One Day at a Time

NY Marriott Marquis

New York Marriott Marquis is a Marriott International hotel at 1535 Broadway opened in 1985 and was designed by architect John Portman. It is located on Times Square at Broadway and 45th Street. The hotel is famous for its high-tech elevators and atrium lobby rising 45 stories to "The View", New York's only rooftop revolving restaurant and lounge. With 1,949 rooms and over 100,000 sq ft of meeting space, it is one of the largest hotels in the city. The Marquis Theatre is located within the hotel at the 3rd floor level.
 
The hotel was born in controversy because five historic theaters—the Helen Hayes, the Morosco, the Astor, the Bijou, and the Gaiety—were demolished to clear the site. Protesters, including Christopher Reeve (then at the height of his Superman fame) tried to stop the destruction, even forcing a Supreme Court challenge, but it was too late. What was dubbed "The Great Theater Massacre of 1982" went forward to make way for the hotel. By the time construction began, original operators Western International Hotels (today Westin) had dropped out of the project and Marriott had stepped in.

The hotel has been criticized for turning its back to Times Square. However, at the time the hotel was built, Times Square was only beginning to turn around. With the still-seedy character of Times Square, Portman's style of inwardly-oriented spaces made logical sense. The present redevelopment of Times Square as an urban destination point has left the Marriott Marquis detached from the street. However, the Marriott was the first major project in the Times Square revitalization, and has been credited as the starting point for today's development node at Times Square. The hotel has 36 guest room floors and features an award-winning restaurant on the top floor called "The View".

The hotel is served by twelve scenic elevators,         which are famous for facing into an atrium that stretches the height of the hotel. The cabs travel at 1,000 feet  per minute. They received a major modernization in 2005 that included replacing the cabs and reducing waiting times from originally more than 30 minutes in the past down to less than 5 minutes. Currently, the building boasts Schindler Group's Miconic 10 destination dispatch computer technology, which allows people to key in their destination floor number on a keypad and get assigned an elevator to use afterward. The cab interior still contains a floor button panel, but it is designed for firefighter use and is hidden under a locked panel.The elevators are also useful because they have handicapped mode. What that does is before the person enters their destination they will have to press the wheelchair button then the destination. Then the system will talk and a sound signal will come out of a speaker next to the car announcing the name of the car. For example the person enters their destination and then the system would say "Doors open Car A." It would also say "Doors closing." 

At the time the hotel was built, it featured Manhattan's largest grand ballroom and its first revolving restaurant, a three-story, 1,500-seat theater, a second and third ballroom, and 100,000 square feet  of meeting, banquet and exhibition spaces.

Robin and I were so lucky to have stayed in this hotel; my amazing Marriott rep, Maggie, helped me get a room with a view.  We were right over "Times Square", and you could see where the ball drops on New Year's Eve!

The first night we were there, I had made a reservation at "The View" restaurant within the hotel.  I knew that we would be tired from the plane ride, and we could just dress up and go eat that Thursday night.  Below is us dressed up as best we could.

Robin & I ready to go to "The View" Restaurant

The View is New York’s only revolving rooftop restaurant and lounge, where the breathtaking skyscraper views are matched only by the restaurant’s signature American menu. Express elevators whisk you 48 stories above New York City, where you arrive to an unparalleled dining experience. The revolving floor makes a 360° turn every hour, ensuring an ever-changing view of this celebrated city.

Our reservation was for 8 p.m., but they let us come early, and we were right by the window.  Perfect end to a perfect day.  I only passed out when I saw the bill.  :-)

It was a way expensive restaurant, but it was so worth it.  I had the "Sautéed Gnocchi",
Chipotle Braised Short Rib / Roasted Cippolini Onions / Queso Fresco/"Seared Scallops"
Celery Root Puree / Braised Celery / Black Truffle Emulsion/"New York’s Finest Cheesecake"
Fresh Marinated Strawberries and an alcoholic beverage of "The Manhattan". The only thing I might do different next time, would be to leave off the marinated strawberries (I wasn't crazy about them.) and not order the "Manhattan".  Oh boy the Gnocchi and Scallops were to die for and I do not even like celery.

Robin had the "Jumbo Shrimp" Micro Celery / Frisée / Cocktail Sauce  and they were huge, then the scallops for her main course.  Instead of a dessert, she had another beer.

If you are ever on "Times Square" and need an expensive restaurant, I would definitely say try "The View"!