God Bless the Waldorf-Astoria

Ever heard of the Waldorf-Astoria?

Sure you have. The Waldorf is, without question, the grand hotel in NYC. There's the Plaza, the Pierre, the Sherry-Netherland, the Carlyle -- but the Waldorf is the granddaddy of all the big name, luxury hotels in this town. It's the place where they invented the Waldorf salad. It's where the President of the USA stays when he's in town. It's where the UN Ambassador lives. It's where people like Hebert Hoover and Cole Porter and Bugsy Siegel have lived, and where celebs like Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe have stayed (and probably got laid). It's not just a hotel -- it's a legend, an institution, an icon.

Most memorably it's where Al Pacino threatened to blow his brains out in Scent of a Woman.

Whooaaa!

So on our wedding night, my lovely bride and I decided to splurge a little and get a room -- I repeat a room -- at the Waldorf-Astoria. And my wife and I, being modest New Yorkers of modest means, had never spent the night a big time New York hotel. But we thought that, for our wedding night, why not indulge a little?

And we did.

Get to the hotel around 8:30 on our wedding night. We check in. We're asked to wait. The extremely nice guy behind the desk says they're gonna give us a little upgrade to a suite. Nice! we think. Of course in my humble provincial mind, I'm picturing a suite at the Waldorf as being basically a slightly nicer version of an Embassy Suite -- you know, a small living room dominated by a TV and a couch with a small hallway leading to a bedroom and bathroom.

We're told that the suite is actually in the Waldorf Towers -- Suite 37A. We need to use a card to operate the elevator to get up there. Up we go and our ears pop as we get to the 37th floor. Exit into a very brightly lit, gorgeous hallway. Get to the door for 37A and open up ... and we walk into a FOYER!

And I'm not talking about some little foyer, I'm talking a foyer that's bigger than most people's studio apartments. And this foyer leads into the living room which is HUGE! And I don't mean it's huge, I mean it's friggin' HUUUUUUGE! It has three big couches plus a divan plus an enormous desk plus a fireplace plus a enormous glass bookcase plus a big flatscreen TV. One end of the living room leads into the dining room that has a long table that seats TEN people. This then leads into the kitchen and the first of this suite's three bathrooms.

The dining room leads back into the foyer and into the hallway that leads to the bedroom suite. Along the way is the second bathroom. Turn left and you hit the enormous bedroom with the king size bed. The hallway also leads into the dressing room and then into the bathroom with a gorgeous black and gold marble floor (it also had a bidet; can you believe those things still exist?). Oh, and it also has a whirlpool in the bathroom -- with room for two :)

This place was by far the biggest hotel "room" or apartment we've ever been in. It was beyond palatial, beyond amazing -- and this is where we spent the first night of our marriage! We spent almost two of our first hours as husband and wife running around this place screaming "This is insane!"

As were we.


At first I thought this was a mistake and I called the concierge to make sure that it wasn't and that I wasn't going to get a $6000 bill in the morning. Nope, he said, it was no mistake and the price we were going to pay for the single room was the price we would pay for this ... mansion in the sky. Then a few minutes later we got a call from housekeeping. Was everything satisfactory? I believe I replied "Hell yes!"

And we couldn't help thinking about our poor, hardscrabble immigrant grandparents and great-grandparents who slaved to make it here in NYC in America. What would we they have thought about this?

And considering that it had been my idea to stay at the Waldorf, my beautiful new wife said to me, "You done good babe."

Not a bad way to start a marriage!

So thank you -- and God bless you -- Waldorf Astoria! You made our first night of married bliss more blissful than we could ever have imagined.

Whooaaa!

P.S. If you'd like to read a little more about previous residents of suite 37A, here's one article from 1955 and another from 2004. Not bad company!

Review: "Weekend at the Waldorf" (1945)

Over the holidays the wife and I caught up on a movie we'd DVR'd from TCM: the 1945 all-star ensemble comedy Weekend at the Waldorf.

Remember a few years ago there was a batch of romantic comedies with all-star ensemble casts like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, New Year's Eve, and a bunch of others? Well, those movies were clearly inspired by movies like this one. In fact, Weekend at the Waldorf was an inspired update of another all-star ensemble classic from 1932: Grand Hotel, set in Berlin, during the Weimar Republic.

