Soul of a City (and Discretion)
"It's completely awesome—and frankly nutso," says Anthony Bourdain of New York's "Palace of Secrets," the Carlyle Hotel.
Princess Diana, Michael Jackson and Steve Jobs walk into a bar. Actually, it was a hotel elevator, and this isn’t a joke. The operator closes the door. The four stare ahead; no one utters a word for several floors—until Diana cuts the tension by breaking into “Beat It.”
As power elevators go, it’s hard to top that trio—though, given this happened at New York’s infamously discreet Carlyle Hotel, there are likely juicier ensembles and tales, never to be told. ( once referred to it as the “.”) Regulars at the Carlyle have included numerous presidents, John F. Kennedy Jr., Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Condoleezza Rice, Jack Nicholson, George and Amal Clooney, Lenny Kravitz, Sofia Coppola, Roger Federer
