Historic Hotel Chelsea in New York

When I booked my reservation online, I had no idea how famous the Hotel Chelsea was. I had to stay in New York for one night on business, and wanted something affordable but different. The $250 price tag seemed reasonable for a New York City hotel, and the photos I saw online of the guest rooms made it seem appealing and easy to deal with.

When I arrived in the city, I went directly to the Javits Convention Center, without even stopping to drop off my bags. I worked at the convention center until about 5 p.m., and during a break was chatting with some colleagues. The talk soon turned to hotels in general and where we were all staying. One of the gentlemen mentioned that he usually likes to stay in historic hotels. I thought nothing of this, but when I said I was staying at the Hotel Chelsea, his jaw dropped to the floor.

He told me that this was the hotel where punk-rock icon Sid Vicious from the Sex Pistols had stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death. He also told me that the hotel was not only historic, but famous for all the artists, writers and musicians who have lived and stayed here. This information piqued my curiosity, and as I hailed a cab (tired as I was) I became giddy with excitement.

Upon my arrival, I knew this was no typical hotel. Entering the lobby, I was hit with a rush of nostalgia stemming from creative vibes. The front lobby was decorated with a vast and varied collection of art - most notably a large marionette-like sculpture of a figure sitting on a swing, hanging from the ceiling. The sculpture appeared to be made of papier-mache. I later found out that much of the art displayed throughout the hotel was given as payment in lieu of rent. The casual furniture in the lobby was full of serious but ratty types - chatting, reading, or making use of the free Wi-Fi provided only in the lobby.

When I walked up to the front desk, I was thrown off by the mail slots, many of which were full of mail. Was this a residential hotel? Why had I not researched this place beyond looking at some photos on Hotels.com??? Everything looked very old. The area behind the desk looked somewhat paint splattered and shabby, and there were canvas paintings stacked up everywhere. The girl behind the desk looked stylish in a very bohemian way. She had a huge smile and a wild look in her eyes. I checked in without a hitch, was given my room key (which was a real key rather than a swipe-card) and took the elevator to the 8^th floor.

I got off the elevator and raised my eyebrows at the marble-tiled floors, which ran perpendicular to a winding staircase. I could see that as far as the staircase winds through the hotel, the walls surrounding it were lined with original paintings, some on canvas, some on what looked like large pieces of cloth. (Later, when waiting for the elevator in this same corridor, I experienced a man walking a woman through the staircase, pointing out his original works to her.)

Walking down the corridor toward my room, I noticed that the room doors were very tall, and that there were welcome mats in front of some of them. When I arrived at my designated room, I noticed that there was a door to another room, perpendicular to that of mine. The door was painted black, with sayings and quotes as well as some odd designs. There was an umbrella caddy with a few umbrellas in it right outside the door. (Interesting).

I had to struggle with the key and lock in order to open the door to my room because everything was so old. When I entered, I immediately noticed the comforter on the double bed. It was very nice and looked extremely cozy. I then noticed the carpet - it was just the opposite. It had an extremely "lived-in" look, to say the least. The room itself was small, but the architecture was amazing. The walls were noticeably thick and the ceilings seemed to be higher than 12 feet. The antique quality of the place reminded me of old Victorians in which I've lived in San Francisco. The windows were large, and also very old. Everything had a distinct art deco feel to it. The mismatched furnishings all appeared to be art deco, and the somewhat dim (if not romantic) lighting added to the effect. The flat screen television, though seemingly out-of-place was definitely appreciated.

The erie feeling of wonder that I experienced in the hotel, paired with what my colleague had told me earlier in the day prompted me to turn to my good ol' pal, Google. What did I find? Not only is the Hotel Chelsea historical because of the Sid Vicious and Nauseating Nancy drama, but also because of the bevy of authors, artists, musicians, thinkers and drug-addicted geniuses that had streamed through this place in the last century.

I found out that the hotel was built in the 1880's and was originally an upscale apartment building. Until 1884, the Hotel Chelsea was the tallest building in New York. Over the years, the hotel's famed residents and visitors included Mark Twain, Thomas Wolfe, , Patti Smith, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsburg, Bob Dylan, Dee-Dee Ramone, Andy Warhol's entourage and many others. Janis Joplin had sex there with Leonard Cohen (who wrote about it). Dylan Thomas drank himself to death there. It has always been and will always be a haven of the subculture.

Reading further along in the history of the Hotel Chelsea, I found some more recent albeit fascinating drama. It appears that for many years the hotel was run by one Stanley Bard. Just months before my stay at the historic hotel, the Chelsea was bought out and the longtime manager was ousted, causing quite the uproar. Apparently, there has been much friction between the permanent residents and the new management company. Thanks to the wonders of modern-day technology, much of this drama has been documented (almost daily) on various blogs. To read history unfolding, log onto hotelchelseablog.com or search for "Chelsea" on hotelchatter.com. It promises to be an interesting story - still in the making.