Town & Country Travels Home
The Plaza, arguably New York's most storied hotel, has come to life once again. In bits and pieces this past spring and summer, the wraps have been taken off the renovated property, which is being operated as a small hotel within what is now a white-glove luxury condo building.
If you'd like an excuse to drop in to see the transformation, I suggest you treat yourself to the hotel's afternoon tea. (Image, right, by Ellen Easton.) Fans of this civilized ritual (whatever you do, do not call it high tea, which will immediately brand you as a rube) will be thrilled by the diverse selection of loose-leaf varieties to sample from Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Japan, among other nations.
Presented in the hotel's heart -- the opulent, domed Palm Court -- the tea is poured from gorgeous teapots as you sit back in one of the room's comfortable and conducive-to-privacy high-back chairs. There are two ordering options from which to choose: $60 for a plentiful menu of sandwiches (like English cucumber with diced mint and peekytoe crab salad), savories and pastries and sweets, or $80 for the same menu, but with sevruga caviar. Champagne and sherry also are available.
The light from the translucent ceiling above is artificial, but you'd be forgiven for not realizing it. The hue changes during the day to reflect the appropriate color of sunshine outside. By the time you've finished your treats (and the attentive staff will be sure to send you home with anything you can't finish), you'll be bathed in a pinkish glow -- the Plaza's homage to a New York sunset. Fortunately, there's no reason to expect the sun to go down on this glorious tea ritual anytime soon. Served from two in the afternoon to five o'clock.
The Plaza Hotel
Fifth Avenue and Central Park South
New York, NY 10019
212-759-3000
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