Donald Trump, The Plaza & Kay Thompson
Donald Trump threw Kay Thompson out of her apartment at The Plaza immediately after he bought the place. You see, Kay had lived rent-free at the hotel for years, in appreciation for her “Eloise” books, which helped make the slightly-decrepit place a bit more relevant. When the ever-charming DT noticed that Kay’s small studio was listed on the comp page, his compassionate response was “Get the old lady out.” And so, Miss Thompson, not to mention Eloise and Skipperdee, were out on their cans.
Cut to years later, when Kay, who had moved into Liza Minnelli’s swell Upper East Side roost, declared it was high time to throw Liza a not-so-secret surprise birthday party. Since both women had long histories with the hotel, it was decided that The Plaza would be the appropriate venue. I was summoned to accompany Kay (rolling in a cashmere-fitted wheelchair), Liza, Liza’s assistant Lisa, and John Loring (the design director of Tiffany & Co.) to scout the location. None of us had visited the hotel since a former Mrs. Trump…perhaps Ivana (who can keep up?) had personally redecorated the hotel. Mrs. Trump’s taste was best kept in her mouth. The place was a monstrosity of gold and ivory paint, brass and crystal chandeliers and a violent-colored carpeting usually relegated to airport lounges.
