Can you imagine the ultimate New York experience? A horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Skating at Rockefeller Center? How about a tuxedo'd, fit and trim Billy Joel sitting behind a glossy black grand piano, playing "New York State of Mind" on the 35th floor of a new hotel, with an eastern night view of the city as his backdrop?

Pretty cool, huh?

Well, that's what we got Monday night when City Harvest held a fundraiser at the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel. You know the hotel is part of the massive and awful new Time Warner complex in Columbus Circle that, save for Jackie Onassis' insistence and brilliance years ago, would be casting shadows through the Park. But I digress.

There's Billy, on stage by himself, no band, with a wall of windows behind him and the twinkling lights of Central Park South dancing in the background. It was like a scene out of a movie. Of course, Billy joked when he sat down at the piano and picked up a glass of refreshment, "It’s just water!" He adjusted his harmonica, which looked like a dental appliance, and cracked, "The first time I saw Bob Dylan wear this I thought he'd been in a car accident. Then I heard him sing, and I knew he’d been!"

He sang "Piano Man" and "New York State of Mind," which was supposed to be all. In between he did a riff on the Eagles' "Hotel California," substituting the name of the Mandarin. His surprise finisher was "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," and that would have been it, except for a man who passed a linen napkin forward with a request. He'd make a $5,000 donation if Joel would perform "Just The Way You Are." (I have this napkin, which Joel signed later, and will happily offer it to the highest bidder who wants to make a donation to City Harvest.)

After seeing Billy Joel perform at the opening of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Monday night, our favorite moment came during the crowded cocktail hour on the 35th floor, as we saw a waiter pass a tray of hors d'oeuvres over the head of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who did not appear to notice.

We also very much enjoyed our guided tour of the spa on the same floor. A naked fellow, a model with a muscular physique, was stretched out on a table and getting a massage. A small folded towel covered some, but not much, of his behind. As guests would enter the room, the behind was what greeted them first.

Booking a room for a couple in the spa was $975, our guide told us. We were more interested in how the party was for the naked fellow getting the massage. How is this going for you? The muscular model remained silent.

Though there were not many celebrities at the event, which included a benefit for City Harvest, in the crowd were Gina Lollobrigida, in a fully sequined gown; Jocelyn Wildenstein, who gave the cocktail party a 20-minute walk around and left; Neil Sedaka; and the master of ceremonies, the Earl of Lichfield.

Mr. Joel, who played much of his set alone at the piano, in the darkened ballroom under a spotlight, performed to cheers. He did not mingle before or after entertaining. He was in a hotel room, registered under the name Robert Schumann, the German composer who dedicated many of his piano pieces to his wife, Clara.

Mr. Joel's (much) younger girlfriend, Kate Lee, was at the party, hanging out with friends. Ms. Lee, who lives in Oyster Bay with Mr. Joel, said she would be working with the chef George Hirsch on PBS as a restaurant correspondent.

Was she having any problems being in the spotlight?

A black-tie dress code and white-maned Lord Lichfield as emcee may have given the December 1st, 2003 grand opening of the Mandarin Oriental New York in the Time Warner building a touch of class, but Long Island boy Billy Joel gave it soul. "This is water, OK?" the bantam-like Mr. Joel told the appreciative crowd - a reference to his 2002 drying out at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut - before addressing another kind of rehab. "Columbus Circle needed a little sprucin' up," he said as the skyline of Manhattan twinkled through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. "It was a little funky." Mr. Joel then proceeded to play a series of his standards - "Piano Man," "New York State of Mind" and "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" - to a crowd that included author Frederick Forsyth, police chief Ray Kelly, chef Eric Ripert and his wife Sandra, restaurateur Steve Hanson and songwriter Denise Rich. Mr. Joel was just about to call it a night when Four Seasons restaurant co-owner Julian Niccolini ran to the stage and convinced the singer to play an encore, "Just The Way You Are."

Earlier in the evening an auction raised some dough for the City Harvest charity. A fashion package that included a pair of Fred Leighton earrings worn by Nicole Kidman to the 2003 Oscars fetched $22,000. The catering business must be hopping because the winning bid came from Rhona Silver, the chief executive officer of Huntington Townhouse, a catering hall in Huntington Station, NY. And when Ms. Silver, resplendent in a fur hat was led off to claim her prize, one of the evening's organizers asked her: "Did you think you were going to get it?"