| Synonymous with wealth, glamour, power and | | | | The initial restoration of this New York luxury hotel's |
| opulence, the name "Waldorf" has figured into tales | | | | Art Deco treasures in the 1980s revealed a long-lost |
| of Manhattan for generations. In movies it has meant | | | | cache of exquisite artwork that had been covered |
| everything from broken hearts to fortunes made. For | | | | up for decades, victims of the "modernization" craze |
| Americans of all stripes, it has meant spending New | | | | that swept the country in the 1950s and 60s. |
| Year's Eve in front of the television watching Guy | | | | Underneath a carpet in the Park Avenue lobby, for |
| Lombardo and his Royal Canadians playing "Auld Lang | | | | example, was the magnificent, 148,000-piece "Wheel |
| Syne" from the hotel's Starlight Roof. | | | | of Life" mosaic by French artist Louis Rigal, whose 13 |
| One of the country's more expensive overnights, the | | | | allegorical oil murals on the adjacent walls were hidden |
| luxury hotel properly called the Waldorf Astoria New | | | | under heavy draperies. A dropped ceiling covered |
| York is a superior stay for humble history lovers. Its | | | | ornate mouldings and gold leaf decorations. Art Deco |
| story goes back to 1893 when the wealthy William | | | | medallions, grillwork, and other adornments are found |
| Waldorf Astor opened his Waldorf Hotel on Fifth | | | | throughout the hotel's public areas. |
| Avenue, attracting a monied clientele. William's cousin, | | | | With a pair of 42-story towers rising from an |
| John Jacob Astor IV, opened a similar hotel right next | | | | 18-story base, the Waldorf Astoria New York |
| door in 1897, drawing his well-to-do friends and | | | | commands a prominent perch on majestic Park |
| associates. The two Astors linked their buildings with | | | | Avenue. The entrance to the Waldorf Towers is just |
| a corridor and the complex became known as the | | | | around the comer on East 50th Street, and there's |
| "Waldorf Astoria." | | | | another main portal on Lexington Avenue. Just short |
| In 1929 these successful luxury hotel owners sold | | | | walks away are midtown landmarks like Grand |
| their high-priced Manhattan real estate to make way | | | | Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick's |
| for the Empire State Building. Profits from the deal | | | | Cathedral, plus the smart shops of Fifth and Madison |
| went into building the present Waldorf Astoria New | | | | avenues. |
| York. When it opened on October 1, 1931, to | | | | The Waldorf's lobby offers comfortable seating |
| President Herbert Hoover's words of congratulations | | | | ensembles, accented with marble, dark wood, potted |
| broadcast on the radio, the 2,200-room New York | | | | palms, and dim lamps, conveying overtones of formal |
| luxury hotel was the earth's largest, filling in the block | | | | living rooms from a bygone era. The dress code here |
| from 49th to 50th Street and stretching 42 floors | | | | stipulates "T-shirts, tank tops, faded jeans, cut-offs, |
| above the pavement. | | | | and casual hats are not permitted" in the lobbies and |
| Since opening as the world's first skyscraper hotel in | | | | lounges. |
| 1931, the Waldorf Astoria New York has played host | | | | Dominating the Waldorf Astoria New York's main |
| to movie stars, royalty, business tycoons, and every | | | | lobby front desk area is an ornately carved bronze |
| U.S. president since Herbert Hoover, a permanent | | | | clock from the 1893 Chicago's World Fair, which has |
| resident of the New York luxury hotel's exclusive | | | | become a symbol of this luxury hotel and a |
| Waldorf Towers. In the words of one guidebook | | | | well-known meeting place. Set on an octagonal |
| author, "There's a certain electric thrill about being | | | | marble-and-mahogany base and topped with a shiny |
| here, even among the well-heeled guests." | | | | bronze Statue of Liberty, the two-ton, nine-foot-tall |
| Commonly called the "Waldorf," this New York luxury | | | | clock was made by Goldsmith of London. Carved |
| hotel wove its way into the social history of the 30s, | | | | faces on the sides include Queen Victoria, Benjamin |
| 40s and 50s. Its staff claims it was the first hotel to | | | | Franklin, and Presidents George Washington, Andrew |
| introduce room service, to abolish the separate ladies | | | | Jackson, and Ulysses S. Grant. |
| entrance and to encourage frequent guests to make | | | | For people from all walks of life, staying or dining at |
| their suites permanent homes; the top 12 floors, | | | | the Waldorf Astoria New York is the ultimate |
| called the Waldorf Towers, are made up entirely of | | | | Manhattan experience, a magic carpet ride fit for a |
| residential suites. Some of the Towers' residents | | | | king or queen. With flair and finesse, this imposing |
| have been President Herbert Hoover and five-star | | | | palace on Park Avenue treats every guest like |
| generals Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur and | | | | royalty. |
| Omar Bradley. | | | | |