Tourists of the Week

Robyn Johnson and Peter Newland spent a few days in Room 907 last month.  We're happy to report that they got on well with the hotel's legendary residents--both living and dead.  Robyn also said that she appreciated the lack of a gift shop.  But we think the Hotel should have a gift shop, perhaps in the room off the lobby.  It could sell soap and towels and toilet paper.
What do you do?

            I’m a writer living on a remote and beautiful estuary in Washington State. Poetry and photography are my abiding loves. Now I’m working on a book about nonprofit development through the principles of attraction. My day job has been directing arts and community organizations, and currently I’m a consultant to nonprofits.

Has your work been influenced by any former or current residents?

            Leonard Cohen’s creative genius has inspired me for decades.

What brought you to the famed Chelsea Hotel ?

            My husband Peter and I were in town for a week in September to visit my daughter Kristen Elde and her partner David Aigner. Kristen is a writer living in Brooklyn, and David is in graduate studies at Hunter College. We were looking for an enlivening place to stay and found the Chelsea on the internet. I remembered references to it over the years, and wanted to experience the place first hand.

Was this your first visit?

            Yes, to the Chelsea but not to NYC.

Why’d you choose to stay at the Chelsea ?

            On the trail of creative inspiration by spirits dead and living………

Do you think the Chelsea Hotel has a creative spirit?

            For sure. It’s especially present in the halls, doorways, and elevators. The lobby is a treasure. The past is immediate and woven into the present in a blue silver way.  We felt welcomed by the departed and enveloped by the friendliness of the living. The residents were always willing to say hi and  talk. The energy was open and permissive, true to Chelsea tradition. One night rather late we roamed the halls enjoying the art, and the artist of the photographs on canvas took time to share a bit about his art. We appreciated his generosity.
What’s your favorite Chelsea Hotel story?

            The one recounted by Ira Nadel in his biography of Leonard Cohen. “Stanley Bard, the appropriately named manager/owner, encouraged the experimental and the offbeat. Cohen once witnessed the arrival of a virtual zoo on the upper floors, as a dress rehearsal of Katherine Dunham’s production of Aida, with lions, tigers, and other animals, took place; acrobats limbered up in the hallways and singers practiced in the elevators.” It's evident that Stanley “holds the river” at the Chelsea!

Did you spot any celebrities during your stay?

            No but we weren’t really looking.

Would you stay here again?

            Yes! We especially appreciated the lack of exploitation of the hotel’s history (no gift shop etc. etc.). The hotel's effect lingers, in a slow and melancholy way. We feel encouraged to keep on with our art. Thanks, all of you at the Chelsea