Chelsea Debouch Contributes to Stock Market Crash

James Altucher lived in the Chelsea for three years, beginning in 1995 (the same year we moved in).  When he was getting ready to move in, his grandmother cautioned him not to mention that his grandfather had stayed here in 1929 and trashed his room in a pillow fight (Financial Times, March 6, 07).  She was worried that somebody might try to charge James for the damage!
     James dismisses his grandmother’s concerns, and while at first we might be tempted to go along with him here, on further reflection it is perhaps imprudent to reject the wise counsel of the elderly.  Perhaps, after all, the grandmother has heard tell of our illustrious proprietor.  In any event, she’s right: Stanley probably would have tried to charge him.
       And what’s all this nonsense about a pillow fight?  Sounds like the sanitized version of the story.  I suspect that flappers and bootleg liquor came into play at some point during the evening’s festivities.  Surely James’ grandfather was gallivanting through our hallowed halls with a lamp shade on his head, at the very least!  That’s the Chelsea Spirit, Grampa! -- Ed Hamilton