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Legends of the Chelsea Hotel: Living with the Artists and Outlaws of New York's Rebel Mecca
There's a current that courses through the old Chelsea Hotel, an electricity that drives people relentlessly to create. It's an energy that longtime resident Ed Hamilton will tell you often drives inhabitants to madness. In a series of linked cyanide capsules, Legends of the Chelsea Hotel tells the odd, funny, and often tragic truth of the writers, artists, and musicians — the famous and the obscure alike — who have fallen prey to the Chelsea. Readers enter one of Dee Dee Ramone's flashbacks; meet the ghost of author Thomas Wolfe; learn of movie star Ethan Hawke's mystical powers over women; see the ungodly acts allegedly being perpetrated in the basement club Serena's; and feel the dark aura of Room 100, where punk rocker Sid Vicious killed his girlfriend Nancy.
358 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2007
40 people are currently reading
471 people want to read
About the author
Ed Hamilton
5 books25 followersEd Hamilton was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. He earned his bachelor’s degree with a double major in philosophy and psychology from the University of Kentucky, and his master’s degree, also in philosophy, from the University of Louisville. Ed is the author of three books: a non-fiction work, Legends of the Chelsea Hotel: Living with the Artists and Outlaws of New York’s Rebel Mecca (Da Capo/Perseus, 2007); a short story collection, The Chintz Age: Tales of Love and Loss for a New New York (Červená Barva Press), which spent 10 months on the Small Press Best Sellers List in 2016; and a novel, Lords of the Schoolyard (Sagging Meniscus, 2018), which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His short fiction has appeared in dozens of small journals, including: Limestone Journal, The Journal of Kentucky Studies, SoMa Review, River Walk Journal, Exquisite Corpse, Bohemia, Modern Drunkard, Omphalos, and in translation in the Czech Republic’s Host. In addition, a chapter from Ed’s alternate history of the artists Harry Smith and Vali Myers has appeared in Footnote: a Literary Journal of History, and was a finalist for the Charter Oaks Award. His non-fiction has appeared in The Villager, Chelsea Now, The Huffington Post, and Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog. The Legends blog, which Ed and his wife, Debbie Martin, started in 2004, was apparently the world’s very first hotel blog, and in connection with the blog and the Legends book which grew out of it, Ed was interviewed by over a hundred media outlets—TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, and online sites—in countries as diverse as the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, The Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Argentina, The Netherlands, and Japan. Living with Legends was also the first blog ever to be the subject of an editorial in the New York Times. Ed lives in New York City.
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February 23, 2024
My Chelsea Legend
I stayed in the Chelsea Hotel in 1982.
When I checked in, Stanley Bard, who knew I was Australian from my booking details, took me back into the lobby to ask me a question.
The walls of the lobby were covered by so many paintings that some of them overlapped others.
They had been gifted or forfeited by artists who couldn't afford their rent.
Stanley picked out one he had a particular interest in.
He asked me if I knew anything about the artist or the painting.
I didn't know the painting, but the artist was someone whose work in contemporary terms could be worth millions.
It was a Brett Whiteley.
I stayed in the Chelsea Hotel in 1982.
When I checked in, Stanley Bard, who knew I was Australian from my booking details, took me back into the lobby to ask me a question.
The walls of the lobby were covered by so many paintings that some of them overlapped others.
They had been gifted or forfeited by artists who couldn't afford their rent.
Stanley picked out one he had a particular interest in.
He asked me if I knew anything about the artist or the painting.
I didn't know the painting, but the artist was someone whose work in contemporary terms could be worth millions.
It was a Brett Whiteley.
April 2, 2013
I prefer going into a book reading without knowing anything about it other than what I can glean from the front and back cover plus a quick scan through its inside pages (since 99% of the books I read are non-fiction, they often contain photographs). But this wasn't the case with Ed Hamilton's Legends of the Chelsea Hotel. Two weeks ago Ed Hamilton contacted me, expressing gratitude for the kind words I had written in a review about a short, non-fiction piece he had written called "Dee Dee's Challenge" (which was included in a collection of Rock music tales titled Experienced). "Dee Dee's Challenge" was two pages of sharp and engaged journal writing, a quick economic burst that packed a punch not unlike one of the two minute adreneline-soaked songs that Dee Dee might have written in his hey day with the Ramones. I admired Hamilton's short story immediately and I made myself a note to track down Hamilton's larger work, Legend of the Chelsea Hotel and give it a read as soon as possible.
