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Before the Empire State Building, There Was a Hotel at 5th Avenue and 34th Street

Here's a fun fact for today: Did you know that the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was in the spot where the Empire State Building now stands? It's true! The first version of the ritzy hotel was a combination of the Waldorf and the Astoria Hotels at 5th Avenue and 33rd/34th Streets, which stood and welcomed the most well-heeled guests from 1893 to 1929, when it was knocked down to begin the skyscraper ESB we now know and love.

You won't hear much about that first building of some 1,300 rooms (with bidets) unless you pick a nice documentary from your Netflix queue; we recommend "Modern Marvels: The Empire State Building."

Of course, history is history and we all know that the Waldorf-Astoria found a new home further uptown, in its art deco digs at Park Avenue and 50th Street. Craving a little more NYC hotel history? Check out our category for it.

[Photo: NYC-architecture]

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Smell of Eau de Fancy With Waldorf-Astoria's Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Soul Amenities

Waldorf-Astoria's new amenities collection is redolent of "tangy citrus" and the "Italian lifestyle" (whatever that means)

It's Eau de Luxury you'll be catching a whiff of in landmark Waldorf-Astoria hotels by January of next year. Italian label Salvatore Ferragamo may be best known for it's gold-accented bow shoes and buttery soft leather satchels, but for their partnership with Waldorf-Astoria they're trading accessories for amenities and launching Tuscan Soul, a line of in-room bath items meant to evoke "a touch of Italian lifestyle [for guests]." That's a hazy description at best, but we're willing to bet the products sure do smell nice.

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This Hotel GM Shaved His Head for Charity, What Has Yours Done?

Where: 3850 Wailea Alanui Drive [map], Wailea, Maui, HI, United States, 96753

While some people raise money with bikini car washes, like Octomom and some fame-hungry celebrity mistresses, Grand Wailea's Managing Director Matt Bailey really gave something of himself for charity—his hair.

To inspire the Maui resort workers to donate money to the annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk, which aids Hawaii nonprofits, he vowed in the beginning of the year to shave his hair if they hit a fund-raising goal of $32,000. Not only did they raise the money, they exceeded it, with donations totaling $50,000—the most raised in the state.

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Guitar-Shaped Ice Sculptures and Hank Williams Crab Cakes Come to the Waldorf=Astoria This Weekend

The Waldorf=Astoria isn't exactly the first place that comes to mind when we think of rock and roll. Their restaurant is named "Peacock Alley," for chrissakes. But a ballroom is a ballroom, and, as it turns out, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has made use of the Waldorf=Astoria ballroom since the first induction ceremony in 1986.

If you're interested in catching a glimpse of this year's seven inductees (among them are Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Leon Russell, Alice Cooper), you're probably out of luck. Hey, a closed-door, invitation-only event is a closed-door, invitation-only event! But, for the music lovers among you, there is a silver lining to this VIP-only cloud.

Peacock Alley—which incidentally is currently celebrating its 80th anniversary—has arranged a rock and roll-themed cocktail and small plates menu to coincide with the RRHOF's 25th annual induction ceremony.

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Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition Models Shacked Up at Maui's Grand Wailea

Where: 3850 Wailea Alanui Drive [map], Maui, HI, United States, 96753

The Grand Wailea Resort in Maui is having quite the turbulent February. First, it filed bankruptcy and was bought by new owners, despite its almost $2 billion in debts, and then it was featured in the movie Just Go With It. There's even a contest open now to win a good vacation stay at the resort as a tie-in with the movie.

Finally, the Grand Wailea is again the center of attention, as today it was announced that it was the temporary Hawaii home of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's bevy of models, stylists and photographers when they stayed in Maui to shoot the 2011 issue, hitting newsstands today. We've visited the Grand Wailea before and found it a bit too family-oriented for our luxury tropical relaxation tastes, but all those models and famous photogs could've shifted the balance for at least a weekend.

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