The Algonquin

Profile

A local institution since 1902, The Algonquin basks in its historic importance as a meeting place for the city's literati. For a decade following World War I, the hotel's restaurant was the site of the famed "round table" luncheons, during which celebrated writers Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, George Kaufman, Robert Benchley and Robert Sherwood held court, trading quips and barbs. Naturally, the hotel makes sure you can't go too far without being reminded of its Golden Age. Old Vanity Fair covers hang in the lobby; hallways are papered in New Yorker cartoons; and on each guest room door is a quote from one of its esteemed former guests like this one by Dorothy Parker: "You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think." The overall décor tends towards dark wood furniture, heavy striped curtains, and a gold and crimson motif. Though generally small, rooms are appointed with modern conveniences. Perhaps The Algonquin’s best feature is its low-lit lobby and bar, which feels like a throwback to an earlier era when illicit affairs and secret plots were hatched over highballs. (And who knows, maybe they still are.) Don't be alarmed if you spy a blue-eyed Ragdoll cat wandering the hotel lobby. That would just be Matilda, the latest in The Algonquin’s  tradition of resident felines. — David S. Hirschman

While the hotel continues to draw literary types, the biggest draw is the Oak Room, a cabaret club notable for launching the careers of Michael Feinstein and Harry Connick Jr.