That had been over a year ago and because I have a busy (and sometimes complicated) life which tends to makes me forgetful, I hadn't gotten around to ipicking up a copy of it yet. Hamiliton's email though reminded me of it and I replied to him that I wanted to review his book soon. He then offered to send me a free copy. I genuinely appreciated his gesture, but I quickly logged onto my library website and ordered a copy of Legends of the Chelsea Hotel - which was promised to arrive within a week. Then I emailed Hamilton and refused his copy of his book. This might have seemed like a "Don't call me, I'll call you" gesture because I know that offering a copy of one's book is how things are done. It's a very accepted practise that writers send reviewers a copy of their book as a courtesy - in fact it is often expected. But unless a copy of their book is not available through my library system, I prefer to turn these offers down. The reasons are two-fold. First of all I'm a minimalist. I have a very small collection of about 100 books, seperated into 5 or 6 catagories and I don't have room for any more. The second reason is that I will feel like a heel if someone sends me a gift and then I publicly trash it.
Fortunately in the case of Legend of the Chelsea Hotel I didn't have to worry about this second concern because I liked the book quite a bit. In fact, in retrospect I wish I would have accepted Hamiliton's offer because Legends of the Chelsea Hotel is one of the rare books that would fit perfectly into my small, specific collection. In his introduction Hamilton describes Legends of the Chelsea Hotel like this:
"...a mix of history and biography, myth and legend, fiction...and non-fiction, memoir and anecdote [that] can most accurately be described as an 'alternative history' or perhaps a 'hisory of an idea' the idea being of course, that of the Chelsea Hotel itself".
What follows is all of that and more as Hamiliton tells of his experiences as a resident of the Chelsea Hotel over more than a decade (beginning in the mid 1990s). And although the narrative is organized chronologically, it has none of the trappings of a chronology because the legends still haunt the halls and rooms and corners of the Chelsea - at least in Hamilton's mind and nearly all of Hamilton's contemporary experiences somehow springboard into historical and biographical sketches of the many colorful characters that have called the Chelsea Hotel their home. For instance, as he writes about being tormented by junkies who continually wreck the shared bathroom, his narrative gives way to a nice little bio on legendary Beat writer Herbert Huncke. Or while being tormented by a resident who plays Willie Nelson's Christmas album non-stop, Hamilton seamlessly segues into the tribulations of experimental film maker Harry Smith (whose compilation of early folks recordings were influential in the folk revival of the late 50s and early 60s). And so on and so forth.
By the end, these connections - and how Hamilton ties them all together - provide the narrative of Legend of the Chelsea Hoetl with a locomotion that goes beyond the mere snapshots and biographies themselves. These anecdotes and legends and alternative histories come together to weave a beautiful swatch in the fading fabric that once made up the old, weird America of the early to mid 20th century - and Ed Hamilton deserves to be commended for his inspired work that preserves this swatch and in the way he does so by showing its relevence, even to contemporary American sensibilities.
That had been over a year ago and because I have a busy (and sometimes complicated) life which tends to makes me forgetful, I hadn't gotten around to ipicking up a copy of it yet. Hamiliton's email though reminded me of it and I replied to him that I wanted to review his book soon. He then offered to send me a free copy. I genuinely appreciated his gesture, but I quickly logged onto my library website and ordered a copy of Legends of the Chelsea Hotel - which was promised to arrive within a week. Then I emailed Hamilton and refused his copy of his book. This might have seemed like a "Don't call me, I'll call you" gesture because I know that offering a copy of one's book is how things are done. It's a very accepted practise that writers send reviewers a copy of their book as a courtesy - in fact it is often expected. But unless a copy of their book is not available through my library system, I prefer to turn these offers down. The reasons are two-fold. First of all I'm a minimalist. I have a very small collection of about 100 books, seperated into 5 or 6 catagories and I don't have room for any more. The second reason is that I will feel like a heel if someone sends me a gift and then I publicly trash it.
Fortunately in the case of Legend of the Chelsea Hotel I didn't have to worry about this second concern because I liked the book quite a bit. In fact, in retrospect I wish I would have accepted Hamiliton's offer because Legends of the Chelsea Hotel is one of the rare books that would fit perfectly into my small, specific collection. In his introduction Hamilton describes Legends of the Chelsea Hotel like this:
"...a mix of history and biography, myth and legend, fiction...and non-fiction, memoir and anecdote [that] can most accurately be described as an 'alternative history' or perhaps a 'hisory of an idea' the idea being of course, that of the Chelsea Hotel itself".
