Traditions at Algonquin shouldn't be tabled

As little more than a novice journalist back in the early 1980s, I thought I had arrived when I was escorted to a table at the fabled Algonquin Hotel's lobby lounge to meet with Brendan Gill of The New Yorker.

Sadly, that feeling didn't last long.

My husband, a fan of the late theater critic, had tagged along, waiting for me to ask Gill if it was OK if he joined us. While working up to that query, out of the corner of my eye I noticed the man I had married taking part in a very animated conversation with the maitre d'. After a lot of back and forth, my mate unhappily took a jacket the restaurateur was carrying and put it on.

Indeed, it was a very sheepish spouse wearing a black dinner jacket that was three sizes too big that sat down with Gill and me. Sadly, I couldn't concentrate and so I can't even remember the conversation because I was mortified by what had transpired before we ever delved into discussion.

Back then, it was tradition that men wear at least a sports jacket if they wanted to have discourse (or any course) in the lobby lounge, the famous Round Table Room or in any other of the Algonquin's famous food venues.

These days, the hotel seems to be more lax on that requirement. A recent call to this mainstay Manhattan hotel produced this answer: "It's OK not to wear a jacket in our dining rooms, especially until the fall through to the early spring," said the assertive female voice at the other end of the line. And, when pressing the issue by asking if this was a change from previous protocol, she said, "Just so long as a person is neatly dressed …"

When she said that, my mind went back to that fateful first visit. I guess I will never forget my initial meeting at and with the venerable Algonquin, a hotel every writer I know wants to experience at least once in his or her lifetime.

Given that statement, I want a do-over.

And when I do go and if a gentleman accompanies me, whether that be a husband or a colleague or a really good friend, apparently it will be permissible for him to show up sans jacket. Still, remembering my husband's unnerving circumstances, I don't think we will take any chances.

Indeed, should the attire be inappropriate, I might miss out on what is happening at this famous place with its many meaningful memories. Among other indelible events, it was the venue where Dorothy Parker and her cronies regularly met, forming their fabled "Vicious Circle" in the 1920s. It is also where Harry Connick Jr. and Diana Krall launched their crooning careers at the Oak Room's sassy cabaret forum.

A number of other famous faces have found their way to the Algonquin, born in 1905 and a member of the Historic Hotels of America. Today, the New York property features a cast of new allures, thanks to a major refurbishment to bring the savvy hotel up to date. Among the changes are the additions of plasma screen televisions and wireless Internet, sure to snare new media types.

As for me, I don't plan to snap on the tube or boot up my laptop during my next visit. Instead, in the spirit of Parker and Gill, I will have face-to-face discussions with my New York editors, high-profile members of what should be considered the new literati. After all, in a place as steadfast as the immortal Algonquin, such traditions must continue.