![]() This stretch of Chelsea isn't just one thing, and it makes for a quintessentially New York stay. The neighborhood has soul, though, and while you will see a 24-hour hot dog shop on the corner filled with all types at all hours (I've been one of them), walk one block south and you'll see beautiful brownstones go a block north and you'll hit a Whole Foods. I wasn't around in Sid Viscous's days, but it hardly surprises me that the punk rocker chose to hang around here (he also, allegedly, murdered his girlfriend Nancy in this very hotel like I said, gritty). The neighborhood/area This part of Chelsea has a gritty exterior. That said, El Quijote, known for Spanish classics, remains the gem of Hotel Chelsea with its famous paella, vermouth-rich cocktails, and ever-present cool crowd (book a reservation ahead of time). For both guests and locals to the area, it's a great spot to meet a friend for a drink, without the sterile gloss you sometimes get at a hotel bar. If you visited the Chelsea back in the day, you'll recognize the original fireplaces, stained glass windows, and those iconic wrought-iron balconies leaning over West 23rd Street, which remain untouched.įood and drink The new Lobby Bar is a fantastic addition to the neighborhood. Massive closets, their interiors a riot of wallpaper, make it even easier to imagine unpacking and sticking around for a while. Animal-print chairs maintain a bit of spunk in the now bright, airy rooms, as do ornate dark wood bedside tables. The 158 guest rooms and suites, freshened up since their rock and roll days, have wood floors with the Hotel Chelsea monogram now inlaid the sun dapples through ivory eyelet fabric on the windows and the bathrooms are classically done with light and dark grey marble accentuated by bronze details. There's also the ever-present feeling that the walls have stories. The design isn't too flashy, isn't too rock-and-roll, isn't too homey, yet it has a lick of each of these elements. ![]() The rooms Stepping into the artwork-adorned stairwell of the Chelsea, the hotel feels more like an apartment building than anything else-perhaps because it once multi-tasked as one-and this feeling extends into every guest room. Even bigger changes are set to come in late 2022, when a French-American restaurant will open, alongside a rooftop spa and fitness center. There's also a private event space, The Bard Room, with more crown moldings and moody lighting. Though the century-old El Quijote restaurant in the lobby remains, new food and beverage concepts are exciting: the decadent new Lobby Bar with its chandeliers and a grand piano has a sunny solarium and a cocktail menu that borrows from famous hotels around the world. The Chelsea finally reopened this year, from the team behind The Ludlow and The Bowery-with some overdue upgrades. The hotel stopped taking reservations in 2011 before changing owners a few times over. It has been immortalized in songs, films, and books (see “Third Week in the Chelsea,” by Jefferson Airplane, and Patti Smith’s Just Kids, for starters). The backstory Built in the late 1800s, the Queen Anne building-turned-landmark hotel has welcomed guests and long-term residents like Mark Twain and Stanley Kubrick. Long-term residents who have been grandfathered into their apartments in the building still float around, and most guests-usually drawn by the hotel's history-have a knowingness to them, whether they're in their 30s or 60s. Set the scene Hotel Chelsea may not be filled with famous musicians anymore, but the rock-and-roll vibe remains. Now, it's reopened with refurbished rooms, a new lobby bar, and the Chelsea spirit still intact. Why book? The iconic Hotel Chelsea-or as past guests like Andy Warhol have simply called it, the Chelsea-is packed with New York City history.
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