What follows is all of that and more as Hamiliton tells of his experiences as a resident of the Chelsea Hotel over more than a decade (beginning in the mid 1990s). And although the narrative is organized chronologically, it has none of the trappings of a chronology because the legends still haunt the halls and rooms and corners of the Chelsea - at least in Hamilton's mind and nearly all of Hamilton's contemporary experiences somehow springboard into historical and biographical sketches of the many colorful characters that have called the Chelsea Hotel their home. For instance, as he writes about being tormented by junkies who continually wreck the shared bathroom, his narrative gives way to a nice little bio on legendary Beat writer Herbert Huncke. Or while being tormented by a resident who plays Willie Nelson's Christmas album non-stop, Hamilton seamlessly segues into the tribulations of experimental film maker Harry Smith (whose compilation of early folks recordings were influential in the folk revival of the late 50s and early 60s). And so on and so forth.
By the end, these connections - and how Hamilton ties them all together - provide the narrative of Legend of the Chelsea Hoetl with a locomotion that goes beyond the mere snapshots and biographies themselves. These anecdotes and legends and alternative histories come together to weave a beautiful swatch in the fading fabric that once made up the old, weird America of the early to mid 20th century - and Ed Hamilton deserves to be commended for his inspired work that preserves this swatch and in the way he does so by showing its relevence, even to contemporary American sensibilities.
January 20, 2008
A major disappointment. I've spent a lot of time at the Chelsea and know a majority of the (living) people mentioned in the book (even by their pseudonyms). A lot of the stories are untrue, and not disguised just to avoid lawsuits, which I find strange because the real stories are a lot more interesting. There's also way too much focus on the author himself. Of all the colorful characters in the hotel, he is one of the blandest. I really didn't find myself caring about his obsession with the bathroom down the hall, the "junkies" or his alcoholism. The book is called "Living With Legends," not "Living With My Neuroses." The latter, I wouldn't have purchased.
January 1, 2015
As a huge music fan as well as being interested in various counter-culture figures, the Chelsea Hotel has always loomed large in my imagination and so a book with this title was always bound to appeal to me. Reading the blurb sent my excitement sky-rocketing even further, promising to immerse me in tales of Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol, Thomas Wolfe and a million others besides.
You can imagination my disappointment then when it turned out that this chose to focus on its lesser known but still rather dotty permanent residents instead of the hotel's long and chequered history and famous guests (as for the famous folk, well some guy who might have been Ryan Adams (but maybe not) might have been our author's neighbour for a short time, and Sean Penn once glared at him outside an elevator).
Ordinarily this wouldn't have been enough to disappoint me - interesting people are still interesting people, after all - but the pedestrian way in which the book was written made even the wildest of them seem rather bland, helped no doubt by the author inserting himself into many of these anecdotes (he seems to feel rather superior to many of the residents, making sure to judge, condescend and sneer at them whenever he can). Aside from his bathroom obsession (won't somebody please keep the junkies out of the john?!) and insistence on ferreting through the trash for objects he can put up as 'art', Mr Hamilton is nowhere near as interesting as he thinks he is - nor are the articles included to give a little flavour to the proceedings:
THRILL!! As some guy tries to sell him a watch outside the hotel.
QUIVER!! As he overhears one homeless guy tell another that he doesn't like salad.
GASP!! As he returns a neighbour's wallet found in the bathroom and receives a coffee pot he doesn't like in reward.
RAGE!! As a couple shares a cab with him, and then pay him half the fare.
At one point, chatting to another resident about Ethan Hawke's film 'Chelsea Walls', his neighbour rages, "How can you mess up a movie like that? With all the material this hotel has to offer, all the history! It boggles the mind."
I hope she told him the same thing when she read this book.
**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**
You can imagination my disappointment then when it turned out that this chose to focus on its lesser known but still rather dotty permanent residents instead of the hotel's long and chequered history and famous guests (as for the famous folk, well some guy who might have been Ryan Adams (but maybe not) might have been our author's neighbour for a short time, and Sean Penn once glared at him outside an elevator).
Ordinarily this wouldn't have been enough to disappoint me - interesting people are still interesting people, after all - but the pedestrian way in which the book was written made even the wildest of them seem rather bland, helped no doubt by the author inserting himself into many of these anecdotes (he seems to feel rather superior to many of the residents, making sure to judge, condescend and sneer at them whenever he can). Aside from his bathroom obsession (won't somebody please keep the junkies out of the john?!) and insistence on ferreting through the trash for objects he can put up as 'art', Mr Hamilton is nowhere near as interesting as he thinks he is - nor are the articles included to give a little flavour to the proceedings:
THRILL!! As some guy tries to sell him a watch outside the hotel.
QUIVER!! As he overhears one homeless guy tell another that he doesn't like salad.
GASP!! As he returns a neighbour's wallet found in the bathroom and receives a coffee pot he doesn't like in reward.
RAGE!! As a couple shares a cab with him, and then pay him half the fare.
