I just bought this book for my mother. She grew up on 8th street near 5th avenue in the 30s. She has told me stories of playing around New York as a little girl, going where ever she pleased alone, and was completely safe.
She particularly remembers going to a hotel called the Plaza Vendome. It was a luxury hotel, and had a huge swimming pool in it in the basement. No one was ever there and she payed a quarter and got the pool all to herself.
Manhattan is filled with lots of hidden treasures from the past. While not the same hotel, check out another indoor pool in the Woolworth Building.
The Secret Pool In The Woolworth Building
The Scouting NY blog is filled with many fascinating, out of the way places. The blogmaster scouts film locations in NY for the film industry.
You realize, don’t you, that a quarter was a small fortune in the 1930s to most Americans. :-)