Meet Barry & James

We’ve mentioned before that the best benefit of having this blog, even though it’s a lot of work, is the nice people we’ve met, both within the walls of the Chelsea Hotel and throughout the neighborhood.

Barry Hoggard and James Wagner, who live on the other side of 23^rd Street, were brave enough to invite us over site unseen for drinks before the holidays.  We knew of their blogs, but we had never met them before.  They graciously gave us a tour of their impressive art collection.   And, like us, they dislike the changes that these corporate businesses are bringing to the character of the neighborhood and have resolved to do something about it.  To this effect, James has some news to announce! 

The giant, spinning, flood-lit pink cupcake perched above the curb on the top of an advertising canopy on West 23 Street has to be removed within 30 days. The city's Department of Transportation [DOT], which has the authority in these things as the safety guardian of our streets and sidewalks, has found that the owners' original permit for a conventional framed canopy expired in 2003 and that the mechanical structure appended to the awning the restaurant had built after 2003, is itself in violation of city statute.

In addition, James and Barry, have some awesome coverage of the Armory Show on their blogs.  Their favorite piece involved a toilet stall, a urinal and some “Lisa” soap.  I don’t what that says about James and Barry, but we’ll politely withhold comment.  After all, we’re big fans of the Lisa brand ourselves. The official soap of the Chelsea Hotel. It just sounds so much better than Dove or Ivory.  Why shouldn’t a soap have a nice feminine name?  We also have a dog named Lisa on our hall. And, even a girl.  We live on the floor of the Lisa. 

 

Jade Townsend Lisa Soap installation.

Hotel Chelsea "Lisa Soap" installation.

















(Photo by Robert Boyd of Barry Hoggard and James Wagner at Schroeder Romero, in front of a Kathe Burkhart (April 2003))