sadly Ginger wasn’t there during our weekday (not weekend) at the waldorf but some Terribly important people were there from Latin America, judging by the conference signs and the paparazzi outside (plus they were deeply intense Parisian reporters it seems, not the usual popular cultural fare in scruffy jeans and dark blue sweaters with holes in the arms with yellow stained fingers and a glare at anyone who interrupts their shot/thought/intensity that we recall so Fondly from our days as a British journalist).
yes, we did have a waldorf salad.
but we were Terribly disappointed that the Tour could not take in the delights of the Starlight Lounge (not so starlight now – the retractable roof is covered by the AC unit these days).
and we were Desperate to see 42R with the murano chandelier (we adore a chandelier) and the blue fortuny silk love seats – but not the pug cushions) done to you-know-which lady’s Most Precise specifications.
Or the suite where both Cole Porter and Frank Sinatra lived: 33A. (but not at the same time, darlings).
and when we’re on a Tour, we prefer to hear about one’s grandchildren only if one is actually a member of the Astor Family.
just saying.
but here’s what we Did see – the hotel is now restored to its original splendour/splendor/magnificence of the opening day - Oct 1st, 1931, to be precise.
pictures?
bien sur.
this one is NOT from the homage to Oct 1st, 1931 but Kenneth needs to be remembered and revered for the Big Hair and swish-y falls.
as we emerged into the daylight we completely forgot we were in 2012.
because if you close your eyes ever so slightly, you don’t have to be.
or it could be 1957, if you’ve been watching The Hour (and do – it is Utterly Glorious), and in the mood for some Feisty dialog(ue) at the venerable BBC.
we appeared on a BBC Radio program(me) in the early (or was it mid?) 90s (yes, a Long Time before we became teamgloria, darlings).
wish we could find a copy in the Archives.
although we’re Not Convinced we said anything useful or illuminating as we were a tiny bit self-involved (sigh, tis true) and Rather Young. And probably Naive to a fault. but if our memory serves us well, we did wear a Marvel(l)ous leather coat straight out of homage to Withnail and I. so there. not all was lost to the winds of time without a useful memory.
Memories (yes, we can hear her soaring voice too) are sometimes deceptive.
but luckily a Lot of ours were recorded (by us) and tinted in either sepia (by hand, in those days – and it took Ages to dry – now it’s a flick of a button on the trusty Macintosh) or stark yet beautiful black-and-white.
like these.
if you’re reading these and looking at these and you’re in the pictures and saying:
dear god(s) – what on earth is she doing dragging That out of the archives…..!
do let us know.
we’ll happily remove it.
but you do look beautiful/sultry/charming/delicious.
you know that, right?
and there are a few more pictures we’ve just scanned in but we know some of those lovely people to this day so we promise to send a few emails to ask permission.
pretty please.
it’s ever so much Fun finding all this material……
and someone Awfully wise said that one needs to find out where one has been, before one knows where one is heading. Or something like that.
sorry.
we got a little deep for a second.
but it’s true.
we are definitely trying to piece together who we were (and what exactly happened) before we can start anew on a path to Hollywood once more.
gulp.
any thoughts on the matter?
have you done the same?
we’re Completely open to reading material and most especially movie suggestions.
like a Weekend at the Waldorf.
Dan: Blair I told you I loved you and you pretended like you didn’t even hear me.
Blair: Dan, let’s just put all that behind us.
Dan: See, you’re doing it again. Do you even want to be in this relationship?
Blair: Of course!
Dan: Is the reason you can’t say you love me because you’re still in love with Chuck?
Blair: No.
Dan: Then I need to know how you feel about me. By tonight.
Blair: Dan—
Dan: We’re supposed to be spending the summer in Italy together and I don’t want you coming unless we know where we stand.
oh.
wait.
oops.
