She had chosen The Warwick not just because it was the less pricy of all the hotels, but because of it's history. She liked that William Randolph Hearst had built it for his girlfriend in 1926, so she could walk the short half-block to work at Ziegfeld. As soon as she'd walked into the hotel, she knew she'd never want to stay anywhere else again. The beautiful hotel felt instantly like she was meant to be there, and the room was so large she thought there might have been a mistake that she was unwilling to correct. She was able to hang up her clothes in the closet as well as store her luggage in it, and she flung herself onto the bed with delight.
It was comfortable, cozy, and welcoming. It was at the end of the hallway so there was very little noise, and the only thing she lacked was a view, which she could do without. The darkness assisted her sleep and she was almost afraid she would sleep her entire week away.
Eventually she pulled herself out of bed and after a $50 breakfast at Murals she walked across the street to the Hilton to register for her conference. She almost regretted not staying there as she saw people walking around without having to lug their coat everywhere they went. She felt squished into her seat at the theatre the night before with her coat, and had accepted that she would feel fat and in the way everywhere indoors in NYC.
After reading through her credentials, including a note instructing her to remove her lanyard when outside the hotel as it subjected the wearer to more theft on the street, she walked downstairs and got in line for the tour of Radio City Music Hall. One of her favorite movies as a child was Annie, and the idea of even walking into the idea of "buying out the 8 o'clock show" was overwhelming.
As it turns out, there were too many people who wanted the exact same thing, and they were told to disperse for an hour and a half and then return for a tour. She decided that was the perfect amount of time to try for High Tea at The Plaza.
Sadly, because of it's popularity due to Bride Wars, Eloise, and Home Alone 2 amongst other films, The Plaza didn't actually allow anyone inside unless they were staying at the hotel. Her High Tea Hopes dashed, she settled for the food court pho in the basement shops. She considered buying something in the Eloise shop, but she knew she wouldn't use whatever it was and it would just be a waste of space back home.
Back at Radio City, she had a fantastic time. She was sad that the "backdoor tour" didn't include actually going into the theatre itself, but they were rehearsing a performance of some kind. She wished she'd been able to see a show while she was there, especially one with a Rockette, but she did get to meet one on the tour. She had accepted before the trip that she wouldn't be able to do everything she wanted to do and had made peace with it.
She was shocked to see that the NBC studios were literally across the street, and people were flowing in and out of the doorway freely. She shrugged and walked through the door to see where it would lead her. She had nothing until a networking welcome party much later that night.
Inside was the entrance to the NBC studio tour, as well as the gift shop. She wandered the shop, sending photos to KSL that she thought would amuse him. She continued down the corridor to see if anything else was of interest and came out the other side of the building. She continued her walk outside and realized something looked familiar about where she was, even though she'd never been there before.
Could it be? It looked like Rockefeller Center, except much smaller. She looked around and then at Google Maps and found she was actually there. She stood there shocked. It was so small. It felt like a miniature version of everything she'd seen on TV. The skating rink below was smaller than the one they set up in a parking lot in her hometown every winter.
She walked around FAO for awhile, shocked at it's small size as well. She bought some things for The Ex, as a thank you for driving her home from the airport. She took a picture of children playing on the big piano. Overall she was unimpressed, as it was only a bit larger than the KB Toys in her local mall back home.
There was an energy to the streets though, that just called out to her. She started to walk. There was so much in that area that felt familiar even though she'd never been there, and she continued to walk with purpose, but with no destination. She walked past the 21 Club, the Museum of Modern Art, sadly all closed at the late hour.
She wished she'd had more time to sightsee while everything was open. So much for the city that never sleeps.
She was starting to get hungry and decided she would continue to walk until she found a place to stop that looked like interesting food she'd never heard of before.
She never found it. She suddenly realized how cold it had become and how she had ignored it for too long. Her heart rate quickened as her mind caught up with what her body was telling her.
She had to get back to her hotel.
Luckily there was hardly anyone on the street and she made her way back quickly. She took a hot shower and tried to weakly get ready for the party. Instead she turned up the heat and crawled into her bed where she remained the rest of the evening.