The movie, obviously, takes place at the famous hotel in NYC during the last days of WW2. The war is ever present in this otherwise lighthearted movie, with people either coming back from, or headed to, the various battle fronts. This movie, like Grand Hotel, has all the elements: the crooked businessman, the dying man, the scoundrel, the ambitious and beautiful secretary, the exhausted-and-just-wants-to-get-away-from-it-all movie star, plus an array of goofy characters. Their lives and stories intersect over this one weekend at the Waldorf Astoria, and the movie is a lot of good classic movie fun with great writing and scenes.

The movie stars Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Robert Benchley, and Keenan Wynn. Most people today have probably never heard of any of them but they were big starts 75 years ago and they are all clearly having a lot of fun working together.

It's definitely worth checking out if it ever winds up on TCM again.

11 Madison Park

Recently the beloved wife and I hired a babysitter, got dressed to the nines, and headed out to 11 Madison Park. I'm still not sure how to write about this dinner since it was less of a meal and more an experience of sensory overload. I've gone to movies and seen shows that were less entertaining than this. And certainly not as delicious.

Located right off of Madison Square Park, the restaurant is situated on the ground floor of the grand art deco Metropolitan Life Building. The dining room is a yawning arch of marble with huge tables spaced far apart. Honestly though, we didn't have a lot time to look around and get a vibe for the place since, from the moment we got there, the wait staff pulled us into easily the most unique dining experience we've ever had.

11 Madison Park is a tasting menu restaurant so you don't order a thing. There are only about 80 tables and the diners are seated at different intervals across the evening so each table gets an enormous amount of attention. The first thing the waiter asked us to do was to open a small envelope -- they even provide a letter opener -- and to select a flavor. Our choices were, if I recall correctly, strawberry, celery, raspberry and coffee (I chose strawberry, my lady selected celery). Then we got the extensive booze list and ordered a couple of cocktails. Shortly thereafter, the first of MANY courses came out.

I could write a lot about each dish but, in the interest of time, will simply list them and provide some commentary where I feel its helps. The menu consisted of:  
 

Cheddar - Savory Black and White Cookie with Apple: a wonderful little treat that loosens the taste buds and preps you for the food to come.

Oyster - Baked Potato Ice Cream and Caviar

Morel - Custard with Maine Sea Trout Roe

English Peas - Warmed with Meyer Lemon and Egg Yolk

Beef - Pastrami with Ramps, Rye, Mustard, and Strawberry: this was really fun. It was served in a basket and designed to be a high-end picnic. Think a very, very, very high-end deli sandwich. Also, the flavor that we had selected earlier was the flavor for a cola that was served with the sandwich. Very cool. It even came with an fake artisanal paper plate!

Foie Gras - Cured with Orange Chamomile, White Asparagus and Bitter Almond

Apple - Waldorf Salad with Celery, Rhubarb and Walnuts: they prepare this right at the table and the ingredients are very finely sliced.

Lobster - Poached with Beets, Ginger and Nasturtium: if I recall correctly, this was a little soup served underneath the Waldorf salad.

Asparagus - Braised with Potato and Black Truffle: this was actually cooked in a bladder and they showed it to us as it was being cooked. Mmmmm ...

Duck - Broth with Cured Duck and Watercress Roasted with Rhubarb, Shallots and Scallions: this was the highlight of the night. It was a freshly prepared duck (again, they wheeled it out to show us during its preparation) that was very carefully seasoned and amazingly tender.

Fresh Cheese - Pretzel, Parsley and Strawberries: a nice palette cleanser.

Whey - Sorbet with Caramelized Milk and Milk Foam

Almond - Baked Alaska with Rum, Caramel and Strawberry

Pretzel - Chocolate Covered with Sea Salt

Chocolate - Sweet Black and White Cookie with Mint

But wait - 'dere's more!

After the meal, we were given a bag containing two huge jars of fresh granola with dried fruit. This was a small present to take with us and, for the next week, I ate it for breakfast each morning (my wife took it to her office as a snack).

