The Washington herald., 1920-06-26
New York City
b. o. o. MeIntyre


New York, June 25.-Ai of the
roof gardens opened last week Tor
the drst time since the island Of
Nanhattan became actually dry. A
trembling outlook upon the result
was not Justified for all report .
marvellous business. The hated COW
or charge was accepted this year
without protest and ranges from Is
70 81. And with the cover charge
the drinks are from u TO 20 each
for Il would be impossible for the
roo gardens to exist otherwise II
Is claimed.
In the old days the cover charge
was regarded as an unjust tax but
this year people may dawdle the
entire evening over a lemonade.
dance to expensive music and en-
10y all the special cabaret atrac-
tions. A way has been provided for
women alone In Gotham to visit the
roof gardens unescorted. This was
prohibited In the days OF liquor.
Now the lone woman merely pre-
sents her card and states why she
h. alone. A hostess will look after
her and see that a smiling but un-
communicative young man dances
with her.
Delmonico's blossoms forth with q
roof garden this year for the nrst
time in it's history. The other I'M
porta roof gardens are at the Nc
Alpin, Ritz and Astor. The roof
gardens of this modern Bagdad on
| the Subway present the metropoli-
tan fiair in the summer months
when the town has rushed to the
| seashore.
The summer musical show favor
ties, the bon vivants, men about
town, and the brood that infests the
| Broadway cafes in the winter de-
, light In disporting on the roofs and
showing their New Yorkish styles
and ways to the visiting buyers.
One roof entices the women with
an unusual effect in lighting. All
the lights are amber colored. 1t Is
impossible to see lines or bad COM
pIexions in this sort of effulgence
| and the matron of SO may easily
| pass for a damsel of 81.
Diamond Jim" Brady. lately de-
parted. was responsible for the
Manhattan popularity of the roof
| garden. They did not thrive for a
| good many years. But Mr.. Brady
weighed some 800 pounds and busi-
|
hot season. So after ONCE hours he
| donned his expansive white hannels
and with a chic young thing from a
musical show on either arm dined
and wined above the roar and heat
of the city. In sheep-like fashion
Broadway followed and soon the
roofs became an institution and the
summer openings are attended in
the same manner as the big frst
nights.
Doug and Mary, honeymooning In
| old haunts. had a gay time. Wher-
| ever they went followed trail OF
| bright-faced reporters, movie men
and newspaper photographers. II
| they lunched in a big cafe the cara
van set in the offing and IL Mr.. Fair
banks was in a jovial mood he made
| stories for them. On the roof of his
hotel he met a group of newspaper
folk the first day and Miss Pickford
| arrived later in a new frock that SC
bewitched Doug that he promptly
walked along the coping on his
hands, the slightest misstep mean.
| ing a sheer drop of fifteen stories
Miss Pickford paled. waited until he
was done and then called to him
| sharply and right before the report
ers showed who was boss. She was
not going % have him risking his
precious neck just for a few splashes
on the front pages. Mother Pick
ford was generally with them or
their jaunts.
| One of the odd callings in New
York Is that of a clothes line man
| He patrols the residential sections
of the city daily shouting out his
trade. Line up man! Line up man
Put yer lines up" he yells up the
sides of towering apartments. 1t Is
| his job to climb tho pole in the
courtyard of apartments and ar
range the clothes lines for tenants
He used to charge 25 cents but now
it is 81. And most wives pay II
rather than let their husbands take
| the risk of falling from the pole.