luxe life lives again

The Plaza Hotel is nearly as famous for its fictional residents as its real ones. A portrait of Eloise, the children's book heroine brought to life by Persian Room lounge singer Kay Thompson, occupies a prime spot outside the Palm Court, on the south promenade, while photos of the Beatles and Marilyn Monroe get space in the back. And now, with the three-year restoration by El-Ad Properties complete, the hotel that hosted both Truman Capote's "Party of the Century" and Donald Trump's wedding to Marla Maples is open to the public again.

Indeed, the original plans of the greatest designers and decorators in New York, such as Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, Warren & Wetmore and Alavoine, look like they just emerged from the Plaza's own Caudalie spa.

Even if an overnight stay is not in the plan, the Plaza's public space still feels like a million bucks, whether you're having a glass of champagne in the lobby or a steak in the Oak Room, where legend says that the frescoes inspired Walt Disney to build his own castle at Disneyland. The following tour of the public spaces leaves no doubt as to why the Plaza has earned the acclaimed status of national historic landmark—the only hotel in the City to own such a distinction.

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