Then the most fun part: we were given a tour of the kitchen. It is a huge beautiful modern factory run with Swiss efficiency. Best of all, we were taken to a special place of honor, where they cut up some apple, used an old-time ice grinder, and created delicious natural frozen ices for us. Again, delicious. The wait staff was beyond polite, kind, and considerate. It's almost like they mad us part of the 11 Madison Park family. This is a place that truly views food and service as an art. At the end of the evening, we left the restaurant in a daze. It was an amazing, dare I say almost sensual, experience.

Besides the great food, wonderful service, and fun experience, 11 Madison Park isn't just another fancy restaurant: it's a New York-inspired restaurant through-and-through. Our waiter told us that 11 Madison Park is celebration of the city, and its food reflects this: the beef pastrami, the oysters, the Waldorf salad, the pretzel and the ices all have a literal and figurative NYC flavor.

This isn't a "brand" restaurant that can be franchised. This is a unique place, the food and experience found in only one place -- and one city.

11 Madison Park is the peak of excellence and a reminder of how eating great food in NYC can make for a memorable time. If you want a meal of a lifetime, you should definitely go there.

Nixon & George Bush: December 31, 1971

Former President George H.W. Bush died this weekend. He was the first president I remember seeing elected and taking office (I was too young to remember the Carter presidency or the early days of Reagan's). Bush was VP and President for most of my childhood, a constant presence, until he was suddenly defeated by Bill Clinton and vanished from public view for a long time. 

Now he's gone for good, and he had a long, incredible life -- a true American story (whatever you thought of him).

Bush lived in NYC in the very early 1970s when he was the UN Ambassador under President Nixon. (He only did the job for two years before being recalled to DC to head the Republican National Committee.) This phone call between the then-current and future presidents from New Year's Eve 1971 is fascinating (it was recorded on the very same taping system that would bring Nixon down 

a few years later but, at this moment, the Watergate break-in hadn't happened yet).

Nixon calls Bush at the ambassador's residence at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC (the same hotel where I spent my wedding night decades later) and wishes him a "happy new year." Bush is overwhelmed by Nixon's thoughtfulness to call. Nixon asks him how he likes "fighting that New York society crowd" and Bush says that he hates the "New York society crowd" and he doesn't like his family living in NYC but that he is "ensconced in royal splendor", a reference to life at the Waldorf.

I wonder if Bush was just saying that to play up to Nixon's well-known resentment of "New York society" i.e. rich liberal Jewish people -- I hope that's the case. Either way, it's fascinating to listen to this moment in history between two momentous historical figures.

In Search of Exiles

One-hundred years ago tonight Prince Edward of the United Kingdom was honored with a big dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. He was concluding a long North American tour, previously visiting Canada and Washington DC, and was closing it out in grand style in NYC. At this moment in time, Edward was at the center of the world -- the handsome young star of the royal family, icon of the British Empire, and a future King. The world genuflected to him, he was beloved and  feted everywhere he went -- and it was impossible to imagine on this night 100 years ago that, less than 20 years later, he would become one of the most famous exiles in history.

1919 was a turning point in world history -- a year after the end of the War to End All Wars, WWI,  known then as the Great War. The world was putting itself back to together, trying to pick up the spiritual and literal rubble of the most useless, insane act of violence in world history. The culture was changing too, casting off the crusty old world Edwardian culture and embracing the world of Dadaism and post-structuralism. This brilliant podcast from WNYC is all about how the "shell shock" of the war changed the culture of the world forever.

As for Edward himself, he would return to the Waldorf many years after 1919. He had abdicated the throne, a fallen man, exiled from his country and family, shacking up with his twice-divorced American wife, uninvited to his niece's wedding and coronation. In the new season of The Crown, Edward is shown at the end of his life in 1972, still showing a great, almost masochistic love for the family and monarchy that had doomed him into exile. (Right now, 100 years later, that niece, Queen Elizabeth II, would surely love to exile her son Prince Andrew after his bizarre TV interview where he spoke, badly, about his friendship with the late NYC financier/predator Jeffrey Epstein. While he probably won't be forced into literal exile like Edward was, Andrew probably will be in a kind of functional exile from now on. He shamed himself, and now his family and his country want little to do with him. So into the wasteland of exile he goes.)

