HUNGRY GERALD

Toby, the loving, lively, feisty,  furry ornament of HG/BSK’s lives, is back to normal. Healthy and frisky. The little fellow came close to death a few days ago. Swift action by gifted daughter Lesley R. saved the dog’s life and prevented HG/BSK heartbreak. It  happened this way: A Riverside, RI, neighbor had been tossing nuts into Lesley’s rear garden as treats for squirrels. Unfortunately, these rot and become toxic–fatal food for dogs.   Always hungry Toby ate a toxic chestnut and began to tremble and shake. Lesley recognized the symptoms and, at top speed, rushed Toby to the veterinarian. Toby’s stomach was pumped and received other medical treatment. He spent the night at the vet’s and woke up as healthy as ever. (The vigorous shaking causes a dog’s life functions to disappear and the dog dies.) Lesley recognized this because her dog, Pip, had a similar experience after eating a moldy substance. Yes, Lesley is invaluable. A true life saver. Vet costs: $2,000. Money well spent.

The venerable Algonquin Hotel on Manhattan’s West 44th Street has gone through many ownerships and “modernizations” through the years (HG doesn’t think they’ve been beneficial.) HG has warm memories of the hotel as it was decades ago. The owner, Ben Bodne and his wife, presided (in twin lounge chairs) over the shabby chic lobby lounge (Bodne kept it aged. When carpet or upholstery had to be restored, Bodne gave it a treatment to make it shabby). The Algonquin was a literary hotel, favored by novelists, poets and other writers. When seated in the lounge nursing a Martini, HG spotted any number of  literature’s ornaments. (Best place for cocktails was The Blue Bar, just off the lobby, and a favorite of celebs like the Duke of Windsor, John Lennon). There were two restaurants–the masculine Oak Bar– and an airy, favored by women, restaurant on the far end of the lobby. (Alas, forgot its name). The Oak Bar had some spectacular dishes: Sauteed sweetbreads on Virginia ham; the very best roast beef and a lush ice cream coconut ball for dessert. In the other restaurant, HG favored the super fresh seafood salad. After the theater, HG/BSK would have a snack of creamy chicken curry there, a creation of the flamboyant maitre d’. The hotel was most famed for its “Round Table” of the 20’s and 30’s where Dorothy Parker, George S. Kaufman, Alexander Woolcott and other literati exchanged witticisms. The present day hotel has a “Round Table Restaurant”. Don’t think it’s a hangout for wits.