Since the hostile take over occurred in mid-June appx.175 stories have been published about the Bards and the famed Hotel Chelsea.  Definitely, one of the most covered stories of the Summer. In my opinion, 99% of these stories show support for the Bards and the Chelsea hotel community.  Below is a list of most of the coverage with links to many of the stories.  And, the end is not in sight.  Journalists continue to contact us on a weekly basis. Kudos to the media for continuing to follow this story.
Coverage Since July 14
Main Stream Media:
 
New York Times, Village Voice, New York Observer, amNewYork, Newsday, Globe and Mail, New York Post, Irish Times, Speigel, Die Presse.com, Jetzt.de, Net-Tribune.de, Portada TERRA COLOMBIA, Stay Thirsty

Stories Not Available Online: International Hearld Tribune, Windsor Star (CA), Canberra Times (AU),

Week 2
MSM: New York Post, NYC Resident, BizBash, Fodors, Agence France-Presse, Metro France, South Asian Women’s Forum, India, Tiscali (uk),  Show Biz & Style Inquirer, Tiscali Actualidad, Turkish Press

Blogs: Gawker, Curbed, Gothamist, NYMag, Hotel Chatter, LeVanguardia, Grumpy Old Bookman, NYMag again, Warhol Stars, NYMag again, Design Age, Guida USA, All of Me, NYMag again, Hotel Chatter again, Walking Turcot Yards, Blogs a part, Toll Booths and Train Stops, Disembedded, Do Not Feed Water Fowl, Newbie in New York, Moons of Saturn, Hoover Factory, Detroit Crazy, Guerrero Llevado Adentro, Entre le Uni i la Ciutat,  Mr. Heng’s World, Artsy Fartsy, Robert Paterson’s Weblog, Disembedded again,

Stories Not Available Online: TV5 (france), LaVanguardia (2 stories in addition to the blog post),  Italian TV (ran some footage from the 5/15 Australian documentary and updated the story)

Week 3
MSM: New York Times, Toronto Star, NY Post, The Villager, Raw Story,

Blogs: Finally, we don’t have to do all of the work: Living with Leeches, curbed, libero, nymag.com, racked, vagablond,

Not Available Online: 1010 Wins — The Joe Montone Show, Le Matin Bleu (Free Daily paper in Switzerland)

Week 4 
MSM: Sunday Times (South Africa’s largest daily paper), Financial Times, New York Times

Blogs: The Shophound, (Shophound thinks we have a "buzz generating restaurant" in our future here at the hotel), Newyorkology, NY Mag, curbed, blogchelsea

(Thanks to Sparkle for a lot of these links.)

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13 responses to “All The News That’s Fit to Print (And Then Some)”

  1.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Youse guys should run a piece about the 80s-throwback rent-a-cop that BD installed in our lobby 24 hours a day. some residents know they’re there, some still don’t – but should. at least one of these jokers is a chain smoker and it apparently doesn’t cross his mind to move away from the entrance of the hotel while he’s puffing away on his carcinogen sticks. this particular badge is a real sore thumb. passed him yesterday while he was plopped down in the corner where residents usually sit to talk and let him know that white socks with a (very shabby) sport coat and slacks were a sure-fire giveaway. the look of surprise on his face was classic…anyway we will try to get a picture of him chain smoking in front that is worth posting online.
    What exactly is BD’s goal with this? to make the residents uncomfortable in their own place? To keep stanley at bay no matter what time of day or night? To escort david elder to his room at night so he isn’t mugged? To put an stop to the high stakes art thefts that have come to plague the hotel?
    Since elder couldn’t hack it here and moved the hell out, its probably not the latter two. We’re going with the former.
    For BD’s benefit:
    Last night we had to walk AROUND a cancer spewing cop to get inside our apartment building. The next time, we’re walking THROUGH him

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  2. being here Avatar
    being here

    yea the rent a cops can’t be cheap $50-$100 an hour, this smart BD team that has moved in here must have a ton of money behind them to bring in these guys $$$, it is one thing to have a door man to open doors for people but a 24 hour armed cop planted in the lobby. can some one please tell me what in god name is that all about? i’ve stayed in a lot of hotels around the world and i have never seen a armed rent a cop sitting in the lobby in any places that i have ever stayed at, its all most like a 3th world kinda deal not a NYC thing, what is up with that, and who are they trying to protect or spy on here at the chelsea hotel.

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  3.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Elder was scheduled to leave mid-July originally, so he actually stayed a lot longer than planned.
    That court date is coming up very soon and is probably on his way back to California to prepare.
    My guess is that he and his sister won’t win their appeal. What he does after that…who knows.

