Ever since I watched Coming to America as a kid, the Waldorf has been synonymous in my mind with luxury. So I was quite surprised when I moved to New York and saw how dirty its facade was. I assumed this must be an old joke around here, this fancy hotel with the gross-looking exterior, but no one ever seemed to know what I was talking about when I brought it up. Even online I could only find one mention, on some weird website, about this "pitiful sight".
Well, as you can see, the building has finally been given a thorough cleaning. Surely, I thought, this would be big enough news to merit at least a passing mention on a blog somewhere. But there's nothing! The whole internet is silent about it.
Until now.
Day 589
The Waldorf-Astoria
August 10th, 2013
In December 1954 (I think), I worked an internship at Salvation Army Headquarters on 14th Street. I was the clerical assistant to a social planner (impoverished member of an old NY blueblood family) who was engineering a fund raiser featuring Dr. William F. (Billy) Graham. The luncheon was at the Waldorf Astoria, where I was unimpressed by both the food and the ratty looking waiters, who knew our table was unimportant. And I was amazed, indeed, that these movers and shakers in NYC society would want to hear Billy. At that time his penchant for powerful rich friends was not so well known.
I remember the whole hotel struck me as seedy and dirty. My reward was an afternoon off to spend at Gotham Books.
“Until now…” Hahahaha! :)