Welcome New York Times readers. Here's Ed Hamilton's "Slice of Life," party recap.
If you ever plan on entertaining a bunch of bohemians, skip the crudites and order more sushi. We’re still trying to finish off all of those damn vegetables.
The blog’s first-anniversary party was held in Thomas Wolfe’s old room, now occupied by the photographer Julia Calfee, who was kind enough to let us borrow it for the event. Even Robert Lambert and Dave Linter gave up their lobby spots to drop by. Highlights include Robert’s cell phone going off constantly (whoever it was no doubt thought he was still in the lobby), and Dave, who walks with a cane, announcing loudly as he exited, “I need a wide berth, here!” and scaring a couple of Brooklyn bloggers, who didn’t know that he has a sense of humor, half to death.
The painter George Chemeche, commenting on the aging bohemian population of the Chelsea, said that every time someone dies, he figures he’s going to be next. But anyone can see he’s still got a lot of life left in him.
Befitting the creatively charged atmosphere of the Chelsea, there was at least one scene, theatrically staged, between two artistic rivals, but the principals have asked us not to discuss it until 50 years after their deaths. (Rest assured, an account will be found in my papers!)
Robert Lasner of Ig Publishing went home with the door prize, a bottle of Makers Mark, for answering the most Chelsea Hotel trivia questions. Winning question: In what room did Sid kill Nancy?
The real highlight of the party didn’t come, however, until most everyone had gone home. The Irish lady who was staying next door in the transient room popped her head out and told us how nice it was that there were still hotels like this left. She drank a glass of wine with us and showed us her room – the other half of Thomas Wolfe’s old suite – and what should we discover there but the fashion designer Charles James’ ancient drafting table!! Readers of the blog know that, not having enough room, we set this table out many years ago, with a note attached describing what it was. We’ve been wandering ever since who might have retrieved it, and now we know: Stanley Bard! He has it nailed into a bookshelf, so no one else can ever again throw it in the trash. The party pics are here.
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