THE PICCADILLY, New York City
My first hotel all on my own was New York’s Piccadilly in the Spring of 1968. It was right in the heart of the theatre district, off Times Square at West 45th Street.
Its brochure boasted it as “the meeting place of the celebrities,”
though the only one I ever saw there was Orson Bean, a television
personality of the day.
Another ad said the Piccadilly was “smartly located in the center of everything!”
I am pretty sure I could see Sardi’s from my window, and that was
already pretty exciting for me. It was big and booming and old
fashioned. Certainly not luxurious, but I loved what I perceived as its
cosmopolitan atmosphere.
(Photo Greensboro Record) |
She
was a bit of a local celebrity, seriously overweight and a dedicated
drinker. We worked together and we often did our drinking together. We
became great friends, and it was she who steered me to the Piccadilly
as an inexpensive, conveniently located place to sleep.
In
the sixties and seventies it housed the ground-floor Scandia Restaurant
known for its smorgasbord, adjacent to the Circus Bar. I never ate
there, because it seemed expensive and “smorgasbord” somehow sounded so
foreign at the time.
I
later learned that Ginger Rogers had lived there with her mother,
Leila, when she was just starting out in the musical theatre in New York around 1930. I once had tea with G.R. when she was doing “Mame” in London, but I didn’t ask her anything about the Piccadilly.
The hotel’s entire crystal chandeliered ballroom, dating from 1928, was bought by a Detroit plastics factory when the hotel was razed in 1982. The purchase included eight turn-of-the-century portraits painted directly onto the room’s pine panelling.
Early Ginger circa 1930 |
The hotel’s entire crystal chandeliered ballroom, dating from 1928, was bought by a Detroit plastics factory when the hotel was razed in 1982. The purchase included eight turn-of-the-century portraits painted directly onto the room’s pine panelling.
As for Dottie, she died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 42. I fully expected a similarly early demise, and I was certainly heading in that direction. However, life rarely works out as you’d expect, so here I am, against all odds, healthy and happy forty years on.
-o-
SIDEBAR: Fan mail still coming in
Jo came to the Piccadilly at age 10 in 1975 with her Dad all the way from Australia. It was part of what she described as an “epic trip to honor the wishes of my late mother” who had died the previous year. “It was kind of run down like most of Times Square at that time, but I thought it was the most exciting place in the world. I adored watching the Winston cigarette guy blow smoke rings from the billboard from our window.”
I have saved the most touching for the last. From a French site, I have translated these lines from Maugerie, a testimony to the Piccadilly as well as to a long lost love:
Your input is welcomed: frank.pleasants@libertysurf.fr
SIDEBAR: Fan mail still coming in
When
I started jotting down these memories, I checked Google to see what
kind of photos I might unearth, wondering if anyone else even remembered
the old Piccadilly.
To my surprise, I discovered something akin to a parallel world where Piccadilly aficionados communicate on various websites about their experiences at this old Times Square landmark.
I contacted a few, including
the last Piccadilly owner’s granddaughter, to get permission to include
their comments. Here are some:
Ricky says, “The first time I stayed at the Piccadilly, I can
remember our room had wallpaper with huge yellow flowers on it and
matching bedspreads. One night there was a horrible, very loud clanging
noise that woke me up. I called down and the operator told me, very
nicely, ‘That’s just the radiator, hon’. Being an innocent boy from the Midwest, I said “Oh, thank you” ... and went back to sleep."
Jo came to the Piccadilly at age 10 in 1975 with her Dad all the way from Australia. It was part of what she described as an “epic trip to honor the wishes of my late mother” who had died the previous year. “It was kind of run down like most of Times Square at that time, but I thought it was the most exciting place in the world. I adored watching the Winston cigarette guy blow smoke rings from the billboard from our window.”
Kate (speaking with Lisa, the hotel owner’s granddaughter):
“My Dad was the Master
Carpenter at the Booth Theatre right across from the hotel for over 40
years. Since he had to work holidays, we always had Thanksgiving and
Christmas dinners at your hotel. We were a family of 8 and we always
loved the food, the atmosphere and knew all the wonderful waiters and
bartenders !. We had so many fantastic times there and were heartbroken
when we found out its fate. To this day I miss the Hotel Piccadilly
sooooo much and will never forget our cherished times there.”
Marilyn says: "My sister
was executive housekeeper and I worked in the laundry room on weekends
with the nicest bunch of maids and housemen. And especially the owner,
Mr. K, he was so good to my two kids. Carmen, I miss you and Sammy and
Bernice. Please find me on facebook.”
I have saved the most touching for the last. From a French site, I have translated these lines from Maugerie, a testimony to the Piccadilly as well as to a long lost love:
“I have just discovered a
book of matches from the Hotel Piccadilly, which brings back a flood of
memories. I was a young French man, visiting New York
for the first time in 1974 with Helene, my girl friend, and we spent
several nights at this hotel. It was enormous and old and had seen
better days, but it had a soul.
“I retain an immense
tenderness in my heart for Helene, who might have become my wife if our
lives had not taken different directions … and remembering the
Piccadilly today only intensifies my melancholy for a lost love.”
Vintage bellhop-advertisement |
CROSS REFERENCING … a look at other postings
Ginger Rogers was also mentioned in blog No. 28, "Ginger and Me!"
(to access, click on above title).
(to access, click on above title).
Your input is welcomed: frank.pleasants@libertysurf.fr
Next Friday: Back to Taormina, introducing Clementina La Floresta
5 comments:
Just like a good book I enjoy reading these again.
Dickie
What wonderful memories and a touching love story for a hotel and for lives that touched yours!
Loved reading your latest, Frank. Your descriptions are very expressive and you manage to bring all your characters to life!
As a non-US citizen, might I ask why is the Piccadilly such a landmark for Times Square? I tried to find it on hotel reservation websites like http://new-york.hotelscheap.org/ but couldn't find it. Is it restored or demolished? Why was it such a big deal of a hotel? Thanks!
Thanks for commenting, LilKittie.
By landmark, I just meant that it was a large and important building in the heart of Times Square for many years. No, it no longer exists, it was torn down in the mid-seventies ... and has since been replaced by the Marriott Marquis Hotel.
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