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  4.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    “Armed,” being there? All I ever see are the same guys sitting around in suits. I’ve never witnessed any uniformed officers or visible guns at all…not even when they take off their jackets. If they are armed, they sure don’t have holsters around their belts or have them anywhere that people can see that they’re armed. They’re undercover.
    You seem to know something that the general public doesn’t if you claim that they are armed. why do you believe they are armed and not just UN-armed security guys?
    If they really do carry guns, what does this mean? Does this mean they are protecting the people who stay and live here? If this is the case, I’m a little torn between being uncomfortable and being glad.
    If anything serious ever happened to someone in the lobby, which, in addition to out front, is where I tend to see them…I’d hope that they would be there to protect them. If something happened to YOU, being there, wouldn’t you hope they’d step in and help YOU? If it was something serious and the person had a weapon, an armed, trained security guard just may be a lifesaver.
    I guess it depends on how you’re looking at the situation and what they’re really here to do. I’ve never been informed of the reason for the new security people. They don’t seem to provide any substantial information on this either, so until one of them does or until management is willing to provide people with an answer…I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and trust that they’re there for the protection of the people who work, live, and stay in the hotel, as well as for the hotel itself. Maybe they think artwork is going to be stolen off the walls or something because of the management changeover?
    Maybe they really ARE here to “spy” for new management, but what are spying about? Is it to just let new management know what it’s like at the hotel during off-regular business hours? Is it to hear what residents talk about and report back? Is it to spy on the workers? There are so many possible reasons behind the new security guys.
    I agree that they can’t be cheap though I’m going to guess $30-$150 an hour. People don’t always get paid as much as you think they do. Sometimes they get paid a lot more than you think as well. Maybe $30-$200?
    Hourly fee aside, unless you’re doing something wrong, why would security make you feel uncomfortable? This is a real question, I’m not being sarcastic or accusatory…I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. Maybe you’re thinking of something that I’ve never thought about before?
    It’s usually unsettling when big changes take place in such a sudden, surprising way. I do hope that the worries expressed by the residents end up being worries that are never validated, but I think it may be a while before this happens.
    Has anyone else noticed anything unusual around the hotel? For the most part, I don’t see all that much changing so far…just little things here and there.

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  5.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Also, being there…come on…almost like a “3rd world deal?” HOW? A 3rd world deal would be uniformed, armed guards probably with uzi’s or machine guns and other automated weapons hanging visibly around their waist. The type of security you tend to see at Penn Station and Times Square. There are simply guys with casual suits (or jeans) sitting in the lobby and walking outside.
    I think you’re exaggerating a bit, probably due to being worried or suspicious about their motives for being there. That’s very understandable, but you’re making it sound like these guys have their guns out for everyone to see. This is definitely NOT the case at all.
    What they ARE all definitely armed with are cell phones, because they go out and talk on them in front of the building on a regular basis. And cigarettes…most seem to smoke. I’d say that they’re as considerate of non-smokers as any other smoker tends to be.
    There are security cameras in the lobby. I wonder what makes those not good enough for new management.

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  6. care bear Avatar
    care bear

    Oh, being there, it is NOT a third world kind of deal! You make it sound as though there are guys in tacky suits hanging around the lobby flashing their guns around.
    I won’t comment on the tacky suit part, but there’s been no gun seen on ANY of the security guards (who don’t really look like guards in the first place) by MY eyes or anyone else I know’s eyes yet.
    I’m not saying they aren’t armed, but you’re making it seem a lot more tense and serious than it really is. Most people who walk through the lobby would never guess that it was being watched any anyone other than the main staff and security cameras.
    I’s easy to underestand your concerns, but do you think you might be making it a much more serious, scary thing than it is in reality?

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  7. LP Avatar
    LP

    Let me see, they’ve partitioned the ballroom, instituted starchy new rules for the staff and brought in a , gasp, rent-a-cop. Those are significant changes. Who knows what they would have done if there’d been no negative media cov erage, no protests.

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  8. being here Avatar
    being here

    yes (no name”the voice of reason”) i did see one of the guys with a gun in a holster not all of them mind you but i see one and so did other people who live and work here so i’m not make it up out the blue. ask someone who works behind the desk if you don’t belive me.and any way the big ? is why are they here it seem a bit odd that there here at all and only in the lobby.

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  9.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    all of this sounds like paranoid thinking, just because new management is there doesnt mean that there is a crazy conspiracy going on. Seriously! You guys sound like your on some CSI crime show investigational team. Stop being so paranoid everything is going to be fine.

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  10. Miss H Avatar
    Miss H

    God bless google alerts!

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  11. LP Avatar
    LP

    We’re not being paranoid, you ___________. The Chelsea is a rare place in a city that is increasingly shallow, greedy and corporate. Stanley was tossed out with a phone call after fifty years. They brought in a management firm that specializes in trendy boutique. We rarely saw the “partners” before this. They’ve said terrible things about Stanley and the hotel. They issued a rent demand letter right away and made little or no effort to meet the residents. They have shown consistently they don’t understand the spirit of the place.

