lobby chess.

Jumeirah Essex House

The Essex house is just lovely.  With each new lobby, we’re learning to spread our tentacles a bit further and really find the right crevice to engage in our mini-wars.  After perusing the main hall where black and white photos of New York past and old school stylish black phones lined the walls, we settled into the two seats you see to the back right (above).

It took awhile for our waitress (is that what you’d call her?) to approach us and after taking our order, I may have been heard to mutter bitch under my breath.  Her catty demeanor was quickly displaced by two darling old ladies who found us just charming.  I’m all about making a good (if false) impression on the elderly, way more than on some hourly waged dame who’s giving me the stink eye.

Don’t laugh; we’ve since learned that the queens must start on the square they match.  Melissa bought this set on Thompson St in Greenwich.  I can’t wait until it gets warmer and I can start competing against ancient Russian men with coffee-stained beards.

Leftover curls from a night of dancing and DJing.  I’m rolling on 4+ hours sleep and 7 cups of caffeine here?  The tea came with rock candy stir sticks - who doesn’t love that?  Melissa was transported (as she is every half-hour by some organic intrusion) to her camp; the only place she has ever been truly happy.

All that caffeine had me jumpy and I almost lost a pawn to the fire.  After explaining that no one ever died from a tea-light, I fished the little guy out and we resumed our game (in which I straight slaughtered my opponent (for the first time :) ) ).

What a lovely place.

Overall rating for playing chess in the Jumeirah Essex House lobby:

posted 2 years ago

Waldorf Astoria Hotel

The name alone preceeds the reputation, which we found (surprise!) to be quite inflated.  Growing up I seem to recall reading tons of books, lost-generation stuff, wherein drunk flappers and bourbon-breathed men about town would inevitably rest their heads at the Waldorf come night’s end.  Opened in 1893 and maintaining the classic Art Deco style of later years, the Waldorf=Astoria (apparently it grew to a double hypen somewhere along the line) is more of a place to dream about than spend reality in.

One of the great things about the Waldorf’s notoriety is that there are so many tourists coming and going that you are completely left alone, though I wouldn’t say to your own devices.  I really wanted to play the piano (I always want to play the piano in any lobby) but, as irrational paranoia began to creep in (the only feeling I’ve ever regretted ignoring), felt some sort of big brother looming from the rafters.

Not so sure about the details of this game but I know the count after leaving the Essex House last week was something like 1-4 (shut up).  We’re getting better at this all around so hold tight.

Overall rating for playing chess in the Waldorf Astoria lobby:

posted 2 years ago

Gramercy Park Hotel

Erin and I began our first official weekly game of chess in a hotel lobby.  This week it was the Gramercy Park Hotel.  It was absolutely gorgeous inside, with a roaring fire and a beautiful massive chandelier (with pink flowers randomly placed on it).  We found our place in front of the fireplace, on lush velvet couches.

At first, I loved everything about the lobby, but throughtout as I got more involved with our game, the atmosphere just didn’t seem right for a chess match.  The lighting was very dim, and the choice of music being played wasn’t exactly appealing.  We probably picked the wrong place to play a game.  Right next to the lobby, in the hotel’s Rose Bar, there was a room that might have been a more forgiving place to focus on the game.

As for the game itself, I had a checkmate after trapping Erin’s king with my bishop. We started a second game that we were unable to finish.  But already, it is not looking too good for me. We’ll pick it up again next week, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Overall rating for playing chess in the Gramercy Park Hotel lobby:

posted 2 years ago