On November 23rd, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia arrived in New York to undergo some medical tests, and he apparently ruined some tourists' Thanksgiving plans. Linda and Michael Morgan of Seattle tell the Times that they had booked four rooms in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel last summer for their Thanksgiving trip, but when they called to make a change they were told that their rooms had been given away to the King and his entourage. The Waldorf did help them find other accomodations and gave them a free night at the Hilton New York, but as Linda Morgan puts it, "come on, there were people in the elevators at the Hilton carrying pizza boxes." How déclassé. more ›

Gunshots stemming from the attempted armed robbery of a jewelry store inside the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel led to a scene of chaos inside the lobby of one of New York's fanciest destinations for hospitality. more ›

One suspect is in custody after a retired police officer was shot in the chest following a botched robbery at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel on Park Avenue. The victim was working in a jewelry store inside the hotel and was shot after trying to thwart the suspect from stealing some high-end watches for the store. Streets surrounding the hotel have been closed off as the investigation continues. We hear that the Secret Service was on the scene too--because there apparently a foreign dignitary staying across the street at the Intercontinental! more ›

On Wednesday night's episode of Top Chef, judge Ted Allen (pictured here with Padma Lakshmi) attributed the birthplace of the Waldorf Salad to somewhere in "middle America," an error that raised the eyebrows of foodies who know the salad's true inventor: Oscar Tschirky, who created it in the late 19th century while working at New York City's Waldorf Hotel (precursor to the Waldorf-Astoria). more ›

The following open letter from The Ghost of Oscar Tschirky does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Gothamist. We would like a plate of Waldorf Salad now, though. more ›