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  12.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    First, before the rest of this response, I have to say that that is NOT being paranoid. There’s a reason for the worry. A very good one. If it were only as easy as saying that “everything is going to be fine.” The fact is, that’s something that nobody knows yet. I’m not even sure if new management knows for sure what their plans are yet. Everything, however, is NOT simply “going to be fine.” You re-assurance is appreciated, but it’s not something you can say with any validity in the least. And CSI? Don’t they usually deal with murders? There’s a more appropriate show out there to compare this situation to than CSI.
    That said…
    LP, you sound like a broken record, no pun intended. You’re also saying the same thing over and over and, honestly, what you are saying about new management isn’t so terrible.
    They brought in a management company that specializes in boutique hotels? SO? I don’t hear anyone saying how boutique-like the hotel has become. Is there a management company that specializes in the kind of hotel that the Chelsea Hotel is like?
    You don’t think that there wasn’t plenty of greediness and shallowness going on before? Take those blinders off.
    They issued rent demands? Um…well, pay your damn rent then! Whether you pay well below or well above market rate, people are supposed to pay their rent no matter where they live. It’s grounds for eviction anywhere if you don’t pay your rent. Do you think Stanley didn’t call people up in the mornings yelling about the rent? I know he has. Some might say that was part of his charm. He also evicted people as well, and I’m sure there were good reasons for it.
    They made little or no effort to meet the residents? Not all residents seem to feel that way, and besides, so? Big deal. Do you honestly think the Bards made an effort to meet and get to know EVERYONE? They had a business to run…there are plenty of people that the Bards only know superficially and guess what…that’s OK.
    They’ve said terrible things about Stanley and the hotel? Boo hoo! The RESIDENTS who LOVE Stanley and this hotel have said terrible things about them! Maybe those things are true, ever think about THAT? Doesn’t mean the residents don’t have TERRIFIC things to say about Stanley and the hotel as well! And new management has said some terrific things about Stanley and certainly about the hotel too…I’ve read them in print. It was a HOSTEL takeover after years of battle. I’ve heard Stanley say terrible things about new management. So what? Both sides are entitled. Doesn’t mean that new management SHOULD be saying this, especially if they’re saying it to residents (which I haven’t heard), but YOU, LP, say terrible things about people yourself.
    You rarely saw the “partners” before this? SO? That’s often how it is! Steve Jobs has a partner too…how often do you see HIM, and his company is APPLE. If the other two partners lived in NEW YORK, maybe you’d have seen them more often, but they live 3,000 miles away and have lives over there as well. The Bards chose to run the hotel and the other PARTNERS allowed this and placed a trust as PARTNERS in their hands.
    Stanley was tossed out with a phone call after 50 years? No he wasn’t! There was a 2 or 3-year court battle! Where have YOU been living, LP, in delusion land?
    And really, do you think that adding, “,you__________.” is any less juvenile than actually writing the name you’re calling that person? You just can’t seem to control yourself or your temper. Can’t you think of anything bigger or more terrible to reveal about new management’s behavior than the same old lines you’ve been spitting out?
    I agree that they don’t really show much of an understanding for the spirit of this place. They really don’t, you’re quite right there. But, they’re learning and they’re trying though I’m not saying that it’s necessarily for the benefit of the residents.
    No, it is definitely NOT the same without the Bards around, especially without Stanley around. Despite knowing WHY Stanley is no longer here, despite his “goodwill ambassador” job, it isn’t quite the same. I don’t hear Stanley yelling at people at the front desk while I’m still in the elevator anymore. I don’t hear Stanley talk about the people who stayed here over the years to hotel guests. I have heard new management attempt to do so, but, of course, it isn’t the same.
    LP, you keep saying the same handful of things about this situation and lose your temper and call names (even a blank space FOR a bad name is a names). Why not have an actual discussion or more civilized argument? Why not state your points or what proof you supposedly have in a way that doesn’t make you sound a bit off your rocker?
    There are changes at the hotel and some of them are GOOD, some of them are BAD. New management is NOT Stanley Bard as he was certainly unique. I think new management is learning about the hotel and won’t make the kind of changes that they may have originally planned (boutique-wise), but the residents being worried about what their true plans are and how it will effect them is a very valid worry. It’s NOT the same as before, as everything changes, but if the character and spirit of this hotel isn’t preserved, the allure of the history of the place will dwindle.

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  13.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Do you think the Bards got to know everyone in the hotel after only a few months? Guess again. People have been there for years and the Bards still didn’t know them. they knew their rent payment but not much else. Different schedules could easily be a factor in this. Also, new management is trying to figure this place out and it’s a HANDFUL. It’s no crime to not make a great effort to get to know the residents of a place you’ve been HIRED to take over in just a few months time (and you were complaining about this LP from the start).
    The Bards got to know residents over time and yes, DID make an effort when artists were concerned, but they certainly didn’t know EVERYONE to the same lengths. The Bards ran this place for 50 years…getting to know a place or people takes TIME.
    And this does not mean that I’m on the side of new management or the side of the Bards, I’m just pointing something out.

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