Chapter 6: "Wilt's Belt Buckle"

According to Boy: The Statler Hilton (now called "Hotel Pennsylvania") had the distinction of being located not only within easy walking distance from Penn Station, but also being directly across Seventh Avenue from Madison Square Garden (depending on which exit door you chose). It was because of the latter that it had become the hotel of choice for visiting basketball teams playing against the Knicks.
While its proximity to the Garden may have made it popular for professional athletes, to Evie and me it possessed a different charm—the Statler Hilton was one of only two hotels (that I knew about) that acknowledged and rewarded my student status. The hotel gave me fifty percent off standard rates. So, when Evie visited, I would reserve a room at the Statler at a reduced student rate. I know we stayed there at least two times, if not more.

On one occasion, in 1968, we were checked into the hotel on the same night that the Philadelphia 76ers were playing at the Garden. I had anticipated Evie’s visit for several weeks, so I had made my reservations well in advance.

About 11 p.m. on our first night, we received a phone call from the front desk informing us that we had been assigned our room in error, and that it was supposed to have been given to a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. I told the desk how sorry I was, but that they would have to find another room for the players. I immediately ran over to the door to be sure that it was secured with the "in-room" lock (which I correctly thought could not be unlocked from the outside).

It was lucky I did, because within a few minutes they were outside pounding on our door. I ignored them. They tried their keys, but to no avail. They were pretty hot. I admit that it kept me awake for a bit just worrying about what they might do next to get us out. Eventually, they gave up, and we fell asleep.

When we awoke in the morning, we had forgotten all about it. I suppose that could have had something to do with the Ripple we had the night before. I got up and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth—Evie followed. She walked in behind me, and put her arms around me. "You getting up?"

"No, just brushing my teeth," I replied.

With that, we went back to bed for a bit.

Probably about 11 a.m., Evie said she wanted a cup of coffee, so she ran down to the front desk to find out where she could get some. When she had the information she was after, she turned around, and ran nose first right into the belt buckle of a giant. In amazement, she looked up, way up, into the dark brown eyes of a huge black man. The man was smiling at her, but she was in shock.

"Excuse me," she said as she sidestepped to get by him, and headed for the coffee shop. Once safely past, she glanced back to see if he was a real person. He, and a couple other very large men, were chuckling.

When she got back to the room she exclaimed, "Mike, I just saw a giant!" She handed me a large coffee. "You will not believe this. He was ten feet tall. His belt buckle was even with my nose."

I knew immediately about whom she was talking. "Was he black, and well-dressed?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"That was Wilt Chamberlain, the 76ers center. They’re in town playing the Knicks." I paused for a moment, and then continued, "that may have been who wanted our room last night." Then I thought about it, and added: "I doubt that he would have wanted our room—Wilt is over seven feet tall. He would need a special bed."

 "And a special door," Evie said.

That morning encounter created a lasting memory for Evie. I think she must have brought it up twenty or more times through the years.

When I think about it, two things come to my mind.

First, just how fortunate was I to have made my reservations early? Knicks’ fans always packed the Garden to see their team, but this was especially true when Wilt came to town. This was in part due to the fact that just a few years earlier Wilt had dropped 100 points on the Knicks—the most points ever scored by one player in a single NBA game—a record that stands to this day. Wilt was a major attraction.

A second thing comes to mind when I think about Evie running into Wilt Chamberlain, especially in the context of a hotel. In his autobiography Wilt claimed to have bedded 20,000 different women in his lifetime. Anyway you want to figure it, that’s a lot of women.

You have to assume that they all were pretty good looking women. Surely Wilt would not have sought out ugly women.

Evie was, and is, a very beautiful woman. So, I wonder if I have cause to pause?

Let’s see, was the coffee still hot when she came back to the room? …Or had it grown cold? If memory serves me, it was still hot.

I think I will just stick with that thought.

(At the time of this writing, the Statler Hilton, now known as the Hotel Pennsylvania, is slated to be demolished for an office tower planned for completion in 2011. I hope that does not happen, at least not before I take one last tour of that memorable place.)