#254 - The Warwick in NYC

Midtown Manhattan

Last November Don and I stayed at this famous 36-story hotel, in Midtown Manhattan. This is how the entrance looked in the afternoon, a few hours after our arrival. 

When our Uber pulled up in the morning, there were no festive decorations yet. The entrance was bustling with arriving guests. The doormen did more directing than luggage handling. 

Exterior View

I stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the famous hotel. Where's the top? I couldn't pause long, since we were moving quickly to join the line inside the lobby. 

I stepped out later and stood on the corner of 54th Street and 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) and looked up. I wanted to be impressed, but scaffolding blocked the lower level. Bad luck.

36 Floors in 1926 

If we'd arrived in the Roaring Twenties, I could have much more easily seen the towering structure. 100 years ago, there were fewer tall buildings surrounding.

When the 36-story apartment hotel was built in 1926, it was one of the tallest buildings in the world.

​William Randolph Hearst & Marion Davies

The Warwick was built by the famous tycoon, William Randolph Hearst. The purpose was mostly so Hearst could gift an entire floor to his mistress, Marion Davies. The Broadway starlet must have appreciated the hotel's location, so close to the theatre district. 

Hearst also used the hotel to host lavish parties for his elite Hollywood friends. By the late 1940s, Hearst no longer owned the the Warwick, but the hotel continued to attract stars for years. Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant and endless others, spent time here.

Mid-Century Warwick

This mid-century postcard shows the hotel about 3 decades after it was built. In the image, the hotel is still standing taller than the other skyscrapers, but the top of the tower looks less elaborate.

In the 1950s, Hearst no longer owned the hotel and Marion Davies no longer lived in her penthouse on the very top floor. I have no clue what's up there today.

Windows!

I wasn't able to view the upper section, when standing on the sidewalk. But I could see lots of windows and some of the limestone and granite base.

There are 426 guest rooms, but I have no clue how many windows. It  would have been fun to have seen the window cleaners at work! 

If we'd stayed on the 36th floor, I'm not really sure what would we would have viewed, besides other soaring buildings. But the guests in lower rooms (near the glowing letters) probably had fun views on Thanksgiving... when the Macy's Parade traveled right beside The Warwick!

Lobby

Unlike my photos, the lobby was crowded when we arrived on Monday morning. We followed others through the entrance, into a somewhat modest lobby. Modest for a hotel of this size.

We joined the check-in line, that ended near the revolving doors.

Murals on 54 & Randolph's

We waited in line at the top of the steps, between 2 inviting doors

Later during our stay, we would enjoy breakfast at Murals and drinks at Randolph's.

Check-In

Don and I knew there was little chance of early check in, but hoped to at least unload our bags. We enjoyed lots of people watching. No ritzy Hollywood guests, I'm afraid. Mostly families taking up space in the limited seating of the lobby. 

The staff was efficient and friendly even though they'd been dealing with an insane number of guests checking in and out. I'm not sure why so many guests had arrived at 11? Maybe a tour bus arrived before us.

Music Icons at The Warwick
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I didn't ask about the busy lobby, but I did ask the clerk at the desk about the photo on a nearby wall. "Is that Elvis in that photo?"

He said that it was. Elvis stayed in 1957, when he was on the Ed Sullivan Show. Less than a decade later, The Beatles would enjoy a stay at The Warwick. The hotel manager told me that Paul McCartney stayed frequently  in more recent years. "Sir Paul loves this place. He has always been very pleasant... used to go to the Starbucks around the corner."  

Cary Grant's Elevators

Don and I didn't join the lounging lobby guests. We headed to lunch and returned when our room was ready. We didn't book the 1,200 square-foot Cary Grant Suite, for over $1,000. But we did ride up in an elevator that I'm sure the actor probably used... frequently! 

The dashing actor lived at the hotel for 12 years. I guess it's quite possible he had access to a private elevator. I should have asked.

Room 1923

​Our more than reasonably priced room was on the 19th floor. 

There was nothing overly grand, but the room had been updated in the last decade and we were in an incredible Midtown location. Hard to believe we could stay for just $193.00!

We made some coffee and had a caffeine toast!

There was a mod-velvet chair for Don and a tub for me! Renovations often loose the tubs, so I was pleased.

And the view! I had to laugh when we opened the drapes a saw the view of brick and tile!

Exploring

After a while, I left Don in the blue chair and headed down to explore the lower level.  

The lobby was quieter and the Christmas decorations had gone up.

The entrance was no longer chaotic with arriving guests. 

2 men were casually putting up festive soldiers and lights.
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​I walked to the corner and found another entrance to the hotel. I spotted a dapper man exiting.