But exile isn't just for royalty! In the era of #MeToo, any number of formerly prominent men are being exiled from their careers and social lives, banished from their professional circles and polite society. Liked Prince Edward 100 years, they used to exist at the center of things, they were the honored guests in powerful worlds -- only to be cast out, shunned, told to take a physical and reputational hike.

What does it mean to be an exile? To be banished from a place or a group of people? It means, most simply, to occupy a negative space -- not to live but simply to exist in a place far away (literally and otherwise)  from where you want to be. It means your invitation has been rescinded, your credentials revoked, your entry badge confiscated -- you're persona non grata in a place where you were once very ... persona grata. In short: it means you go from being wanted to unwanted.

What's more painful than that?

Here's another great example of a famous exile.

The great NYC journalist Pete Hamill, in late 1974, visited San Clemente, California in search of Richard Nixon. Two years earlier Nixon had won the biggest landslide in American presidential history -- he carried 49 states! -- and was as popular and powerful as any president had ever been. Nixon strode the world stage like a colossus, opening diplomatic relations with China, limiting nuclear weapons with the Soviet Union, and winding down the war in Vietnam. And then ... in 1973 and 1974, the Watergate scandal consumed him, forcing him to resign in August 1974 and into exile in California. In this article, Hamill roams around the area near Nixon's home, talking to people there about whether or not they have seen America's most famous exile (they hadn't), wondering about the state of mind of a man who very recently had not only lived in the White House but who also seemed to have the literal world at his feet -- and was now a hermit in a small Southern California town, hidden not only from the world he used to dominate but from his very own neighbors.

Later on Nixon would move to NYC (he died here in 1994), not quite as reviled as he had once been but still an exile from the world -- the political world -- that he had once ruled.

But being exile isn't just an existential state, it's more a state of mind. Being an exile is defined by a never-ending "wanting", a non-stop desire to have or be something you once had or were, now gone and locked away from you. It's defined by the aforementioned negative space, by a perennial emotional and mental sense of absence.

Being an exile is like being a living void, a sort of real-life zombie.  

Right now, there are hearings going on in DC about whether or not Donald Trump, the most vile president in US history, should be impeached. Maybe he will be, maybe he won't. But we can only hope that this modern day monster will be one day become an exile too, banned not only from the White House and political world but from the America's consciousness. Hopefully he will suffer a poitical and reputional fate, a total and complete exile, as bad as the ones Edward VIII and Richard Nixon and many others have suffered.

Mr NYC Twofer

So today is a combined Classic Mr NYC and Mr NYC Ahead of His Time post:

First, the Waldorf-Astoria is reopening after an eight-year renovation. Mr NYC spent his wedding night there. Read about that here and then watch this story about the new Waldorf below:

Second, there's a new book about how the English gained control of Manhattan island from the Dutch. Well, yours truly wrote about it back in 2017 so read that post here and read the excerpt from this new book here.

A Happy New Year

It's been a tough week here in NYC, as 2010 segued into 2011. A snowstorm hit our town pretty hard and made the last week of last year a rough one. Mayor Bloomberg got something he's rarely used to -- bad press -- for his administration's mishandling of what was, in many respects, a pretty ordinary blizzard. Now there accusations and counter-accusations of whether it was official incompetence or some kind of intentional sanitation worker slowdown that caused the mess. Whatever the reason, it was a bummer.

But there's some good news emerging from the melting snow.

President Obama was finally able to sign the Zadroga bill, the legislation which will cover the health care costs for 9/11 rescue workers. This bill took a torturous route to passage as Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, as well as Congresspeople Maloney and Nadler, heroically pushed it through relentless Republican opposition. It's unbelievable that a political party that has so ruthlessly and cynically used 9/11 for their own political gain would deny the people cleaning up the worst terrorist attack in American history health care -- but they sure as hell tried. Fortunately a few (very few) Republicans in Congress had blood flowing through their calloused hearts and voted for the bill in the end. While it's sad that this bill which should have passed overwhelmingly barely squeaked through, at least it did and now our workers will get the care they deserve.

