Running Numbers

A scholarly look at the digits that matter.

by Nick Norlen

This past Friday, the Running Numbers Luxury Consumer Report Unit was dispatched to a wedding and reception at the Crystal Tea Room and an overnight stay at the Ritz-Carlton. Sampling the beef Wellington, filet mignon, gnocchi, lamb, lobster bisque, peach sorbet, prime rib, mushroom risotto and my in-depth investigation of the mashed potato bar and the chocolate fountain were purely for research purposes.

20 Number of additional minutes that President George W. Bush asked Philadelphia party band Jellyroll to play after the end of their set at the Congressional Ball at the White House this December, according to their Web site. And I must say, they were excellent on Friday, too. You know you've been spending too much time with the upper crust when you start to agree with George W.

400 Approximate distance, in feet, that one must travel to get from the Wanamaker building, which houses the Crystal Tea Room, to the Ritz-Carlton. Thank God they were running a stretch limousine shuttle service, which I took advantage of on the way back. You didn't expect my stuffed, tuxedoed self to saunter all the way back to my 14th-floor suite on foot, did you?

100 Percent of the sheets at the Ritz that are made of Egyptian cotton, which made looking down from bed on City Hall's sculpture-adorned façade — which includes a figure that looks like a pharaoh — all the more surreal. Not to mention the view of Billy Penn from the bathtub. Speaking of which ...

$40 Cost of each of the "Philadelphia Bath Experiences" offered by the Ritz, including "The General Washington Bath," "The Betsy Ross Bath," "The Love Park Bath" and the "Ben and Me Bath." Had I had time and more research funding, I would have gone with the last one, which thankfully does not include a Benjamin Franklin impersonator, but instead the children's book Ben and Me — an account of Franklin's life by his house mouse — as well as post-bath chocolate chip cookies. Ah, if only I could get that kind of treatment every day. But wait ...

244 Number of homes that will be included in the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, a 48-story, $300 million residential high-rise — scheduled for completion this fall — that will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums and penthouses at a price range of $545,000 to $12 million. Phew, for a minute there I thought I was going to have to abandon my luxury lifestyle and return to the unwashed, chocolate-chip-cookie-wanting masses.

Can I get your digits? I want to hear about the numerals you need to see. Let a number runner know at runningnumbers@gmail.com.