Hotel Gets X-Rating

The Standard Hotel in Manhattan was just finished and opened last year, and has already become something of a landmark in the city.   In fact, the Municipal Arts Society of New York gave the hotel an award as the best new building erected in the city last year.

But the hotel is also starting to get a reputation for something else -- giving X-rated shows to the citizens and visitors of New York City.   That's because a new city park (High Line Park) was just opened on an abandoned elevated railway across the street.   The hotel rooms have floor to ceiling windows and when the curtains are left open, visitors to the park have an unobstructed view into the hotel rooms.

It turns out that many hotel visitors are leaving those curtains open and putting on quite a show for park visitors.   One neighborhood worker says the "shows" are "healthy and fun" -- sort of like the TV show Wild Kingdom.   But City Council Speaker Christine Quinn disagrees.   She calls the situation "unacceptable", and wants something done about it.

In a statement released last Monday, the hotel said its managers will try to "remind guests of the transparency" of the windows.

I suspect the visitors in the park will probably continue to get at least a few of the X-rated shows.   You know at least some of the hotel customers will find the idea of leaving the curtains open kind of exciting, and will do it on purpose.

It gives new meaning to the term "the naked city", doesn't it?