***Spoiler warning! Though I've made every attempt to avoid giving away key plot points during this quest, it's still very possible that information discussed herein may spoil a new reader's experience, so consider yourself warned! ***
In book six of Stephen King's
Dark Tower series, Susannah travels to Midtown New York in the spring of 1999 using the Unfound Door, a magic portal that can only be opened with the crystal ball or
Bend O' the Rainbow known as Black Thirteen. Once there, she finds a scrimshaw carving of a turtle in a hidden pocket of the drawstring bowling bag being used to carry Black Thirteen.
Holding the scrimshaw turtle, Susannah inadvertently mesmerizes an unsuspecting passerby. Needing a place to clean up and regain her bearings, she uses the turtle's suggestive power to convince a UN ambassador's aide to book her a room at the the
New York Plaza-Park Hyatt, located on 46th Street and First Avenue.
As Susannah enters the lobby of the the hotel she thinks that, aside from
St. Patrick's Cathedral, she had never seen such a beautiful room.
Walking up to the front desk, Susannah notices a sign stating:
AS OF JULY 1ST, 1999, THE NEW YORK PLAZA-PARK HYATT
WILL BECOME THE REGAL U.N. PLAZA HOTEL
ANOTHER GREAT SOMBRA/NORTH CENTRAL PROJECT!!
In fact, in our own where and when, the
New York Plaza-Park Hyatt has since been renamed the
Millennium U.N. Plaza Hotel and isn't located on 46th street, but on 44th.
At the front desk Susannah once again relies on the hypnotic power of the turtle - or
sköldpadda - to convince the clerk on duty of her identity. Holding up one of her
Oriza throwing plates, she convinces the woman behind the counter that it is her driver's license. Once she's checked in and has her room key, Susannah quickly takes the elevator up to her room.
In the book, Susannah's room is said to be on the nineteenth floor, but in reality the hotel's rooms don't even begin until the thirtieth floor. So the view we had out our hotel room window was a bit higher up than what Susannah would have seen, but it still offered a fantastic view of all the buildings in and around the Turtle Bay area.
That includes the Trump World Tower, which while not part of the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, is right next to it and may have been Sai King's inspiration for the 99-storey tower that 2 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza is described as in Book VII.
Aside from the spectacular view, the room itself was also very nice. I highly recommend the
Millennium U.N. Plaza Hotel to anyone who would be staying in New York, whether they are
Dark Tower fans looking to experience a little bit of the quest or just New York bound and looking for that perfect place to stay in Manhattan.
Long days, pleasant nights!
-DE
When Niki and I had visited 2 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in midtown Manhattan (referred to in The Dark Tower series as the "Nexus of Time and Size"), we were continuing our first New York City adventure further south later that same day and we decided to start at 1st and 1st to pay tribute to this other famous "New York Nexus" located in the East Village.
