SUPER BOWL SUNDAY IS OVER, BUT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE!

Last night was so much fun! Super Bowl Sunday party at The National Hotel!!! The day had started like any other Sunday and perhaps a little slower than most, because the weather was probably more conducive to people staying at home than venturing out. However, just at around 6 p.m., friends, neighbors, and people we’d yet to meet, started arriving. At one point we had several groups of 15 people coming in at the same time! My husband, Pete, and Marlon, our General Manager, were there to greet everyone and take care of everything. Boy, what would we do without Marlon! He works hand-in-hand with Pete to make sure that nothing is overlooked and that our customers receive the absolute best service possible.

This weekend follows a terrific month of January, where Hunterdon Life Magazine did a feature story about The National Hotel in their January issue, even doing a story about Super Bowl Sunday dishes where our executive chef, Ron Rittenhouse, was one of the featured chefs. They captured him “in action” creating his delicious signature empanadas in our kitchen, and took photos of The National Hotel and of Pete too.

I didn't blog for a few weeks at the end of 2009, for many reasons. Mainly, we were so busy with the end-of-year activities, that all our energy was directed towards making sure we exceeded our customers' expectations and on updating our e-presence. Add to that being a parent, that blogging took a backseat for a few weeks. But having blogged recently, it felt cathartic! So here I go again.

We've shared with you on another occasion that we discovered beautifully preserved pumpkin pine floors in our lobby area and in other areas of our establishment. Well, on New Year's Eve, I had several--not just one or two--guests, ask me if they could go to the lobby area to see the floors. Well of course! Why not, we want to share every little piece of The National Hotel with everyone.

Anyone who has asked to see a room, to see the ones with the large jacuzzi tubs, to see the porches or the very private and separate Rm. 207 Loft Suite, we've gladly accommodated.

The pumpkin pine floors have become a definite draw--we don't know whether it's the story of how we found them under two layers of wood flooring and a dilapidated wall-to-wall carpeting that needed to be changed--but people keep asking, and we're thrilled to share!

Even the other day, we had the pleasure of having an interesting conversation with someone from Flemington who asked us, "You did a great job restoring this great old building, but I'm from Flemington. Why didn't you save our Union Hotel?" She walked around our lobby area, admiring the pumpkin pine floors. We told her that those floors were a real discovery for us.

After pulling up a corner of the carpet, we didn't find anything but plywood and we were incredibly disappointed. But then, when the day came to replace the carpeting, one layer came up, then another layer, and still a third--and that's when Pete sent me a text with a photo attached of the beautiful and well-preserved floors that he'd uncovered! Wow!!!

Thanks Pete for persevering and not just dropping new carpeting on top of the plywood. Another bit of "news" is that just a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting one of the people responsible for doing the renovations after the 1984 accident when a truck lost its brakes and came crashing through the front of the building. He confirmed that he did not do any work on the pumpkin pine floors at all. The front door had to be renovated as did other areas of the building, but not the lobby, which confirms our assertion that the floors are the original deal!

Does anyone have any knowledge as to whether the lobby area was always carpeted or somehow had the floors preserved? It looks like no one ever really set foot on them. We are so fortunate...I say that a lot, don't I???

THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS JUST GOT BETTER!

I am so impressed by all that my husband, Pete, has been able to accomplish. You might think that it's a very subjective view given that he's my husband, but truly, every day he manages to push through the daily grind to find the beauty in The National Hotel. While I'm in NYC working at a local non-profit and spending my evenings with our two beautiful daughters, he is working towards creating a truly special atmosphere, a welcoming environment, and a destination for all who want to feel like they are a part of something unique, all through The National Hotel. It's a joy to witness, and an even greater joy to be able to share this through our blog, marketing, communications, and outreach efforts.

Tonight was just full of exciting prospects. Our Thursdays will kick off our Open Mike sessions beginning on Thursday, February 4th!!! Sign-ups start at 8:30 p.m. and the show jump starts at 9 p.m. downstairs in The Rathskeller Pub. Click here to get contact information to let us know if you're interested in participating!

And, Sundays truly got better! Not only will we feature local artists in our Rathskeller Pub Lounge, but we will also be the proud hosts of an open mike session for writers and poets. Wait...that's not all. Pete has also secured other entertainers, who will just wow you. And everything is done through our local artists, our local talent! I'm going to leave those details to my next post, because I don't want to gush all over this page.

Super Bowl Sunday is on the 7th, so we'll save our next performer, Teri Rambo, for the 14th. Please join us in the Rathskeller Pub Lounge, on February 14th, from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Teri is an Indie/Folk musician who has written her own music. We hope you'll make the time to share this special upcoming afternoon with us. Mark your calendars!

I do think it's important to recognize how fortunate we were to be able to feature a truly special Sunday afternoon on January 24th. We were treated to the performance of Dennis Thatcher ("Den"), and after the 1st hour or so, he was joined by two lovely ladies who accompanied him with beautiful voices, rhythm and talent.

Den played classic cover rock, and was able to entertain one and all. Even our youngest daughter, Laina, who is a Beatles' fan, was able to request a song from Den. He captured all of our attention, even drawing some of our staff from the upstairs Bar, downstairs to The Rathskeller Pub Lounge, to listen to his music. We were all transfixed by his music, and by his stories. He told some pretty funny tales about growing up in Frenchtown and the different people from town who helped shape his life.

It truly was a fun, relaxed and enjoyable afternoon. I even had the pleasure of having 2 assistants: Laina, as the new videographer, taking turns with Shiara, our oldest daughter, as an additional photographer! And to add to this wealth of involved people, I received an email from one of our very first supporters, Alana Balogh, who helped spread the word about Den! She took it upon herself to email her friends about our Sunday program. This is after all she did a couple of months ago, when she single-handedly contacted musicians in the area to let them know that The National Hotel was hoping to feature live music in the near future. We received such an incredible response from musicians who were interested in performing, that we will always be grateful for her interest and for her continued support. The National Hotel has truly allowed us to meet wonderful people, who continue to give of themselves, and to show us an immense trust in our ability to ensure that The National Hotel surges forward even in this recovering economy. Thank you to all our friends, new and old.

We hope you had the opportunity to join us, but if you didn't, click on the webclip below to get a sampling of the music Den played.

We hope that you'll come and support our local artists and send us your feedback if you'd like to see us reach out to other musicians, or have a particular one in mind. You can also email us at info@thenationalhotelnj.com if you'd like reach us directly rather than on this public forum.

See you on the 14th to welcome Teri Rambo!