(photograph © Kiwidutch)
If you look carefully at the very base of the tall buildings in the first photo, you will see a far smaller brown, older style building. It’s the Hotel New York and it’s one of the Netherlands best known landmark buildings.
After leaving the Euromast, we all pile onto the bus and make our way across the water to the Hotel. The people who have arranged everything so brilliantly today lead us in for our meal… but at the Reception desk there seems to be a problem. We end up waiting over half an hour whilst they try and sort things out.
Amazingly even though our reservation was made six weeks ago (it’s a group of 50 persons after all) and everything confirmed soon after that, it turns out now that somehow our booking got somehow mistakenly canceled by staff here and another large group is sitting in the fabulous upstairs area with the great views by the windows over the river junctions that our organisers thought we had reserved for our group.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
After a discussion within the group as to the possibilities of finding another restaurant that could take such a big group at zero notice right at peak dining time, we eventually get a place in one of the back-rooms of the hotel.
Not only is there no view, there are in fact no windows, so the doors leading outside to the backstairs are opened since it’s a very warm evening. (door by the letter “R” of York in the second photo).
There is plenty of street noise because the door opens out to the carpark, and there is what looks like an after-conference party going on next door, but we make the best of it.
Our meal was passable… there was a selection of two main course items and a dessert, and I had the distinct impression from the meal that the Chefs had been busy doing their best to put something together in a hurry since all the finer details were missing. It certainly didn’t appear to be their fault that they were told of a new large dinner booking with no notice.
It was a shame because this place has a reputation, and the cafe area is well known and patronized for lunches and grand afternoon teas that I have heard are worth making the trip to Rotterdam for.
By the time things are sorted out, and after quite a long wait for our food, it was already dark, so my photos are not great.
Oh well, it was better than spoiling a brilliant day out by going home hungry.
The Hotel New York is an iconic building, it started life as the Head Office of the “de Holland Amerika Lijn” (Holland America Line) and it’s local nickname is the “Grand Old Lady“.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
It was built in1883 in the Jugendstil style (Art Nouveau) ad designed by architect J. Muller.
In 1977 the head office of the Holland America Line relocated to Seattle (USA), in 1984 the building was put up for sale, and years later it was purchaed (or re-purched?) in order to turn it into a grand café-restaurant and hotel.
It opened it’s doors as such on May 5th 1993.
(I do think there was a café of some sort in it between the time of the Holland America Line move and 1993 though because I vaguely remember going past it whilst I was in the city on a visit to the Netherlands in 1988… but my recollection is hazy so I could be mistaken on that bit)
After dinner, we head back to the bus for the drive back to our meeting point in The Hague. It’s past midnight and Himself and I have had a fabulous brilliant day… Rotterdam Rocks, and we have seen so much to add to our list to come back to.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
