The Real Reason the Waldorf is Closing

Yep, that’s me in the middle!

When I think of the Waldorf Astoria, I think of grandeur and tradition. I also think of Aqua Net hair spray and stage diving. I grew up in Queens and our senior prom, which at the time we called the prom, not simply prom as it is called now, was at the Waldorf. In my tuxedo style dress, — which in retrospect was really, really low cut, and I can’t believe my mom let me buy it — I felt special to be dancing and sneaking vodka shots in a place so beautiful. With one of my closest friends escorting me, we were all having a blast on the dance floor level, until we heard a battle cry from the upper level.

If you have never been in the ballroom of the Waldorf, it has balconies, as you would expect from the time period in which it was built. These added to the beauty of the room. They also added to the temptation for teenagers to do something really stupid. So, when I heard the yelp from above, I wasn’t completely shocked to look up and see the source of the sound follow it up by a three story balcony dive onto the crowd below. Now, with teenagers of my own, all I can think is, why would someone do that? In 1991, all we could think was, “That … was … AWESOME!!!” I won’t reveal names, but the jumper gained legendary status.

I strongly suspect the true reason the Waldorf is closing its doors, is it finally settled its lawsuit with the person who ended up at the bottom of the pile.

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