And last week, amidst the tumult of the blizzard, Old New York society made a rare appearance. The 56th International Debutante Ball was held at the Waldorf-Astoria and the Observer has a great piece about it. Young women from around the country, immaculately dressed and coiffed, are accompanied by two escorts -- a civilian and a cadet from one of the service academies -- to this soiree that marks the end of the Deb season. There is dinner, dancing, and the formal entrance into Society for these young ladies -- as well as reminder that the finer things in life like class and poise and manners are still relevant in this world of Jersey Shore. Call it snobbishness, call it classism, call it elitism or whatever you will, it's nice to know that, under the radar, refinery still rules somewhere in this town.   

And talking about classy New York ...

... a sad story in today's New York Times about the pianist in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria hotel, who will be playing her last performance tomorrow evening. Apparently it's no longer affordable for these big fancy hotels to keep people musically entertaining the clientele. It's yet another tiny bit Old New York disappearing.

Fading Sounds of an Elegant Manhattan

Jim Henson's Fantastic World

We are all Jim Henson's children.

The brilliant creative mind that created the Muppets -- those furry talking animals with lots of attitude and lots of heart who loved to sing and dance -- has literally given generations of children countless hours of joy. Kermit the frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzy bear, Rowlf the dog, Gonzo, Scooter, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the Swedish Chef, Statler and Waldorf, Sam the eagle, ANIMAL! -- we grew up with them, and now our children are growing up with them. The Muppets created a world we all wanted to belong to and where everyone was wanted.

Some day we'll find it ... 

It's hard to describe how much I love the Muppets -- in fact, I don't know anyone who doesn't. And best of all the Muppets are back and bigger than ever with a new hit movie and a big exhibit here in NYC. 

At the Museum of Moving Image through January, you can go to see "Jim Henson's Fantastic World" that explores the life and work of the man who left the world too early in 1990. Henson was a puppeteer, a filmmaker, a writer, a singer, a voice over artist, and a visual genius. He worked on Sesame Street in its early years, created The Muppet Show and their subsequent movies plus Fraggle Rock and also made movies like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. He had a unique vision that the world loves to this day. 

What's great about this exhibit is your learn how much work went into Jim Henson creating his fantastic world. There are countless exhibits of his drawings and notes. Remember the great beginning to The Muppet Show? You get to see the original drawings that Henson did for it, seeing how he storyboarded the shots and the song lyrics to match them. The exhibit teaches you a lot more things about Henson that I'm sure you didn't know -- like that he had four kids, he was nominated for an Oscar in the 1960s, and he created Kermit the Frog as far back as 1955. 

It's a great exhibit about a great man -- one that all us all should be grateful we had for as short a time as we did. He made us all a little bit more innocent, a little happier. He made all of us ... better people.  

The lover, the dreamer, and me.

The British Monarchy & NYC

Like many people, I have an unhealthy amount of totally irrational interest in the British monarchy.

I love the PBS show Victoria, I'm almost as excited for the third season of The Crown as I am for the final season of Game of Thrones, the wife and I actually watched both royal weddings (in 2011 and 2018), I just watched the two-part documentary on Princess Margaret, I read all the click bait about the royals that I can. 

Basically, when it comes to the monarchy, Mr NYC is like an old bored housewife.

Pourquoi?

Well, I guess it's because the monarchy has "all the elements": politics, money, fame, glamour, celebrity, and history. The most amazing thing about the British monarchy, both in the UK and around the world, is how it's a chain that wraps around time -- it links to the past, present, and future. It's living history, it looks back and moves forward at once. There's nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world.

In a world of rapid change, the British monarchy basically doesn't change -- it's a perverse anchor of stability. Yet it does "refresh" itself -- marriages and babies bring new faces, new personalities, redefining and modernizing this very old institution.

Such is the case of Meghan Markle, the half-black American divorcee who married Prince Harry last year. She is the latest fresh face, the latest reset of the British monarchy, and she's also pregnant -- bringing a literal new face into the world.

The princess (or Dutchess as she's technically known) was in NYC this week for a baby shower. I'll let others say what they will about it. But she's basically getting good press, people are happy to see her here. She's getting better press than the old Edward and Mrs Simpson, the notorious ex-King and his American wife who used to blow into NYC every year, live it up in high-style at the Waldorf Astoria, and then get out of town without, apparently, not paying their bills. (Royals, apparently, can be deadbeats.) 

