While strolling around an unassuming area of Madison avenue in Manhattan with the ever lovely Legs Diamante on a hot summer evening I heard the sound of cool jazz rising from the downstairs of an elegant old building. Upon walking down a couple of steps we found a most unique experience awaiting for us inside a venue named the Salon Millesime.
Instead of the traditional crammed overpriced jazz venues, we were treated to an elegant music experience in a spacious historic hotel that used to be known as the Hotel Seville.
After listing to delightful music and enjoying a wonderful glass of French merlot we wondered through the lounge, brassiere restaurant, and hotel. The hotel was built in an area that used to be called Tin Pan Alley where ragtime, jazz, and blues poured out from the windows.
The hotel was originally designed by Harry Allen Jacobs in the Beaux-Arts style and then one hundred years later it was transformed by David Rockwell. Today the hotel is known as the Carlton.
The following day I just had to come back to take some pictures of this grand place. Walking around I was impressed by the Tiffany-style glass skylight on the Mezzanine Level and the vintage bar who in the past hosted luminaries such as Frank Sinatra. The elegant upstairs Millesime dining room featured a 100-year-old mosaic floor; a Tiffany Dome skylight, red banquettes, and a marble raw bar. While talking to the bartender I was told that Harpo Marx served as a bellboy in the Seville and that during the prohibition years it was rumored that the hotel had gained popularity as a speakeasy for many New Yorkers.
Today a baby grand piano serves as a centerpiece for the musicians playing at the Salon Millesime.
With a cool blend of music, history, and style I found the Carlton and Salon Millesime to be a great place to explore and relax. SalsaGeorge rates it at five panama hats.
ABOUT SALSAGEORGE. Always dressed in Style SalsaGeorge is wearing a white Dobb hat, stylish New Man shirt and cool Greek Leather Sandals www.SalsaGeorge.com
What are your experiences with the Carlton, Salon Millesime, or fun historic areas of New York City? Email us at adventures@salsageorge.com
