Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Seen Around

by Savannah

The Entrance to the Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan's Upper East Side

I have an appointment this afternoon so I wasn't going to blog. Blogging is a curious thing. Sometimes you get an itch to blog and you say to yourself there's nothing really going on that needs my unique commentary or perspective. Then you say what the hell let me see what's going on. Serendipity makes you go to Twitter first because, well, you know that's where all the juicy stuff is.

As you scroll down you see a series of retweets between people you like and you search for the original. When you find it it's as if you've wandered into some alternate universe.

I get called out a lot for calling the man ranked at the top of the ATP heap The Monogram. I dare someone to call me out after viewing the pictures that accompany the article. For those who call him the Ego King, well, seems you're justified.

Without further ado here's the article from the New York Observer on the Roger Federer Suite.

Federer's Carlyle Court

The only bad thing about New York’s monstrously plush and gargantuan real estate is that it tends to land in such unworthy hands. So it's a relief that a two-bedroom suite on the 16th floor of the Carlyle belongs to someone David Foster Wallace once described as "both flesh and, somehow, light."

The Roger Federer Suite, which costs $3,075 per night, is where the celestial champ has stayed during the U.S. Open since 2007, and he'll rest his head on its custom R. F.-monogrammed pillows again later this month. A very nice woman who’s connected to Rosewood Hotels, which owns the Carlyle, agreed to give The Observer a rare look inside last week. "We need to update," she said at the front door, where an introductory plaque says Mr. Federer has won 13 grand slams (June’s French Open was No. 14 and July’s Wimbledon was No. 15).

On the plus side, the suite has a sleek little kitchen with a 24-bottle mini-bar and an espresso machine; a long living room with a white orchid, a gargantuan quasi-Picasso, two giant shiny black vases, a giant antique-mirrored disc that looks vaguely cocainey and a book on Jacques Helleu; two hefty closets in the foyer, where there's also a horn-handled metallic tray; and a master bedroom with a leopard-print rug, four mirrored bedposts and a comfy-looking tub. (As it happens, the apartment was designed by a musical theater actor named J. Cameron Barnett.)

Mr. Federer apparently prefers the suite’s second bedroom, which comes with bottles of water and a plate of chocolates. "Some say this one has better feng shui," a housekeeping manager explained as he put on the matching R. F. pillowcases. The bed is firm, but not too firm. His bathroom, coated in black marble and horizontal bands of gold trim, comes with products like Kiehl’s Crème de Corps ("Beta-Carotene gives natural deep yellow color"), and there’s a bench in the shower! "It’s cool," our guide explained, "very relaxing."


The living room (with its white orchid, gargantuan quasi-Picasso and giant shiny black vases), was designed by a musical theater actor named J. Cameron Barnett, whose résumé's skills section lists interior decoration only after "hip-hop dance, knowledge of German, cheerleading jumps, drag."

Mr. Federer prefers the second bedroom, actually. Perhaps he's not into this one's mirrored bedposts and leopard-print rug?

The bathroom in what's technically the master bedroom has a tub, but this one only has a shower--and a shower bench. "It’s cool," our guide explained, "very relaxing."

Sadly, Mr. Federer's monogrammed pillowcases are only used by the man himself, though a Carlyle housekeeping manager (and an assistant) agreed to show us what they look like.

All of the captioning comes from the article itself. I should mention I use Kiehls products. They're very good.

8 comments:

Craig Hickman said...

Lord have mercy. Gaudy springs to mind.

Monogrammed pillow cases?

Umph, umph, umph.

Overhead Spin said...

When I was a child, one of the many things that my step mother taught me was how to do embroidery. She would teach me how to make sheets and pillow cases out of sugar bags (yes, we were that poor). Anywho, once we had taken off the labels off the sugar bags, we were then required to do a particuar type of stitch (the name escapes me) and then draw flowers on them with our names and then embroider them in any colour we wanted. I think Roger and I were perhaps raised by the same stepmother - LOL.
No wonder he always looks so relaxed and at ease. I have to say that I have never used those products but if they are within my budget I may just attempt it.

lynney62 said...

just one word comes to mind....uuuugly!

Bex said...

That living room looks like a bad acid trip, money really doesn't buy taste does it?
and as for the pillowcases, wouldn't you just be....embarrassed??

Savannah said...

Karen I was raised that a woman should know how to knit, crochet, tat and embroider. Good times.

As for the suite I think it speaks for itself. Then again it's different strokes for different folks isn't it?

Overhead Spin said...

Savannah, I wonder whether young ladies coming now know how to tack a button, much more embroider and crochet. Oh well. As to the room, even a Fed KAD like myself can find absoulutely nothing redeeming about this. Just really ugly

Overhead Spin said...

O/T - am I the only one who is not impressed by Sharapova's victory over Azarenka last night in LA. When you need 3 sets to put away someone who is playing their first match back since Wimby, and you serve up 12 double faults why is that considered a victory. We were told repeatedly that the reason for the beat down in AO07 was as a result of her shoulder issues. However, said shoulder issues did not prevent her from coming back the following year and beating the field and winning AO08. Then all of a sudden the shoulder comes back, especially when she is being beaten. The other night when she played Venus and got her ass handed to her no match reports on the internet. Today everywhere I turn there are match reports and interviews etc. From what I heard this morning it was the battle of the coaches last night as both girls kept calling their coaches down. I found that rather funny as when Sharpie was being beaten by Venus recently, she never did call her coach down. Could it be that she knew no matter what she did she would stil get beaten. Even though I like Azarenka and thinks she has potential, girlfriend needs to get a more effective serve, as the one that she has now can get eaten by the big returners.

oddman said...

I wonder why Roger Federer appears to not mind all the media yak about this expensive suite. Or does he not care.

Personally, I find it very gaudy and definitely not to my taste.