The Lumber Baron at The Amway Grand Plaza

The Lumber Baron inside the Pantlind Lobby at the Amway Grand Plaza is still one of my favorite lounges in the country. Cocktails simply taste better when you're inside this very classy joint. Floor to ceiling mahogany wood, original Hollywood Studio photos of famed actors and singers, impressionist Mathias Alten paintings, soft leather seating, an antique French fireplace and, of course, a magnificent selection of wines and liquor. 

The original Lumber Baron Bar was the site of the trilateral summit between US President Ronald Reagan, Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1981. The management of Amway Hotel Corporation closed down the Lumber Baron in 1996 to make way for it's GP Sports Restaurant. AHC donated the original Lumber Baron furnishings to Grand Valley State University. The new and more refined Lumber Baron opened a few years later. Just like it's older dining sibling, The 1913 Room, the Lumber Baron remains one of those bastions of timeless design and architecture worth appreciating (and enjoying with a glass of wine) during one's lifetime.