Manhattan classics: go ahead and splurge at New York's grand hotels—or at least take a peek

Travel America, Sept-Oct, 2004 by Randy Mink

Restoration of the hotel's Art Deco treasures in the early 1980s revealed a long-lost cache of exquisite artwork (oil murals, medallions, grillwork, mosaics) that had been covered up for years, victims of the "modernization" craze that swept the country in the 1950s and '60s. To admire this splendor, linger awhile in the Cocktail Terrace, which overlooks the Park Avenue lobby. The "Classic Afternoon Tea" ($32) includes finger sandwiches, warm currant scones with preserves and Devonshire cream, and pastries. Lounge guests on Friday and Saturday are serenaded by the Steinway grand piano that belonged to composer Cole Porter, who lived for 25 years at the hotel's separate-entrance Waldorf Towers, a boutique hotel within a hotel.

The Towers' Cole Porter Suite, where he wrote many of his famous lyrics, was later occupied by Frank Sinatra and his wife Barbara. Waldorf Towers apartments have also been home to President Herbert Hoover, General Douglas MacArthur, Joe DiMaggio and Cary Grant.

The Upper East Side, a wealthy enclave east of Central Park, naturally is home to some of Manhattan's fanciest hotels. Among these grande dames is The Carlyle, whose guest roster has listed Harry Truman, John E Kennedy and Princess Diana. These days you might spot Jack Nicholson or Nicole Kidman, among others of the glitterati.

The 35-story, 180-room Carlyle, with 60 apartments for' long-term guests--is void of typical hotel characteristics, such as paper announcements and signage. Its setback design provides some terraces with splendid views of Central Park. A standard room is $500 a night, a two-bedroom suite as much as $3,200.

Located on Madison Avenue at 76th Street, the Carlyle is just steps from designer boutiques, art galleries and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Not Far away are the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other treasure houses on "Museum Mile." A mecca for those in the art world, the hotel offers each guest a direct private bidding line to Sotheby's Auctioneers. Bemelmans Bar has a mural by Ludwig Bemelmans, author/artist of the Madeline children's books.

A music theme also runs through the Carlyle. Singer/pianist Bobby Short, famed for his urbane renditions of Gershwin, Ellington and Porter, has been synonymous with the Cafe Carlyle for 36 years. He turns 80 this September and has been persuaded to stay on for one more year to celebrate the cabaret's 50th anniversary in November 2005. Director/actor Woody Allen, a nearby resident, shows up often at the club to play clarinet with a jazz band.

Steinway and Baldwin baby grand pianos, many of them played by Short, grace 23 of the Carlyle's suites; they're tuned twice a week. Composer Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein) was the first tenant of the Carlyle, unveiled in 1930 as an exclusive residential hotel.

The Pierre, another Upper East Side gem introduced in 1930, boasts some famous names, too. Richard Nixon lived there after his presidency. Stars such as Henry Fonda, Mary Tyler Moore and Barbara Waiters celebrated their nuptials at the Pierre. Billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty owned the 41-story, copper-roofed property for 20 years.