When I checked in, my bag weighed a pound over the limit (despite the fact that my luggage scale said it as 3 pounds under! Guess what is being trashed as soon as I return?). The counterman said "I'll pull it off the scale and you can remove something that will keep you from spending $100!!!!" When he went to move the bag, the scale dipped a pound. he jiggled it back and forth for a minute, then looked me and grinned, "You're good to go" and slapped a "heavy" sticker on my case, handed me my boarding pass and off I went!
Flight was short and quick. Read a book (surprise, surprise) and before I knew it was landing at LaGuardia. Flight was short and quick. Read a book (surprise, surprise) and before I knew it was landing at LaGuardia. cab to the hotel took forever as the traffic was horrible. BUT this hotel is totally worth any wait.
The Salisbury has been in existence since the 1930's and feels solid. It reminds me of The Albermarle as the walls are so thick that you never know you have neighbors. Checking in continued my run of luck as I was upgraded to a suite! (I only had to pay the extra tax...about $7.) FIVE windows spread over the two rooms! THREE full closets! I hated having to leave it to walk around the city. It felt like coming home. Nothing plastic or corporate about it at all.
Here's the deal on it. It was originally built as a residence hotel by the Calvary Baptist Church next door and, for a while, was the residence for church visitors. In the early 1950's it became a regular hotel, though still owned by the church. The only remaining live-in tenant is the pastor of the church. It seems to be one of those well-kept secrets as even old time NYC visitors I know have never head of it. Sheila recommended it on the off chance I could get a room because it was one subway stop from her home without a long walk to the subway station. Its location is perfect - right across from Carnegie Hall!!!! Though there is no room service or restaurant, a 24 hour Morton Williams Fresh Food as well as Starbucks are across the street.
The rain quit as soon as Sheila arrived and we set off to explore. She took me to see the fabulous mosaics of the 2nd Avenue subway, a project that was years in the renovating. I was majorly impressed with the 76th Street section, less so with the flying paper and huge single faces of the other two sections.Check out the pictures below. My favorites are the lineman and the worker looking up at the balloon. Enlarge the images to see the incredible detail of this effort. I've included here a link detailing a bit more about the art. The next time you're in NYC, make it a must-see!
We tried to dine at Session 73, one of her old hangouts, but it wasn't yet open, so we went with her alternate choice - The Brooklyn Diner, Superb food, though not at all the diner-food I anticipated. My crab cake burger was superb..a bit of bacon and some tangy sauce, the best French Fries, bar none that I have ever eaten (even Sheila ate all hers!!!) and great light salad with a lemon zest dressing. I nearly licked the plate!
As we read the menu, Nick Calabrese, maitre d', came to check on us and Sheila asked about the Noodle Kugel Sundae! I asked what a noodle kugel was and Nick gift us with a HUGE piece of warm noodle kugel (sans sundae). We promised Nick postcards from the UK and left with his email and snail mail addresses. I rolled out of the restaurant and strolled down 57th Street to the Salisbury! Sheila headed home.
I flaked as soon as I hit the sheets. It had been a long but fulfilling day!
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