With a cat named Hamlet in a supporting role, a legacy of arts and literature takes center stage at this NYC landmark steps away from the lights of Broadway
A fixture in midtown Manhattan since 1902, the Algonquin Hotel Times Square, Autograph Collection is a revered landmark with a story to tell. Much of its storied past revolves around a group of literary luminaries, storytellers who met there daily for long lunches in the 1920s.
Tucked away on a quiet block of West 44th Street, within easy walking distance of Broadway theaters and Rockefeller Center, the 181-room hotel is inextricably linked to the Algonquin Round Table, a jocular band of writers, illustrators, journalists and show business folks who showed up to socialize and trade quips and barbs. Among its members: Robert Benchley, James Thurber, Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber, playwright George S. Kaufman and Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers. They gathered at a 15-seat round table amid the clubby, chandeliered splendor of the Rose Room, a restaurant that no longer exists. (Writers Sinclair Lewis, William Faulkner and Gertrude Stein also frequented the hotel, as did actors John Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore, Errol Flynn, and Alfred Lunt and his wife, Lynn Fontanne.)
The painting A Vicious Circle by artist Natalie Ascencios, mounted in the lobby’s Blue Bar Restaurant and Lounge, depicts members of the Algonquin Round Table.
In the words of a New York Times reporter, “The wattage of ribaldry and verbal dexterity around the table was enough to electrify all of Manhattan.” The gang was nicknamed the “Vicious Circle” because the verbal jousting was so intense. An oil painting of Round Table regulars graces the lobby’s Blue Bar Restaurant and Lounge, today’s gathering place for hotel guests.
While I have to admit that I’m not familiar with the works of many of those literary giants, I think I woke up just a little bit smarter after a good night’s sleep in my fourth-floor suite, Room 406. And while the word “cozy” may seem out of place in describing anything in midtown Manhattan, I immediately developed fuzzy feelings for this historic hotel. The resident cat probably had something to do with it.
Hamlet, the Algonquin Hotel’s resident cat. (Randy Mink Photo)
Most people walking past the hotel probably don’t notice the cat sleeping in or on top of his cubby-holed house by the window. But if they stop to read the sign, they’ll learn about the Algonquin’s cat while being advised, “Cat Napping. Please do not tap on the glass.”
As the window sign explains, the hotel cat during the 1920s was Billy. Two days after he died in 1933, a stray cat wandered into the building and was named Rusty. Believing the name was too common for such a fine property, John Barrymore, a hotel resident, renamed the pet Hamlet in honor of his greatest stage role. Over the years there have been eight Hamlets and three Matildas (the name for all female cats). Hamlet VIII began his residency in September 2017.
Two mornings I saw Hamlet roaming the lobby/bar. The ginger-colored feline ambassador didn’t seem to be afraid of people; it was easy to get close enough for pictures.
The lobby’s Blue Bar Restaurant and Lounge is the social heart of midtown Manhattan’s Algonquin Hotel. (Photo credit: Algonquin Hotel)
The Blue Bar, a linear room distinguished by white, Corinthian-crowned columns, corbeled ceilings and painted-glass and brass sconces, extends from the street entrance to an area with bookshelves, a grand piano, and, as a nod to the past, a round table suitable for large groups. The back bar glows from a bank of blue track lights, and a grandfather clock lends a nostalgic note. The Blue Bar menu includes filet mignon, roasted salmon, duck confit, fish tacos, hamburgers and Reuben sandwiches. It’s also the place for breakfast.
My suite featured a lounger couch, a small dining table, 60- and 48-inch flat-screen TVs, antique-style telephones and a nice collection of New York City-centric books, including one about the Algonquin Round Table. Fresh flowers gussied up the entranceway, living area, bedroom and bathroom (notable for its pretty teal sink).
Antique-style telephones add to Room 406’s vintage vibe. (Randy Mink Photo)
Wandering around one night, I came upon guest room doors bearing quotable witticisms from Round Table wordsmiths. Adorning the hallways are framed cartoons and vintage covers from the New Yorker magazine (whose co-founder and editor-in-chief, Harold Ross, was part of the Round Table). On the door of the Promises, Promises Suite, the Neil Simon quote reads, “If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor.”
One door had this Robert Benchley quip: “It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.”
Outside the second floor’s business center and fitness room, I discovered an area displaying vintage black-and-white photographs of Round Tablers and recent articles about the Algonquin.
How can you not have sweet dreams in a place where arts and literature take center stage, especially one that features a kitty cat in a supporting role.
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By Randy Mink, Senior Editor
