Dear Madonna,

When I was 18 years old I went to New York for the first time and stayed at the legendary Waldorf= Astoria.

It was a graduation gift from my father, and my mother went with me. We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, walked around Times Square (much seedier than it is these days), and shopped at Lord and Taylor’s. My favourite memory, though, is of having drinks in the afternoon in the Waldorf’s “Peacock Alley”.

Mom chatted up piano guy – seriously! I had no idea she knew as much about music as she did. Of course married to my dad, how could she not? He was the son of a music teacher and played in marching bands, sang in competitions, and became a “Barbershopper” later in life.  In fact the Barbershop conventions they attended were a bit like my west coast swing events.

Recently I was on a business junket to Florida and got to see the Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Not the same, of course, but I couldn’t resist getting my picture taken with the replica clock in the lobby.

Updated version of Peacock Alley.
Not at all like the original but dig the carpet!