NYC – Waldorf=Astoria & Empire State

 

While I’m feeling just the tiniest bit of concentration, I suppose I’ll try to get one of these New York posts written. My sugar/caffeine induced ADD is too strong these days to write about all of our time in New York in one sitting, but I’m attempting to avoid a Charleston-esque type delay {2 months!!} in dishing the details of our trip.

 

If you read my excited, rambling post about just planning this vacay, you may already know that we literally, lucked into staying at the famous Waldorf=Astoria.

{Did you know there was an “=” sign in the name of the hotel? I think it’s odd, but if they want it that way, I’ll type it that way. Moving on…}

 

Even though we spent very little time in our hotel, it was a very special part of the trip to stay where so many dignitaries and celebrities have visited and even lived – not to mention the many movies that have been filmed there.

Besides the presidential dinners and glorious celebrity weddings held at the Waldorf, I loved these two little informative tidbits the most:

1. The investigation into the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 was held at the Waldorf-Astoria. {Coincidentally, John Jacob Astor IV, who built the hotel, died on the Titanic. His second wife Madeline, seven months pregnant, survived the sinking.}

and…

2. Prince Rainier and Grace Kelley announced their engagement from the Waldorf.

=)

 

I’ll quit boring you with trivia and get to the pictures now…

 

 

 

Check-in wasn’t until 3 but our early flight had us at the hotel by 12. At check-in, Nick made a joke to the lady that if she couldn’t get us into our room early, he’d be okay with it if she had to upgrade us to a suite… and she did!

We still didn’t get to check in till after 3 and we had to give up our queen size bed for two doubles… but who the heck cares when we got a much more spacious bedroom, living room, and 2 full baths instead?!

Thanks, darling! ;)

 

Sorry for the mess – we were exhausted and just collapsed upon entering.

Of course we did well living up to our Kentucky redneck reputation!

As soon as I started taking pictures of the suite, Nick kept asking if he was in the shot – he didn’t want to be in the pictures and actually started to get up from his TV watching position – I told him that no, he wasn’t in the picture sarcastically, since I thought it was a little obvious that he actually was.

Apparently he believed me, blindly, or was too tired to care because he just stayed glued to the tube =)

 

 

As you can probably tell, everything was pretty dated at the Waldorf. It’s an old hotel with lots of quality, just not a lot of modern furnishings. If you want the really swanky rooms, you have to stay in “the towers” of the Waldorf where people like Marilyn Monroe and Paris Hilton’s family have actually lived.

I guess our 21st floor wasn’t towering enough.

We loved it anyway♥

 

 

 

My memory is already failing me, but I believe the first place we visited on our first day was the Empire State building.

 

We had a blast peering down at all of New York – but MAN does it ever get chilly on the 86th floor!

The wind was whipping our butts…

 

{Anyone spot Central Park in the middle of all those skyscrapers?}

 

Gift shop goofin’

 

the leggo rendition of Empire:

 

Of course we went more places and did more things on the first day than see the Empire State Building and check-in at the Waldorf, but it will have to be continued in the next few NYC chapters.

 

Off to work I must go :(

{How does vacation go by so quickly while the work week just drags?}