Up On the Roof

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Once upon a time in New York City, there was a hotel called The Knickerbocker Hotel which closed its doors in 1920. It had its home in a lovely building with a Beaux Arts façade and overlooked Times Square. Today it has been reincarnated and become a luxury hotel. Returning to the old days of the hotel commuters could enter the establishment right from the subway platform, head down a corridor with settees and displays of Art Nouveau and enter the hotel. The Knickerbocker had a popular bar which was visited by many celebrities with the bartender at that time pouring a drink for John D. Rockefeller. At the far end of Track 1 on the S subway line, you could still see a sign that says “Knickerbocker” but the door has long been sealed. It makes me think that perhaps like that ghost stuck on the subway in the movie “Ghost” perhaps spirits from the past still enter the hotel through this door. However, since the hotel reopened in 2015 you can take a look at the Knickerbocker Hotel Rooftop. Only you have to enter from the Times Square entrance up above ground and take the elevator up to the 17th floor where you’ll find the St. Cloud Bar. While having your drink you can take in a bird’s eye view of Times Square. Upon the roof itself, you can find lions’ heads made out of copper. Looking northwest you can see a tiered pyramid with a glass orb and a four-faced clock. This rooftop was once the home of Paramount Pictures and even though the theater is no longer the clock has remained to remind people of the Old Hollywood charm that was once part of Times Square. Unfortunately, the wonder of all of this is not visible from down below so up to the rooftop you must go. Don’t you think it would be exciting to go up on the Knickerbocker rooftop? The Google image shows the site at night from the rooftop of the Knickerbocker where you can toast a glass or two and you can also see the old Paramount pyramid with the clock face.