Living with Legends

If you pay for TimesSelect, you can read Steven Kurutz’s article "Literary New York," in which he gives a nod to the Hotel Chelsea’s storied guest list of writers.  However, we cringed when we read that "Chelsea Hotel Horror" is the definitive literary work about the hotel.  If you have a better suggestion, bring it on.  I once asked Mr. Bard if he knew of any novels that had been set in the hotel and his answer was that the father-in-law in Saul Bellow’s Herzog lived in the Chelsea.  I read Herzog and did not find that to be the case.  Bard and Jerry also gave a nod to Sparkle Hayter’s Chelsea Girl Murders. Anyway, we stand by what we told Steven, tell your readers to check out the blog for a literary outpouring!

"One spot that boasts a rich literary and music history is the famed Hotel Chelsea (222 West 23rd Street, 212-243-3700; starting at $195; book at least three weeks in advance), which, believe it or not, was a home to writers long before Ethan Hawke moved in. Consider the past guest list: Mark Twain, Tennessee Williams, William S. Burroughs, Arthur Miller. Unfortunately, these writers made little mention of the Chelsea in their work, leaving Dee Dee Ramone’s "Chelsea Hotel Horror" as the definitive novel about the hotel. People-watching in the lobby is highly recommended; Mr. Ramone’s novel is optional."   (The correct title of Dee Dee’s book is Chelsea Horror Hotel.  Thanks to blogchelsea for the link.)