Fun, easy read about the WA:
http://nypost.com/2017/02/06/13-surp...ldorf-astoria/
Personal Story: As winter turned to spring, 1964, my parents stayed at the WA. They were idiots, as my mom was towards the end of a pregnancy and probably should not have traveled, but they thought one last trip would be okay. That morning, in the room...
MOM: I'm in labor.
DAD: No you're not.
MOM: I've been in labor before. This is labor.
DAD: I'm a doctor. This isn't real labor.
With that, he left her in the room to attend a conference meeting. Within the hour, hotel staff was helping mom to the hospital, trying to find my dad in the conference room. I was born at 12:06 pm, so mom was right.
My parents had not decided on a middle name, but in NYC, at least at the time, the full name had to be recorded before leaving the delivery room. My parents put the letter "J" on the document, intending to decide later and correct the birth certificate. Which they never did. When asked, I claim the "J" stands for "my parents are idiots."