Similar to adult baseball cards, some loyal customers at the Grand Central machine appear to have made it their mission to collect every image for sale — with some, like the Metrocard, more sought after than others, machine manager Gibson said.
“The clock of Grand Central is really sought after as well,” the minder added, comparing the allure to that of “Pokemon or back in the day, MLB trading cards.”
And while exchanges aren’t allowed, trades with other customers are encouraged, Gibson said.
Some entrepreneurial types have even resorted to selling the prints on eBay — with one hopeful seller asking $40 for five.
Those hoping to buy directly from the Grand Central source have until 6 p.m. on Dec. 24.
