When Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012 our Manhattan apartment building was severely affected, we were evacuated and moved to a Marriott hotel three blocks away for a few days . (See Cooking with Gas)
A few years earlier we also had to vacate when during a renovation the construction dust forced us out. (See (The Lion, The Witch, and) The Wardrobe)
We moved to Hotel Wales on Madison Ave and 92 St where the elegant decor and the afternoon tea were not hard to take.
A few years ago when I heard the hotel closed, I felt I’d lost a little piece of home.
RetroFlash / 100 Words
Dana Susan Lehrman
Dana Susan LehrmanThis retired librarian loves big city bustle and cozy country weekends, friends and family, good books and theatre, movies and jazz, travel, tennis, Yankee baseball, and writing about life as she sees it on her blog World Thru Brown Eyes!
www.WorldThruBrownEyes.com
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Hotel living, for some finite periods, I agree, can be very nice. That afternoon tea sounds exceptional.
We have already made plans to spend most of December in London, awaiting the birth of our grandchild, and being there to celebrate after the arrival. People ask if we plan to stay in an AirBnB, but Dan cashed in most of his millions of Hilton miles, since we prefer hotel services (particularly at no cost). We will be close to the kids (but not in their hair…they will have other concerns at that moment; Anna’s mother lives close by too), and we like to come down for breakfast, have gym facilities in the building and access to some food later in the day, if we like.
You’re sure to have a wonderful December in London, you lucky Grandma Betsy!
I’m with you, we seldom stay at B&Bs preferring full-service hotels, and love our Hilton points too!
Terrific RetroFlash, Dana — and yummy picture.
Coincidentally, I had my own, slightly more checkered , history with the Hotel Wales. It was across the street from the Spence School, where one of my daughters went and I was on the board. Spence was a very good patron of the Hotel, both in terms of having private lunches (and, yes, teas) and putting up overnight visotors there. However, Spence acquired a beautiful old mansion facing 93rd Street and directly behind the Hotel to convert into its lower school. The mansion had been built by the impressario Billy Rose but then became the Smithers Clinic, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center mainly famous for treating Major League baseball players. You’d think the Hotel would have vastly preferred having a tony girls’ school — and very good patron of its services — as a neighbor rather than a rehab center, but that was not the case. The Hotel was so concerned about construction noises (and, to be fair, there was going to be a lot of construction to build an underground gym), that it opposed the conversion with the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Commission ultimately approved the conversion and the Hotel lost its relationship with Spence. But, yeah, it did serve a lovely tea. And, as I recall, Sarabeth’s Restaurant was housed in it for a while and also had pretty tasty treats.
Love our NYC connections John, I bet our paths crossed when you were on the UES! I had friends with daughters at Spence.
Yes alas Sarabeth’s is shuttered now too, thanx to Covid and the closure of the Wales. Of course there are other Sarabeth’s in the city but not in my ‘hood! Will miss the red velvet cake!
That tea looks delightful, Dana. Too bad such a charming hotel had to close.
Yes sad, it’s being converted into condos!
Sounds like it was a great place to go when home repairs were being done. How sad that it’s not there any more.
Yea, it was a neighborhood gem, now being converted into condos!
There is also a quite acceptable afternoon tea at the Prince of Wales hotel in Waterford National Park, if you make it out west someday.
Thanx khatu, a good afternoon tea is always worth the trip!