I think we can thus conclude: NYC, and the world, will be fascinated with the British monarchy and the British monarchy will always enjoy visiting NYC.

We still have Nixon to kick around!

Barack H. Obama is our 44th president and the first bi-racial president.

Richard M. Nixon was our 37th president and a psychopathic criminal.

He ordered break-ins and cover ups, sold his office for campaign money, stole public funds for private use, cheated on his taxes, used the IRS and Justice Department to harass his political opponents, hired goons to beat up anti-war protesters, spied on Democrats and investigated their private lives, illegally wire-tapped journalists' phone calls, lied to the American people about Vietnam, and was forced to resign in disgrace.

And that's just some of the bad stuff he did.

But despite all that, Nixon was really worried about America losing its soul. He thought America wasn't moral enough. And as the latest bunch of White House tapes released today from the National Archives reveal, he was against abortion -- except in certain circumstances.

On the tape out today -- recorded on January 23, 1973, the day after the Roe v. Wade decision came down from the Supreme Court -- Nixon says there are times "when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white ... Or a rape.”

Wow! So if Tricky Dick had had his way, Barack Obama would never have been born. In Nixon's mind, Obama's conception was basically akin to rape. Yuck!

Dick Nixon's brand of dark, dishonest, fear-based politics has had a lasting impact on today's Republican party. Anyone who lived through the last eight years of the Bush presidency knows that. (Former VP Dick Cheney got his start in the Nixon administration. Big surprise.)

In the early 1970s, of course, George W. Bush was too much of a drunken slob to work in a diner let alone in the Nixon administration -- but his daddy did. When this tape was made, George H.W. Bush was the UN Ambassador here in NYC and Nixon called him on New Year's Eve, 1971.

This tape, though short, is fascinating. First, it was recoded late that night but Nixon is alone at the White House. You see what a weird, introverted loner he was. Second, you hear what a desperate pathetic kiss-ass Bush Senior was. Third, Bush makes a passing comment about living "in royal splendor" -- that splendor being the Waldorf Astoria hotel.

At one point, Nixon asks Bush about "fighting that New York society crowd" and Bush says that he doesn't like living in NYC or having his family here. Of course, that didn't stop Nixon from moving to NYC after his presidency and, of course, Bush was descended from a rich Wall Street family!

What hypocrites! But then again, how typical of Republicans.

The King's Visit

Tonight are the Academy Awards and many people expect The King's Speech to win several major awards, including Best Picture. I certainly hope it does. I'm a big Anglophile and this was an excellent film, shedding new light on some otherwise well-known history.

The film is about King George VI who came to the British throne in 1936 when his older brother King Edward VIII abdicated to marry "the woman I love," American divorcee Wallis Simpson. George was shy, awkward, and had a terrible stutter (his attempts to cure being the subject of the film). George never wanted to be king but he did his best. Along with Winston Churchill, FDR, and Stalin, George was one of the leaders who led the Allies through WWII and helped to conquer fascism. He died in 1952 and was the father of the current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth.

After his abdication, however, Edward became something of pariah. He and Wallis traveled the world, living in luxurious exile, and generally becoming the first couple we might call "celebutards." Allegedly they were sympathetic to Hitler and engaged in financial shenanigans and were generally just awful.

They also had a connection to NYC. Every year they would come here and stay at the Waldorf-Astoria, bringing loads and loads of luggage, including their own serving china. Edward was actually staying in NYC in 1947 when then Princess Elizabeth married Prince Phillip. And after they left town, rumor has it that this outlaw royal duo would never pay their hotel bills.

That said, they weren't so truly horrible. Apparently, in 1941, Edward visited a tenement on the Lower East Side. For all of his wretchedness, Edward always cared a great deal about the poor and working class. During his brief reign as King, he actually went into working class neighborhoods in England and talked face to face with commoners, even saying at one point "Something must be done" (like Princess Diana fifty year later, who was one of the first public figures who bravely shook the bare hands of AIDS patients). Edward may have been an SOB, and a creepy guy, but he was not totally without merit. And here in NYC, at least at one time, he showed that to be true.