January 29, 2020
A Visit to the Past
As I stared out the window of our meeting suite on the 49th floor of the Palace Hotel in New York, this past week, I couldn’t help noticing the aluminum sided building just a few blocks away. The address is 666 Fifth Ave.
I was in New York to meet with my coach, Alan Weiss and several of my global consulting colleagues, as we do several times a year, to talk about our practices and to work on developing our plans and skills for the upcoming year.
I turned to Alan and told him that when I was a kid growing up in New York, I use to come into the City and visit my dad around lunch time at that building where he worked. As I often hoped, Dad would take me up to the top floor where we would have an elegant penthouse lunch at the “Top of The Sixes”.
Alan smiled and asked if I wanted to go up there and see what’s become of that stylish restaurant. Surprised and intrigued I, of course, said yes and he and my colleagues headed over after our session. When we arrived on the top floor, Alan told me that it had now become one of the most famous cigar bars in New York, the Grand Havana with other locations in Los Angeles and Moscow.
Fortunately, Alan was a member and soon we found some deep, dark, brown leather chairs to settle into, not far from where I probably dined a long time ago. I ordered up an Arturo Fuente and a single malt scotch while taking in the views of New York outside and the dignitaries inside, of which there were quite a few well known personalities.
No selfie pics allowed!
It was a great way to spend a Resilient Wednesday afternoon and helped me recall a special time from my youth creating some new adult memories with some great friends and colleagues.
Your Challenge this Week: Take a midweek break to enjoy doing something different, perhaps even visiting an old haunt from your youth.