The sign above the door lured me in.

I came through the 2 doors and found some pleasing designs on the floor and ceiling. A door on the right led to Randolph's, but it didn't open until 5. 

I walked towards the cozy sitting area with shelves. I found myself back in the lobby.
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Slow Elevators
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Now it was time to admire the wreaths in the arches above the elevators, while I waited and waited...

Usually there were many guests awaiting/riding the slow elevators. Which sometimes led to some pleasant socializing. The hotel often felt more like a relaxed cruise ship than a luxury hotel.

​Drinks at Randolph's

Before heading off to dinner, Don and I stopped in Randolph's for drinks. 

This cozy spot looked inviting at 5:30, but Don suggested sitting in a livelier space.

The bar's corner location with walls of windows, added to the festive vibe. The activity outside the windows was entertaining.

The carpet design was appealing, but oh how I wished we'd seen the rose-themed carpet that once covered the floor. Hearst had rose designs in many parts of the hotel, to honor Marion Davies. Her nickname was Rosebud. 

Besides tables, there were numerous small group spaces. We grabbed a comfy spot, near a wonderful camel statue. After a while another couple asked to use the remaining seats. We ended up having a wonderful time chatting about travel and grandkids and New York.

Our photo was taken by a family member seated behind us, on the other side of the camel. I met the reunion group when I stepped over to take a photo of the camel. They were amused and asked me to play photographer for them, then offered to do the same for us. Silly.

We enjoyed Randolph's again on the second night. This time we arrived late after being out. I promise I was not as woozy as I look. Just happy.

Morning

Both mornings I wandered early to enjoy the hotel before crowds.

I was thrilled when the very kind manager recommended a trip up the stairs, off the lobby.

​After turning the corner I found walls with photos.

So many famous guests over the years. 

At the top of the stairs I found a quiet sitting area, with a fireplace at one end. 

Nice to know this quiet area existed, since there wasn't much sitting space in the busy lobby.

Back down at the base of the stairs, I stopped to look at the crystal chandelier near the lobby desk.

My photo also shows another entrance to Mural's on 54th.

Mural's on 54th
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The 2-level restaurant is only open for breakfast and brunch.  

The restaurant gets its curious name from Dean Cornwell's historic murals, that cover 2 walls. 

In 1937, the murals were commissioned by Hearst for The Raleigh Room, which was the original name of the hotel's restaurant.

Scandalous Murals
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The historic scenes in the murals focus on Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh. I was actually more interested in the history of the spat between Hearst and the artist who painted the scenes... which led to some obscene surprises in the art.

Years ago there was a dispute between Hearst and Cornwell involving the artist's compensation. Cornwell wasn't happy and responded by painting obscene images in the murals. Cornwell's  images showed a man peeing on the queen and another man peeing on Sir Walter Raleigh!

Our breakfast table gave us a good view of the mural that showed Sir Walt receiving his charter from Queen Liz. However, we did not get to enjoy the outrageous peeing images. Cornwell eventually painted over them, after being covered for 40 years! 
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Coffee and Food

​Don and I took a break from mural-gazing and ordered.

I sipped coffee out of my cup with its clever, W & Crown logo. It inspired a toast to Queen Elizabeth. Cheers for putting up with 40 years of pee!

I asked our server Rhonda for breakfast suggestions. She said she loved the chef's French Toast, but it wasn't on the menu. She disappeared and came back to tell us he was happy to make it. 

Yum! Thick toast, with powdered sugar, syrup and whipped cream, along with a fresh fruity sauce! 

Don's omelet with grilled ham and potatoes was a feast that Sir Walter Raleigh would have enjoyed.

After we dined, I wandered and got a better peek at the other wall. 

This mural also had some details that Cornwell added, to cause a stir. The Indian's bare bottom was considered very risqué in 1938. The mural however was left alone. 

Check Out

Here is my last photo at The Warwick. We checked out, the morning before  Thanksgiving Eve. Don was texting an Uber.

We were sad to leave, since we hadn't even begun to explore all the places that were so near the hotel. But room prices were tripling, due to the upcoming parade.

Location

So we left our wonderful location. The photos below show some of the nearby places we explored, during our brief stay.

We weren't really sad to leave. We were going to my brother and sister-in-laws, in Brooklyn!

What's Notable?

The Warwick was the perfect location, with a great room rate and a very decent room. There were a lot of rooms packed into this hotel and there were a lot of non-fancy guests, just like us.  

The hotel is not glitzy like it was a century ago. But Randolph's and Murals made up for that, with people encounters and curious history. I would say location, price and hotel history made our stay pretty darn good!

I'd be happy to stay again. Maybe when the exterior renovation is complete!
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