The Carlyle
The Carlyle has provided visitors to New York with a luxury hotel experience since 1930. The building was designed by Bien and Prince to have 191 rooms and suites, many with views overlooking Central Park. The hotel has welcomed every American president since Truman, as well as royal visitors from all over Europe. The Carlyle is named for Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish essayist from the Victorian era, best known for writing the novel Sartor Resartus.
Inside The Carlyle is where the renowned Bemelmans Bar has been since the 1940s. As a former owner of a children’s bookstore with a deep appreciation for the story of Madeline (I still have my personal copy from some fifty years ago) I love stopping in for a visit to the place where author and illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans chose to leave his mark. The art deco space is decorated with gilded illustrations from the beloved books as well as whimsical scenes of anthropomorphic animals. Bemelmans created the designs in exchange for a year and a half of accommodation at the hotel.