-
Chelsea Hotel closes to guests – will residents be next?
]]>
The Chelsea Hotel sits on 23rd Street near Seventh Avenue like a living cultural icon, wheezing but still standing while the rest of Manhattan kept changing. Being a diehard Janis Joplin fan (though I haven’t listened to her music in years because it still reminds me of despair and whiskey), I’ve looked at the Chelsea a thousand times and recalled an iconic photograph of her standing in front of this Hotel. It’s where Dylan Thomas had his last conscious moments, where Leonard Cohen had a tryst with Joplin that he wrote infamous lyrics about. Where Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe called home for a while. It’s part of the city’s cultural legacy, and it may be on its way to development hell.
As of last Saturday, it will no longer accept guests. The residents have been told they’ll stay, but we take these things with a choking grain of salt. It wasn’t that long ago that the YMCA just across the street still had residents and a long storied history. Now it’s a David Barton gym.
From the New York Times:
Saturday night was, by all indications, the last night that the Chelsea Hotel on West 23rd Street would be open to guests, though the duration of the closing, the first in its history, was unknown.
The building is to be sold for over $80 million to the developer Joseph Chetrit, though the deal had not closed as of Sunday, according to someone close to the matter, who asked not to be named because the negotiations were confidential. Extensive renovations are expected to take at least a year. The hotel’s 100 permanent residents will be allowed to stay, but they have been told nothing beyond what the startled hotel workers learned late last week: that all reservations after Saturday were canceled.
Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic club honored by GLBT Museum
From SFAppeal.com: An exhibit celebrating the oldest LGBT democratic club in the nation and its 40th anniversary will be unveiled at the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco this evening. “40 Years Together, 40 Years Strong” honors the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, the first registered LGBT democratic organization. The Alice B. Toklas Memorial Democratic Club of San Francisco, established in 1971, was named after the partner of famous writer and poet Gertrude Stein. The name “Alice B. Toklas” was chosen to protect the confidentiality of its members, organization officials said. People who described themselves as “members of Alice” were similar to those who called themselves “friends of Dorothy,” meaning that only gay people would know the club referred to other gay people, according to the organization.]]>
Tired Old Queen at the Movies, #80 – ‘Gypsy’
Flying Solo: Savoring Savannah, GA
A Travelogue with Rick Rose
Like neighboring Charleston, the city of Savannah, Georgia is historic as all get out. What is way cool about the city is that it was laid out in 1733 around four open squares. The city plan anticipated growth and expansion of the grid. Additional squares were added during the 18th and 19th centuries, and by 1851 there were twenty-four squares in the city.
Many of us know the city because of the recent fame brought to it by John Berendt’s best selling novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and subsequent Clint Eastwood movie. When you take a “Walk through Midnight” tour, you see the squares and learn the story of Savannah in a very amazing way. The true star here is the wonderful city itself. Guides offer personal insights and observations, as well as new stories that would create an incredible sequel or two. Many of the friendly guides were even extras in the movie and have added memorabilia to show you along the way. A two mile tour is spread out over just under two hours. Check out the tours here.
Savannah has been rated by Walking Magazine as “one of the 10 Best Walking Cities in America.” The pristine squares and bordering tree-lined streets, incredible parks, and laid-back pace make Savannah an ideal location for leisurely and intimate vacationing where the heat of the South rarely gets to you. You can always hop in and out of air conditioning as you need to by touring the city’s many historic homes. My favorite and that of many other young girls (ha!) is the birthplace of the founder of the Girl Scouts of America, which has been a virtual mecca to nearly 3 million visitors since it began a restoration to splendor in the 1950s.
Half way through the day, Susan and I grew hungry. As you can imagine, a Southern City has plenty to offer the weary walker. We chose www.mrswilkes.com for some rib-sticking Southern cooking. A line gathers each morning at 107 West Jones Street, the address of what was once and in some ways still is the boarding home of Mrs.Wilkes. Today the Wilkes’ kids swing the door open wide and friendly at 11 o’clock as they welcome a lunch crowd that scurries to find seats at one of the large tables-for-ten shared by strangers who over a meal become family, of sorts. Tabletops are crowded with platters of fried chicken and cornbread dressing, sweet potato souffle, biscuits, black-eyed peas, okra gumbo to name just a few of the dishes.
You may want to enjoy a meal from the lineage of the Lady and her sons at http://www.ladyandsons.com. That’s right, Paula Dean calls Savannah home as do her sons. Every day of the week, the host at their establishment begins to take names at 9:30am for lunch and dinner on a first come first served basis from her famous podium on Congress Street in front of the restaurant. You must appear in person to receive a priority seating time. Sunday, the Dean clan offers up a scrumptious buffet from 11am until 5 pm. The wait at Wilkes is typically less, and it is more joyful for me to dine there, but Susan and I did check out the accompanying kitchen goods store to the Dean restaurant. Cool stuff can be purchased on the recommendation of Paula who clearly knows the need of those of us who love to cook.
To complement your walking exploration, take a Carriage Ride; the horses in Savannah are some of the prettiest I have seen. When darkness covers the city, check out one of the many famous Irish pubs spread throughout the squares for a quick pint of Guiness or my favorite, a Black Smith (like a Black and Tan but with Smithwicks Irish beer). You willl need it to calm your nerves before you board the trolley of one of the city’s famous ghost tours (www.savannahtours.us). We screamed our way through basements of old homes that were left intact the day they were abandoned and many city cemeteries. I assure you that you will too. Take lots of pictures, as we did, because looking for the “orbs” in them afterwards is part of the fun. Savannah is filled with spirits.
Speaking of spirits, there is a great LGBT scene in and around the beautiful riverwalk where drinking happens all day long! If you get energized you can join in for some spirited gay volleyball which is played every Sunday in Daffin Park from 2 to 6 in the afternoon. www.gaysavannah.com is undoubtedly one of the best directories and magazines I have seen in any city. It will guide you to places of interest that range from antiquing to green living. An added bonus for me on this trip was meeting Ronni Carpenter, whose grandparents owned a general store out in the countryside of Savannah. There they sold shoes made in Hannibal, MO during the days that followed WWI when Hannibal was the largest shoe manufacturer in the nation. It’s a fascinating piece of American history, and Ronni was kind enough to invite me and Susan and a couple friends who once lived in Hannibal over to see the shoes that survived over these many years.
Savannah has survived and is currently thriving! Go check it, and let me know what you think!
Travel deliciously,
Rick
LGBT people over 50 increasing as percentage of the rainbow
The number of lgbt people over 50 (the target audience for this site) is growing in proportion to the general population. And that number is expected to double by 2030. See link below.
