The Fifth Avenue Hotel According to Girl

The Fifth Avenue Hotel according to Girl: Students and wealthy seniors lived here. The place was impressive. It was my first visit to New York and I had told Mom that I was going to spend the weekend with a friend from college. I didn’t tell her it was Mike. And, I didn’t mention it was New York. I parked the little yellow Mustang at the airport, paid cash and jumped on the United Jet heading to LaGuardia. I didn’t have much to spend my paycheck on. My parents charged me twenty five dollars a month for rent and I paid my dad back with double payments for his signature on the car loan.


I was so excited to see Mike. I am afraid not much mattered about the accommodations. It was a beautiful older hotel; the University had purchased it, and made an arrangement to lease some of the floors to grad students.

Mike shared his room with another student, who was gone overnight. This allowed us to have the room to ourselves. The hotel was among many buildings in the area owned or leased by the University. With 12,500 residents, the school eventually took over the entire hotel, calling it Rubin Hall. It now houses 688 freshmen and is located at 35 Fifth Avenue.

Fifth Avenue is a one way street, going south through the city. It starts at 120th Street, north of Central Park, runs along the east side of the park, and ends at Washington Square Park. When I visited and we went sightseeing we could see it all on Mike’s Avenue, I saw the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the Empire State building, Rockefeller Center, the New York Public Library, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and Bergdorf Goodman. They were impressive; however my favorite site was the Fifth Avenue Hotel. It was home for my love, it was here where the mailman carried my letters, covered in perfume and art, hearts and flowers.

Best sight was seeing Mike at the airport waiting for me.

Best kiss was on the bus heading to the hotel.

Best memory is waking up in Mike’s blue dress shirt.

Best food was at the drugstore—a roast beef sandwich with tomato, lettuce and mayo.

Best accent in the world is "Manhattan English."

Worst memory was leaving to go back to Grand Rapids. But, I knew in my heart I would see Mike again. I knew that I would come back to the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Even the doorman knew I would be back (he, too, must have known love). He watched us and our magical moments, and graciously opened the door with a gleam in his eye.

I was making the transition; I was ready to drop my final "r."

The world was beautiful.