Who would have thought you could enjoy such a proper – and stylish –  afternoon tea in the middle of Manhattan…?! The Crosby Hotel is just around the corner from the Balthazar and Moma design center in the downtown Soho neighborhood. So it’s in the heart of all that is hip and groovy. But the hotel, while full of quirky art and appointments, has a sublime Britishness about it. A portrait of the Queen peered over my shoulder as afternoon tea was served and she would have approved. The scones were hot and the champagne was perfectly chilled. Finger sandwiches were dainty and the berry tarts, with crumb-less crust, were delicate and delicious. The staff were chipper and professional, and the warm hospitality made the ‘secret service’ style of other hotels, with suits whispering into their shirt sleeves, seem rather naff. If you stay at the hotel you can take afternoon tea in the library – which would have been reason enough to move in even without the private cinema downstairs. What a wonderful hotel – and not a corgi in sight!