In the very heart of the city, ancient royal palace walls and legendary hotels alike enclose dramatic green spaces.
For generations, there have been legendary hotels where the rich, the famous and the powerful have congregated: the George V in Paris, Claridge's in London, the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, Raffles in Singapore.
Take a stroll on Ocean Drive, "the beachfront road lined with legendary hotels," and Lincoln Road, a pedestrian shopping street; dine at Puerto Sagua (700 Collins Avenue; 305-673-1115), a Cuban restaurant that serves "hearty and cheap" food; and the News Cafe (newscafe.com) on Ocean Drive (above), a classy setting, for simple food and people-watching.
The Internet hotel site www.hotelres.com, which specializes in San Francisco hotels, has recently posted budget rates through the summer at luxury, even legendary hotels, including the Westin St. Francis (as low as $115 a night) on Union Square and the Mark Hopkins ($159 a night) at the top of Nob Hill.
Last week, between sips of fizzy water at Sirio, which opened at the Pierre Hotel in October, and which Mr. Tihany fixed up for his good friend, the Le Cirque founder Sirio Maccioni, Mr. Tihany spoke to a reporter about catering to top chefs, putting his stamp on legendary hotels like the Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla., and the Beverly Hills Hotel, and nurturing his true national identity.
Underneath the flower gardens of the one of the world's most legendary hotels lies a paradise that remains decidedly hidden from the sun: the Hôtel de Paris wine cellars.
And Wilhelm Jungmann & Neffe, which has sold fabrics in an opulent oak-lined space next to the legendary Hotel Sacher since 1881.
After nearly two decades of neglect and continuing threats of demolition, the Willard, the capital's legendary hotel, has been returned to its former glory.
"They want everything off the walls and out of the hallway by tonight," said the woman, Bettina Grossman, who is in her 80s and has been living in the legendary hotel on West 23rd Street since the 1960s.
Dozens of longtime residents at the Chelsea, the legendary hotel on West 23rd Street, have complained that renovations have often left them without heat and hot water, forcing them to endure dust, mold and toxic conditions.
Everyone books on seven-day packages, there are no lift lines, and at 10am the legendary hotel bar has only been closed for a few hours and the Brazilians are still in bed.
