INTRODUCTION

One day, about a year ago, I walked down my gravel driveway to the mailbox in the front of my house. Inside, along with the same-old, same-old bills and such, was an intriguing white padded envelope with THE DELANO as the return address.

(Being the smarty that I am, I knew what The Delano was; Famed Ex-Studio 54 partner Ian Schrager's cool hotel on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, Florida. In fact, I'd been there for a drink not more than a few years ago. It was true that I was the only short person there among the blonde and beautiful coterie of models, euro-trash boys and girls, and film and photography crews from around the world, but that was OK. I sat in the sun in the middle of February, drank something tropical and sweet, and watched the beautiful people. Soon, people I knew from New York and LA appeared. Lots of excitement and air-kisses. Before I knew it, the former" I" was becoming a crowd, with friends and friends of friends at the table.)

I opened it and inside was a note-pad. On each of the four sides, there were amazing photos in blue and white of breezy tropical scenes. Photos of the Delano Hotel! With it was a simple, transparent sheet of paper that said,

Thank you for your interest in Delano.
Ian Schrager Hotels. New York. Miami. London.
Coming Soon: San Francisco Santa Barbara