The glorious past of the Hotel New Yorker

New York City is home to some pretty luxe hotels. But how many featured their own working hospital with four operating rooms?

Only the Hotel New Yorker, still hosting guests on 34th Street and 8th Avenue but without the extravagance it had when it opened in 1930. 

Among the amenities back in the day: More than 2,500 rooms (each one with its own radio). Ten private dining rooms. A 42-chair barber shop. Five restaurants.

This 1940s postcard, with the slogan “where night turns into play,” makes it sound like a decadent destination.

The New Yorker had a sports past too. Leo Durocher made it the Dodgers’ headquarters during the 1941 World Series. Joe Di Maggio even lived there. 

An enchanted city’s nighttime skyline

The East River, South Street Seaport, and lower Manhattan skyscrapers aglow in shades of firecracker-red, yellow, blue, and pink.

The back of this postcard describes the skyline as “a most awe-inspiring sight.” Pretty tough to disagree.