Paper N° 13, June 10 -2006

Top of the Rick's. In planning the restoration of the old mansion that became Rick’s Cafe we concentrated on exploiting the architectural similarities to what we see in the film “Casablanca,” enhancing the structure with lighting, decoration and plants. The expansive terrace of the residence, with a view of the sea, fishing port and the Hassan II mosque was left open, and my small apartment was built at the back. The only access to the terrace was through my living room, and since I never used that either, I was never preturbed if a worker had to pass through to access a machine on the upper terrace or wash the glass of the skylight. I spent all my time either in the restaurant or sleeping! The convergence of my 60th birthday and the approaching summer season – when our business tends to slip - presented me with an ideal project to help the latter problem and divert my attention from the former. As I found out in opening Rick’s, it helps to have a fixed finish date to work towards, and although I joked that if the terrace wasn’t open by June 11 it would delay my turning 60, it was clear the date had to hold. The plan evolved. First a brick barbecue seemed key and plans were found on the internet. An antique dealer amazingly had two giant white canvas parasols and 24 matching chairs – not antique but just the right look for the terrace. Tables of fossils, including one of oyster shells, and two zellige tables from my old house in Marrakech completed the seating. A brick planter along the walls and across the façade was designed and we added 8 ceramic pots which hold olive trees and palms. The huge, white walls of neighboring buildings on either side were a decorator’s challenge, and I regretted the absence of nostalgia on the terrace. Looking for a paper “lost” on my desk one day I uncovered some reporductions of old Casablanca postcards… and voila a plan! On the wall facing the sea is a 10 ft long, 6 ft high plastic panel of was surely the view from the terrace 70 years ago…a mail boat steaming out of Casablanca for Marseille, passing the jetty Moulay Youssef which was at that time only rocks. The other side is the view across the Medina of the old Place de France…before the destruction of many buildings to make way for the Hyatt Hotel, a quasi-modern dome and more traffic. The final panel is a lush corner of the Parc League Arabe when the famous palm trees were a third the size of today. Developing the terrace meant doing something with the living room access, and it seemed fitting to keep for myself a small corner with a view of the port with a desk for writing in the morning, and then add Moroccan art deco wood and embossed leather chairs and artisanal tables together with some of my collected paintings, prints and books to make this an informal lounge for valued clients. Welcome to Top of The Rick’s! Kathy Kriger June 10 2006 Previous entries May 1-8 May 15 - June 4 July August November January 2005 March 2005 June 2005 October 2005 January 2006 March 2006 June 2006