Dining on the Night Line

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Carl Johnson
MENU BREAKFAST THE GASTRONOMIC MUSE ON THE NIGHT LINE CLEVE Travelers on the Night Line apparently agree with the terse comment of Henry VIII that "there's no art like the fine art of eating." They have found that the quality of food on the Night Line is equal to the best anywhere - all of which, of course, accounts for the amazing quantities they consume. The Commissary reports reveal that every day 4,000 pounds of meat and 500 pounds of fish are devoured by travelers on the Night Line, not to speak of 400 pounds of butter, 2,500 pounds of vegetables, 700 loaves of bread and 400 dozen eggs. HUDSON RIVER NIGHT LINE

Thanks again to the Culinary Institute of America’s digital menu collection, we have this incredible (but undated) menu from the Hudson River Night Line. The last night boat ran in 1941, and the line had lost considerable glamor in the Depression years, so we’re going to guess this was from the 1920s or earlier.

Travelers on the Night Line apparently agree with the terse comment of Henry VIII that “there’s no art like the fine art of eating.” They have found that the quality of food on the Night Line is equal to the best anywhere – all of which, of course, accounts for the amazing quantities they consume. The Commissary reports reveal that every day 4,000 pounds of meat and 500 pounds of fish are devoured by travelers on the Night Line, not to speak of 400 pounds of butter, 2,500 pounds of vegetables, 700 loaves of bread and 400 dozen eggs.

HUDSON RIVER NIGHT LINE MAIN DINING ROOM Breakfast A LA CARTE BREAKFAST FRUIT AND PRESERVES Bananas with Cream .25 Preserved Figs in Syrup .35 Orange .15 Sliced .25 Juice .30 Stewed Prunes .20 Baked Apple .20 with Cream .30 Grape Fruit (Half) .25 Marmalade .25 Strawberry Jam .25 CEREALS (Served with Cream) Oatmeal .25 Corn Flakes .25 Shredded Wheat .25 Cream of Wheat .25 Kellogg's or Post Bran Flakes .25 TOASTS AND CAKES Dry Toast .15 Rolls .10 Buttered Toast .20 Bran or Corn Muffins .15 FISH Codfish Cakes .60 Salt Mackerel .60 Finnan Haddie in Cream .60 EGGS AND OMELETTES Eggs - Boiled or Fried (2) .40 Scrambled .40 Shirred .40 Eggs - Poached on Toast (2) .50 Ham or Bacon and Eggs .75 Ham Omelette .70 Omelette Plain .50 Spanish Omelette .75 Ham or Bacon and Eggs, Country Style .80 TO ORDER Broiled Chicken, Half 1.25 Calf's Liver with Bacon .75 Breakfast Steak 1.00 Corned Beef Hash .75 Broiled Ham .60 Broiled Bacon .60 Lamb Chops .90 Rasher of Bacon .25 POTATOES Hashed Browned .25 French Fried .25 Saute .25 COFFEE, TEA, ETC. Tea Per Pot .25 Pot Coffee with Cream .25 Ind. Bottle Milk .15 Pot Chocolate or Cocoa .25 Single Portions Served to More Than One Person 15 Cents Extra. Meals Served in Staterooms 50 Cents Additional Charge For Each Person. If, after the waiter takes your order, your food is not served as quickly as you think it should be, please remember that it takes time to prepare a la carte orders properly. All food on the Night Line is prepared after you order it. None of it is allowed to "stand" until someone orders it. This is why you can always be assured of fresh and hot food on Night Line steamers. You may take this menu card with you if you wish

If, after the waiter takes your order, your food is not served as quickly as you think it should be, please remember that it takes time to prepare a la carte orders properly. All food on the Night Line is prepared after you order it. None of it is allowed to “stand” until someone orders it. This is why you can always be assured of fresh and hot food on Night Line steamers.
You may take this menu card with you if you wish.

Why not take your car with you when you travel on the Hudson? When traveling between New York and Albany, the pleasureable and comfortable way is to take your car aboard a Hudson River Night Liner in the evening at either city, enjoy the delightful night cruise on the river, and wake up next morning ready to be on your way to the vacation-lands of the north and east or to see the metropolis. If you're going to Saratoga, Lakes George and Champlain, the Adirondacks, Berkshires, or New England, you can drive your car aboard a Night Liner at 6 o'clock in the afternoon in New York and next morning find yourself in Albany ready for your motor tour. And if you're planning to visit the metropolis you can take your car aboard at Albany and next morning wake up in New York ready to see the city in your own way. In this way you eliminate 150 miles of crowded and congested traffic between the two cities, and enjoy a delightful Night Cruise on the picturesque Hudson. Steamers sail from Pier 32, North River, foot of Canal Street, in New York every evening at 6 P.M. arriving in Albany at 6 the next morning. Returning steamer sails from Albany every evening at 9 P.M. These low reduced rates for fall will be in effect on and after September 20th: AUTOMOBILES, each way $5.00 PASSENGERS, one way $2.50 ROUND TRIP $4.00

Oh yeah, you could take your car with you, too.

For pictures of the Hudson River Night line and its associated advertising, take a look at the Albany Group Archive. In fact, for any old Albany pictures, take a look at the amazing work Al Quaglieri and Julie O’Connor have done there.

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