What made Oscar Tschirky the King of New York in the Gilded Age?

1March 893 13 at 6 o'clock in the morning, a 26-year-old Swiss immigrant approached the Waldorf gate in downtown new york and turned the key. This magnificent building was opened to the public for the first time. Surrounded by shop assistants and elevator workers, he waited for a whole minute for the arrival of the first guest. He is the representative of William Waldorf. He razed his home on Fifth Avenue and built a 450-room hotel, but he lived in London and few people visited him. However, from the moment the door opened, it was Oscar Cerchi, the prestigious old lady. The next night, Oscar and new york Symphony Orchestra held a well-planned charity dance in waldorf, and the price was 1500. He soon met a Spanish duke, a Punjabi maharaja and the President of the United States. Oscar's name is widely known. He planned a nine-course dinner menu and replied to the thank-you letter in a friendly way. When the guests returned to Europe by boat, he sent grapefruit to their cabin.

This is an intoxicating atmosphere for a young man from Lajode Fonz, Switzerland, a remote medieval town in the Jura Mountains. In new york, people talk about steel, railways and electricity. Oscar used to live on a farm, but now he is surrounded by silk tapestries and baccarat crystal bags. However, speaking German and French in these two places is very helpful; In waldorf, a poseur from Berlin or a diplomat from Paris will be understood immediately.

Unlike other hotels at that time, Waldorf Astoria was not only a place for tourists to rest, but also a place for local people to communicate. Weary of parents' formal ceremonies and claustrophobic living rooms, wealthy young new york people are lured out of private houses and entertained in public places. Waldorf gave them the same attention, just as they hired helpers in their own restaurants. Social rock climbing has become an ornamental sport. In the corridor of the hotel, the leather benches make people stunned, while the glass wall of the palm room restaurant ensures the display of diners. As a contemporary teaser, Waldorf brought "exclusivity" to the public. All the rich people are Welsh.

Oscar is the public image of the hotel, which is very important to the atmosphere of the hotel, just like mahogany inlay. There are 1368 millionaires in new york; He knows their names. This kind of personal service is unprecedented and has become the most valuable asset of the hotel. That's why J.Pierpont Morgan is the only frequent visitor to Oscar, and international celebrities have also booked rooms. During his 50 years in Waldorf, Oscar served every American president from Grover Cleveland to Roosevelt and won three foreign medals. In an unknown city with a growing population, Oscar understands that everyone wants to be famous.

Ten years before waldorf opened its business, Oscar and his mother set foot on a transatlantic ship. They drove along Broadway in a carriage full of flags celebrating the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge and caught a glimpse of telephone poles, flower shops and overhead trains. Decades later, Oscar described this in 1943, Karl Shreve Giselle's biography "Oscar of Waldorf", when his brother was a hotel chef and lived on the Third Avenue. Oscar left his bag in the apartment and went out to look for a job. In less than a day, he worked as a waiter at Hoffman's home, cleaning the empty cups of sherry pies on Manhattan's elite dining table.

Oscar Cerchi (1885) (Wikimedia Association) Oscar learned to be clean, dedicated and sincere. The guests are very kind to his modesty and generous and kind face. He is an amateur weightlifter and cyclist, with strong physique and strict discipline. Earlier, Ned Stokes, the owner of the Hoffman family, asked Oscar to work on the yacht on Sunday and told him not to leave the remaining funds for poker games. But when Oscar found that there was $50 pocket money on the table, he was afraid to accept such a big tip. The notorious oilman Stokes smiled and told him to make things clear.

When he heard about the luxury hotel on Fifth Avenue, Oscar was in charge of the private restaurant E, and reporters asked him everything from the Christmas menu (he suggested eating oysters, essence, roast turkey and meat pie) to the secret of longevity (cocktails, shaking well). The Baltimore Sun called him "hedonistic Napoleon" in a typical suffocating sketch. He is "a consultant in all emergencies, and a friend and consultant to more people" ... more than anyone else in this city. "Even his trifles made headlines. 1933, when reporters gathered in the office of Oscar's 70th birthday, he admitted that his favorite meal was a plate of boiled beef and potatoes. * * * published a report entitled "70-year-old Waldorf Oscar cheers for civilian food"; 194 1 year, two years before retirement, Oscar held a luncheon, which was more to his taste than Waldorf's feast. He served pea soup, spring chicken and green beans. Everything, even the fruit in applesauce, is planted in his new Paltz estate, and he is transferring it to a hotel industry association, SociétéCulinaire charity. It will become a retreat and retirement community for chefs. Now, as the original waldorf no longer exists, the second-generation hotel is planned to be converted into an apartment, and the chef's home still exists, welcoming guests like the Oscar more than a century ago.