22 - Duplicate Ticketing, A Night in Rotterdam

 

HOTEL NEW YORK, Rotterdam 2012

The original turn-of-the-century stairwell at the Hotel New York

Brenda and I went to Rotterdam in the Fall, where we stayed at the Hotel New York.  It was the first time I had been there since 1997.

Actually, the trip was the result of yet another example of what one might call age-moments.   I prefer not to call them OLD age moments, though I am certainly not fooling myself, let alone anyone else. 

It is my memory, it keeps giving out on me.  A prime example would be a trip to the refrigerator only to forget what I’m looking for.  Or a click into google, then blank!   The only encouraging part of the problem is that these “irritations” seem to have been going on for at least a quarter of a century.

Be that as it may, in arranging a trip last summer to Amsterdam (a very pleasant stay at the newly converted Canal House and excellent reconnecting visit with early-Paris friends Martin and Marina Woods), I completely forgot that we had already bought the train tickets, and I managed to purchase a second, non-refundable set for the same trip on the same dates.  That was taking what had heretofore been fairly routine forgetfulness a giant step further!

Ultimately, we put a good face on the confusion.  Although the tickets were non-refundable, we were allowed to make ONE change.   We decided to use the duplicate tickets in October and to get off at Rotterdam, last stop before Amsterdam. The Woods joining us for another lunch added a finishing touch to the happy ending.

As hotels go, the New York has a most atypical history.  Before being converted into a hotel around 20 years ago, the old fashioned 1900 structure had served for nearly a century as the corporate headquarters of the Holland America Shipping Line.

In the early years, the building was also used to process and board transatlantic passengers .

Holland America's original S.S. Statendam 1918  (we took its descendant last year through the Panama Canal)

The Dutch line's name, itself, conjures up an unending stream of European immigrants who started there around the end of the 19^th Century, before embarking for the Promised Land and its streets paved with gold.  Many hundreds of thousands passed through what has now become the Hotel New York before heading for the U.S.A. and their new life.

When it was converted into a trendy hotel in the 1990's, the new owners kept most of the dynamics intact.  As a result, several of the old board rooms have been transformed  into unique oversized bedrooms.  

Room 207 with panaromic view of the river

 The hotel still exudes a decidedly nautical atmosphere in many, subtle ways.  Deck chairs, wooden chaises longues and old cabin trunks, which furnish the common areas, give the feeling of excitement of embarking on a sea voyage.  Photos and photographic murals everywhere reflect past glories of the Dutch line and its transatlantic crossings.

On my first visit 15 years ago, the hotel stood almost alone on its tip of the island off mainland Rotterdam.  Today it is engulfed and dwarfed by surrounding skyscrapers that give it an almost surreal effect. 

The New York seen from the hotel's motor launch

Brenda at Het Park, Rotterdam

 It is not a service-oriented hotel, but is an especially friendly one, boasting excellent value for money with competitive prices and some spectacular rooms with stunning views.  There is something peculiarly and satisfyingly Dutch about its blend of style and comfort with a welcome lack of chi-chi.   

  Now if I could just remember where I put those tickets back to Paris! 

With Brenda and Marina (right) in a somewhat elongated room 207 (photo Martin Woods)

-o- 

SIDEBAR --CARGO CRUISING FROM ROTTERDAM

The Sloman Commander off the Norwegian coast

     My first encounter with the Hotel New York was just over 15 years ago, while waiting to board a cargo ship for Norwegian fjords country.    It was an experiment in freighter travel with an eye towards longer and more ambitious voyages, and unfortunately it didn’t quite work out. 

Captain of the Sloman

The trip was a disappointment, mainly because of its boredom quotient.  Arriving  three days late for its Rotterdam departure (you just have to wait on your own dime until it gets there), the old freighter sped through its announced route at breakneck pace, eliminating all stops other than those mandatory for discharging its cargo.  

Consequently, on the few ports of call during the six-day journey to Norway and back, we were so rushed that it was generally impossible to leave the ship.  

a very untalented ship's cook

Cabins let to passengers on cargos are inevitably those normally assigned to senior officers, so they tend to be spacious and comfortable.  Mine was no exception. It boasted two large portholes, which would have afforded me an enviable view from bed.  As luck had it, they were both totally blocked by dark wooden crates which were only discharged the last afternoon of the trip.

I also have a less than happy memory of what I can describe with no risk of exaggeration as prison-quality food (though after several days of declining much of it, I was only too glad to eat anything available as the days wore on).

Although registered in St Johns for tax reasons, the Sloman Commander was German owned.  Its crew, however, were all Russian, with only the captain speaking a smattering of English.  Otherwise, communication was nil!  

I do nevertheless look back with a certain nostalgia, reviewing the photos that I took of each of the crew members (I never learned any of their names).  Seeing these “portraits” today, you get the feeling of one big happy, communicative family. 

  

 

Your input is welcomed:  hotel-musings@hotmail.fr

  [Photos are mine, unless otherwise credited]