When my daughter is away at college, she makes me jealous by telling me of all her adventures in New York City (a short train ride from her campus). Well, not all. I’m sure there are many adventures I have not heard about. So be it. She’s in college. But now that she’s back home for the summer, my husband and I decided it’s our turn to play. We left the kids in charge of the house (and dog) and went off for a romantic weekend in the city. 
My husband, the frequent business traveler, had accumulated a lot of Marriott points, so we chose the Carlton on Madison Avenue (around 28th) and I knew it was the place for me as we approached on our walk from Grand Central Station (we parked in CT and took the train in). I was instantly transported to Edith Wharton’s New York. I could just see myself in 1904, when the Carlton was the famous Seville Hotel (pictured pre-renovation).
In my head, I was wearing this:
And as luck would have it, the hotel restaurant was celebrating it’s reopening of the original 1904 entry by giving lunch away at 1904 prices! $1.25 for a light appetizer-entree-dessert, plus cups of coffee for a quarter. We didn’t line up for the 1904 prices, but it was a very popular campaign.
Inside, the Carlton has all the modern conveniences, but I couldn’t shake my Downton Abbey state of mind. We went walking around the city and I was seeing everything through my 1904 filter, the buildings, the shopping, the people.
In a shop window, with Julia London's renovations in mind.
Well, maybe not this guy. He stripped down to his Speedo to catch some rays in Battery Park. Only in New York, kids.
Walking by the New York Public Library (yes, the one with the lions) I noticed an exhibit to take me even deeper into my historical delusions of grandeur: Shelley’s Ghost, a display of letters, journals, and artifacts from the poet Shelley and his (second) wife, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
My husband was in an indulgent mood, because he agreed to go in with me! I’ve loved the Shelleys for years. A bit obsessed, really. So it was a fascinating exhibit for me (and even the husband wasn’t bored- it’s small).
I did have some modern moments. We watched the Preakness at Shorty’s. We stopped by Trump Tower for a crazy overpriced martini at Trump Bar– no love for Trump but it’s a weird tradition for us in New York. I bought a new orange crossbody bag that I adore. I was trying not to spend money on indulgences, but Michael Kors got me by sticking this in the shop window.
But that’s okay, because every time we ended up in the hallways of our hotel, I was transported right back to the gilded age. The rooms were modern and comfortable, but the hallways retained their old-fashioned charm.
Carlton Corridor (maybe after one of those martinis).
On our last night, we ended up at a romantic French restaurant and I got to keep on imagining my life as a Whartonesque heroine.
Our garden table was lit with a taper that kept burning down to the nub. Our host Philippe was friendly and indulgent. The food was outstanding. If you’re in New York, try Gascogne. I don’t think you’ll be sorry. 
New York City isn’t as old as some cities, but it still manages to carry me away. 
Are you fascinated with history? Do you ever imagine yourself to be in another time or place? If you could choose any time period to live in, which would you choose? What’s your favorite city?
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post! Sitting by the lake. Awake with the birds this morning. So catching up on things before starting the day which includes a hike in the mountains and maybe a pancake breakfast. Arkansas is beautiful in the mornings. With the baths here have been living in the 1920s…not as elegant as Wharton, but still cool.
Sounds pretty cool. Enjoy the quiet life. I found I slept better with the sounds of constant NY traffic than I do with my non-stop tweeting birds here at home.
As to favorite city, that is a very tough question. There’s a lot of cities that I love, NYC, London, and Chicago, but my fav would be a toss-up between London and NYC. I told the Hubster once that I thought London was a place for book-people and Paris was a place for art-people, and although I like Paris lots, I’m not an art-people.
I like art, but I don’t think I’m an art people. The husband wants to spend a summer in France one year to recreate his summers in France as a kid. That could be fun.
As for living in a different era, I don’t know. I think I’m too practical, and I love my car (actually not the make of my car, but the idea of having a car, as opposed to a horse….). Victorian would be as early as I would go, I think. No outdoor toilets for me!!
Yeah, that is exactly the thing about the past.
Sherri, this sounds like a fabulously romantic trip, and I think you and the DH deserve it!
Thanks, was fun!
What a beautiful old hotel! I love the rug, but aaahhh…..I’ve already spent too much money on this wall thing…which has morphed as these things are wont to do.
Michael Kors is the devil, BTW
I do believe you’re right about MK. I think that rug was like $50,000 or something, anyway, and with shipping charges… yikes.
Oh, and it’s orange, the bag. Orange! Color! Not black! Suddenly I needed that burst of orange. The devil knows.
Love the story of your romantic getaway, Sherri, and the pics are fabulous! I’d love to be able to travel back in time to the Regency period, then fast forward to the Edwardian period. As for favorite cities, there are so many I love–San Francisco is definitely a fave. And I loved Venice–looking forward to going back there later this summer. Madrid is also a favorite. And NYC is always exciting. So many places, so little time!
Venice! I’m already trying to imagine what you could wear.
One day if you get the chance, Sherri, you will have to make a trip over to York. Not New York but the real York. You want to step through time? You can go through the medieval Shambles, small narrow shopping streets where the upper floors almost touch. Or you can explore the Jorvik area where the Viking finds are amazing. Leather, textiles, hair even poo have been found! (York is very swampy underneath!) Or you could find the Roman Baths they found under a pub whilst digging a cellar. And believe it or not they have Neolithic finds as well. Oh yes I am very into history. And lucky for me my daughter is also very into history and wants to take on my life long dream of becoming an archaeologist.
I’m pretty caught up in the Edwardian era right now, and thinking of New York in the same time period was perfect for me this weekend. I’ll have to come visit you and go medieval, Ti– but what to wear?
Ah but you asked what era we wanted to be in. After reading all the horrible diseases people died from, bubonic plague, tuberculosis, measles, small pox, etc, I do nto think I want to go back in time unless I can bring with me my own personal medical kit. But if I DID go back, I would want to be someone rich. Those poor people sure did work really hard. Oh and I would make sure to eat properly too seeing how Henry VIII’s gout was from all the rich food. Plus I might have a problem keeping my big mouth shut. Had his doctors known to keep his wound open on his leg to allow it to heal from the inside out, it might have actually healed instead of rebursting open constantly.
Medieval medicine, scary! Scary scary times. We would have to be able to time-travel, Ti. Visit there, but not stay long.
Agreed! When you and the rest of the Whine Sisters make it over, London is a must do with its museums and such but York to me is the best for atmosphere.