The Plaza: The Secret Life Of America's Most Famous Hotel

"It all comes back to The Plaza. No other New York edifice so directly reflects the city itself – the shift from old money to new business, the strained relationship between developers and unions, globalization, and every generation’s interpretations of the past. Through personal interviews and historical accounts, Julie Satow embraces the chaos of its history. The details are always dramatic, though it’s impossible to ignore the distance between backroom billionaires and expendable employees. Still, nostalgia about the Plaza always manages to turn its excess into excitement, and the fact that it survived hard times endears the hotel even to those who can only dream of staying there."