Finding Marilyn...

We decided to fly with Virgin and the seven hours passed like a warm breeze on a summers evening! It was wonderful on the way there – the cabin crew could not be faulted (the journey back was a different story however!) and our seats were comfortable. We had the latest technology and were able to watch TV, films etc when we wanted to, without having to wait for a film to start we had a whole list of the latest films to dip in and out of at our leisure. Alternatively we could even play computer games against each other if we wanted to! The food was acceptable and the journey was sheer pleasure! I spent a long time debating whether or not to wear flight socks – my brother had flown to New York for his honeymoon the previous year and had a horrific story to tell about flight socks which really put me off – until I discovered he’d brought the wrong size – he said he felt like Big Bird from Sesame Street by the time he reached his destination and removed the socks they were so small! So – I wore the correct size socks and was very glad I did! You have to measure both your shoe size and calf size – for those of you like my brother that didn’t realise! 

When we booked the hotel John spent hours and hours of trawling the internet to find the right one for us. We chose the Fitzpatrick Hotel Grand Central in the heart of midtown Manhattan, and could not have chosen either a better location or hotel – after all the hours we spent walking the streets of New York City it was pure luxury to come back and relax in our room and the end of a very long day. The rooms were spacious, luxurious and clean. We had fluffy towelling dressing gowns and slippers, and even an umbrella just in case it rained – and it did! I have never slept in a more comfortable or cosy bed – in fact, I absolutely love my own bed at home and could never imagine being so comfortable in a hotel bed – well, the bed at the Fitzpatrick was so comfortable that when we returned home I couldn’t get used to sleeping in my own bed again!  

There were also tea and coffee making facilities in the room, a nice size fridge and a huge TV – it was just elegant!  We had breakfast each morning in the wheeltapper bar attached to the hotel (don’t be put off by the name – it was great!) from about $12 each we had as much coffee as we could drink, orange juice and a full Irish breakfast, followed by toast, jam, marmalade etc – this really set us up for the day and we even skipped lunch, just stopping off to have a New York cheesecake and coffee along the way! The only thing the hotel lacked was a view, as it's quite a small hotel only 3 or 4 floors I think - though for me this was something of a bonus as I'm not a fan of great heights!

Although we had a long flight and were pretty tired after the journey, we went for a short stroll and had something to eat local to where we were staying as meals were not included in the price of the hotel - we found there were so many luscious places to eat in New York but please do watch your tips! We gave a 15% tip in one Thai Restaurant after a not so enjoyable meal and they would not let us leave the premises until we'd increased the tip to 25% - our only really bad experience! Tipping is mostly optional in the UK but New Yorkers take it very seriously - so please do remember that and make allowances in your budget!

The following day we began our Marilyn tour in earnest and being the committed shopaholic I am, one of the first places we visited was one of Marilyn's favourite stores - Bloomingdales! It was Sunday morning and very wet, cold and rainy - New York's temperatures in April are pretty much the same as in the UK - cold and wet!

On the way to Bloomingdale's we passed another Marilyn landmark - The Waldorf Astoria.

Marilyn had a suite at the Waldorf and it was from here that she announced that she wanted to be taken seriously as an actress and did not want to continue with the Hollywood blonde sex bomb type roles.

One of the places I was most 'itching' to see was the the Seven Year Itch house - using Melinda's map it was a breeze finding the place and I absolutely fell in love with it - it's a beautiful building and we spent a lot of time just enjoying the atmosphere and taking in the scene where Marilyn's exterior shots for the film were taken. Of course we also had to go to the subway grating where Marilyn filmed her most famous scene of all from the Seven Year Itch - the billowing rise of her  white dress, the scene that so enraged DiMaggio but engraved her image deep into Hollywood iconic eye.

It's important to say we didn't take a single cab except for the cab from the airport to the hotel, which cost us about £40.00 including tip. The only time we took public transport was when took the subway over to see Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty! Literally the whole of our week in New York we walked following the map from Melinda. Each day we were out walking for more than 8hrs a day and we still haven't seen everything we want to see, so will hopefully be going back soon!

I loved the Actors Studio - I could just see Marilyn there - and like every other site, we spent a lot of time there just soaking up the atmosphere! Lee Strasberg had been the artistic director of the Actors Studio since 1948, it was where he promoted the 'Method' based on the teachings of Stanislavsky. The Method involved a great deal of self searching and self analysis, which some people believed was not good for someone as vulnerable and insecure as Marilyn. Whilst as a fan of Marilyn's I have some issues with Lee's influence in her life - just being at this place, standing and looking, helped me to understand a little better why Marilyn became so involved - it's hard to explain how it felt to be standing there - there was a vitality, an excitement and hope.

Students of the Method were encouraged to use their own experiences and past when taking on board the character they were to portray. They were required to live the character, to draw on their own memories, joyful or painful - to become the character they were playing. This will be explored further in Influential People.

We explored Marilyn's apartments - she had many during her years in New York, how we would have loved to have gone in and taken a look around each one!

Coming from a village in the South of England, I initially found New York very claustrophobic, with so many intimidating tall buildings crowded in together. Central Park was like a release, a total freedom. We spent the day of our anniversary in Central Park and that was the day I truly fell in love with New York and suddenly it became very clear to me why Marilyn loved the City so much too!

The Strasberg's home overlooked the breathtaking Central Park, Marilyn was a frequent visitor to their home. The San Remo apartments were known as New York's original Twin Towers.

The San Remo is elegant and sophisticated.

The buildings in New York are impressive and amazing!

It was a magical experience altogether but one thing in particular happened and I will never forget the excitement I felt! On the day before we were due to go home I was sitting in our hotel reading a book I had brought whilst browsing the shops when we first arrived. The book was Milton's Marilyn edited by Joshua Greene, Milton's son. In the introduction I read '480 Lexington Avenue was an old-fashioned eleven story office building...' Joshua was describing his father's studio in New York - I read and read again, I checked our hotel address - I couldn't believe it - all during our holiday the one thing I was disappointed about is that I never knew where Milton's studio was and suddenly - it dawns upon me - I've been looking at it every day! We were directly opposite Grand Central Station and 480 Lexington Avenue!

Well, that's pretty much our trip to New York in brief! I can honestly say that I would thoroughly recommend going and I will be going again as soon as I can - it's a magnificent Cornucopia of Monroe for Marilyn fans but even if you're not specifically interested in Monroe - New York has something for everyone! I have barely skimmed the surface of our trip - it is rich in Marilyn history and one of the most amazing Cities in the world!