Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Our Editors' Top 12 Hip and Historic Hotspots
By Elizabeth McNamara | Online Only | Nov. 16, 2009
Old-Hollywood hotels, retro restaurants, and nightclubs with historical authenticity are in—and hoteliers and restaurateurs have noticed. Our magazine editors have chosen 12 hip—and historic—hot spots, many of which have recently been restored.
Eleven Madison Park Restaurant, 11 Madison Avenue, New York
The Metropolitan Life Tower is no longer the tallest skyscraper in Manhattan (it was surpassed by the Woolworth building in 1913), but its North Building is home to perhaps the most regal of Danny Meyer's restaurants: Eleven Madison Park. Executive chef Daniel Humm serves up a French cuisine to patrons in a space (which originally functioned as an assembly hall for business tenants) with marble and nickel-walls, soaring ceilings, and 20-foot windows overlooking the ballet of sidewalk life along Madison Square Park. The theatrically large, Art Deco dining room connects with a lively bar that attracts an after-work crowd.
Cipriani Wall Street, 55 Wall Street, New York
Slink upstairs to the outdoor lounge at Giuseppe Cipriani's 55 Wall Street and sip Bellinis amid its huge, iconic columns—each carved from single massive blocks of stone. Originally designed by Boston architect Isaiah Rogers to house the Merchants Exchange, the 1842 Greek Revival-style building underwent a $100 million restoration and reopened in 2005 to serve highballs to brokers with a penchant for custom-made suits.
Sunset Tower Hotel
Credit: Carol Highsmith
Sunset Tower Hotel, 8358 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
When architect Leland A. Bryant designed the Sunset Tower Hotel in 1929, he blended period Revival and contemporary Deco to create one of the city's largest, residential Art Deco buildings. In 2004, hotelier Jeff Klein purchased the National Register-listed building and began restoring the West Hollywood landmark. Today, elite clientele find shelter from the paparazzi in the cast-concrete hotel, once home to the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Bugsy Siegel, and Frank Sinatra. "People feel a connection to old Hollywood because of the history of the building," owner Jeff Klein said in an e-mail. "Staying in a building that was around and prominent during the golden age of Hollywood creates a unique and special experience for guests that other hotels can't.
Chateau Marmont, 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood
Built in 1929 and modeled after a Loire Valley castle, the Chateau Marmont sits high above Sunset Boulevard, a temple of Hollywood history. With guests like Greta Garbo, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Jim Morrison, the hotel continues to be the setting for many star-studded events. "It has a good reputation for big parties," says Sarah Tressler, an L.A.-based freelancer for US Weekly. "It's one of those spots in L.A. that gets a ton of traffic. Everyone wants to go there, and the place is on TMZ nearly every week." The steel-and-concrete building (first conceived as a high-end apartment tower during the 1920s real estate boom) was completely restored in 1996, and its outdoor terrace has been popular among A-listers ever since.
Bimbo's 365, 1025 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco
Bimbo's 365 Club, which originally opened in 1931, moved to its current location near Fisherman's Wharf in 1951. Since then, the club's bands, comedians, and quirky optical illusion (the "girl in the fishbowl") have made it a hot spot for locals and tourists. Today the club features mostly R&B and indie rock and is known for its New Year's Eve swing party, where patrons of all ages dress in 1950s attire and swing, swing, swing until their pompadours fall loose.
Pike Place Market, 1531 Western Avenue, Seattle
The "Soul of Seattle," proposed by Seattle City Councilman Thomas Revelle to cut out price-gouging middlemen, first opened on Aug. 17, 1907, between First Avenue and Pike Place. Today, more than 190 craftspeople and 120 farmers sell their goods while street performers entertain customers. "It's living history," says Seattle native Lindsey Roberts, our magazine's editorial intern. "It feeds you history, with the first Starbucks storefront still selling beans and a hidden corner store selling the same spicy tea since 1911."
Potter's Lounge
Credit: Palmer House Hilton
Potter's Lounge
in the Palmer House Hilton, 17 East Monroe Street, ChicagoPotter's Lounge is "as Chicago as you can get," says Elisabeth Carter, a real-estate agent in the Loop. Tucked beyond the Palmer House Hilton's lobby, Potter's Lounge caters to older, well-heeled Chicagoans seeking privacy and service that warrant the price. "It's the place I go for a vintage feel and old, standby drinks," she says. First opened in 1871 (and expanded in 1923), the hotel was once one of the world's largest. It underwent a $170 million restoration in 2006 and, when it reopened in 2008, locals quickly learned that the wood-and-leather lounge is the place inside the Loop for a sidecar or gimlet. The hotel is within walking distance of Grant Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, and upscale shopping on State Street and Michigan Avenue.
Wynkoop Brewery, 18th & Wynkoop, Denver
Designed by Gove & Walsh Architects, the 1899 National Register-listed J.S. Brown Mercantile Building in downtown Denver is home to Colorado's oldest brew pub, the Wynkoop Brewing Company. "Wynkoop stands out from the crowd for its cozy atmosphere, and you can't beat their infamous chile beer," says Laura Fusco, a local communications specialist. "It's a mainstay of the Rocky Mountain microbrewery scene." Now-mayor John Hichenlooper developed the brewery, spurring the rebirth of the LoDo area. The structure retains its high ceilings, heavy timbers, hardwood floors, and tin ceilings.
Fontainebleau Resort, 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
The 1954 Fontainebleau Miami Beach reopened in November 2008 after a $1 billion restoration and expansion. The resort—considered architect Morris Lapidus's greatest accomplishment—now boasts restored or recreated historical design elements, including the circular ceilings, bowtie floors and the famed "Staircase to Nowhere." Fronting the Atlantic Ocean, the curvilinear building reigned in the 1950s and 1960s as the top resort hotel in Miami Beach, serving celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, Jerry Lewis, and the Rat Pack.
The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas.
The Driskill, 604 Brazos Street, Austin
When cattle baron Jesse Driskill opened this hotel on Dec. 29, 1886, it gained an instant reputation as the most glamorous place to be seen. In 2008 the hotel underwent an extensive $4.5 million restoration. At the Driskill Grill, you'll half-expect to see Lady Bird and LBJ canoodling in the corner—it was, after all, where the future president and first lady had their first date in 1932. (The Driskill is a Historic Hotel of America.)
The W Hotel, 515 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC
Originally built next to the White House as a retail store and apartment building in 1888, the same architects who designed additions to the U.S. Capitol transformed the 11-story property into a hotel in 1917. In 2006, Istithmar Hotels FZE purchased the hotel, closing it on New Year's Eve 2007 in preparation for its $100 million restoration. This summer, the Italian Renaissance building reopened with a signature "W" on its marquee, and Washingtonian twentysomethings have since flocked to Sasha Petraske's POV Terrace Bar for après-work martinis and a prized peep into Obama's back yard.
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Comments
Submitted by phoebe at: December 12, 2009
I wish there had been photos of every site.
Submitted by Pat at: December 11, 2009
Great article. You do a wonderful job of getting information to us.
Submitted by TaxiManSteve at: November 16, 2009
I would opt for the Blue Moon Tavern in Seattle with its iconic blue neon sign... Well known to the late poet Theodore Roethke who spent many an afternoon there.... This dedicated in the memory of former patron, friend and artist Frenando! Rep. Steve Lindsey Ches-3 Keene, NH