@travelwithnoon: The most famous hotel bar in New York was painted by a children's book author. His fee was eighteen months of free rent. Ludwig Bemelmans spent fifteen years as a busboy and waiter at the old Ritz-Carlton, sketching on menus and matchbooks, then wrote Madeline. In 1947 the Carlyle asked him to paint their new bar. The story goes he took no fee and moved his family into the hotel for a year and a half instead. The murals are still there: rabbits in fedoras, an elephant on ice skates, a monkey waiter, and Madeline hiding in the corners, under a 24 karat gold leaf ceiling. You can sit under them tonight. Share this with the person you'd split a martini under a Bemelmans with. #bemelmansbar #thecarlyle #uppereastside #nychistory #hotel

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Wednesday 23 September 2026 17:52:31 GMT