At one point, chatting to another resident about Ethan Hawke's film 'Chelsea Walls', his neighbour rages, "How can you mess up a movie like that? With all the material this hotel has to offer, all the history! It boggles the mind."
I hope she told him the same thing when she read this book.
**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**
October 29, 2008
Well, he's no brilliant literary genius, but he gives a pretty good tale. For my taste, the man doesn't know how to end a chapter. They all just kind of trail off into a brick wall. But he has the inside scoop on what it's been like to live at the Chelsea Hotel in the aftermath of Sid & Nancy. Mostly, irritating seems to be the upshot.
Should you pick this book up I would caution that you will be doomed to hear Rufus Wainwright's version of "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" your head repeatedly as you amble through the chapters of this book. Luckily, I happen to love that song.
Should you pick this book up I would caution that you will be doomed to hear Rufus Wainwright's version of "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" your head repeatedly as you amble through the chapters of this book. Luckily, I happen to love that song.
November 13, 2009
The Chelsea Hotel has a fascinating history and this is not the book to tell its history. My disappointment with it is that by the cover one thinks that we are going to get a great perspective or an objective history of the famous series of apartments/hotel rooms that's on West 23 St.
What we get instead is sort of a combination of a sketch history with the writer's memoirs of living at the hotel. The problem is that there is no way that this author can match up to the building's and people's history.
So we get a lot of second-hand information, and a lot of first-hand observations on stuff that is not that super interesting. I don' t know if it's the author's fault or the editor - but i feel there is not a real book here - and according to the bio, it may have been a blog - and be read better as a blog than say this book.
What we get instead is sort of a combination of a sketch history with the writer's memoirs of living at the hotel. The problem is that there is no way that this author can match up to the building's and people's history.
So we get a lot of second-hand information, and a lot of first-hand observations on stuff that is not that super interesting. I don' t know if it's the author's fault or the editor - but i feel there is not a real book here - and according to the bio, it may have been a blog - and be read better as a blog than say this book.
July 6, 2008
I read this to prepare myself for my trip to NYC and my stay at the legendary chelsea hotel. Besides the allure of the famous people who have lived a died here, it was maybe more interesting to read about the dynamics of the regular residents. Even if I hadn't stayed at the Chelsea Hotel I would have condsidered this a good book of some interesting essays. And if you're in New York its a cool place to stay. Not fancy (as it is made up mostly of long-term residents) but brimming with culture and history.
December 6, 2007
This is amazing. I kept reading and reading and wouldn't help people at the desk because I wanted to finish. Some of the stories are genuinely chilling. Others are hilarious. Anyone who works with the public will totally see themselves and their patronage reflected throughout the pages of this book.
December 8, 2015
Loved it..I remember staying at the Chelsea a few times...But I really remember living at the Hotel Albert when I moved to NYC...Check that place out..It is much larger in rock and roll stars from the 60's!!!
November 20, 2012
Besides all the old history that any Chelsea enthusiast would already know...this book is a GREAT representation of the recent residents who are as interesting, if not more than it's famous inhabitants. Highly recommended book if you want to get a vibe the character of the place, as you'll likely never set foot in there while it has any splendor left of it. The place is being gutted and "botiqued" by rich developers with no respect for history or decor.
May 4, 2009
This writer is exceedingly annoying and I would hate to spend any amount of time in his company. Nevertheless, the material is good. Makes me want to read a better book about the same subject.
June 9, 2011
I have always wanted to stay at the famed Chelsea hotel. Reading this book was the next best thing.
Read
June 18, 2018Almost half-way through......lost interest!
October 13, 2020
Great bathtub read!!
March 7, 2017
I really enjoyed taking a peak into the every day lives of people of the Chelsea during the late 90s to early 21st Century. I bet living there was amazing until you had to deal with junkies breaking the locks in the bathroom or all the film crews.
I found it so interesting to learn that Room 100 does not exist anymore.
I found it so interesting to learn that Room 100 does not exist anymore.
October 1, 2015
I didn't care that this book is not so much about the "legendary" people who inhabited the Chelsea. There has been a lot written about them already. If you are already familiar with those people, you won't find any ground breaking info here (people such as Edie Sedgwick, Sid Vicious etc. are given the Worldbook Encyclopedia treatment).
Because I am familiar with those stories, I thought a first hand account of the everyday eccentrics and weirdoes could have been just as interesting. In fact, I was compelled to read on because there were a lot of tales to tell. However, if someone like Ray Davies had written this, it would have been a lot better. I was surprised that the author was a middle-aged Southerner because most of the book sounded like it was written by a 20 year old Mall Rat (at one point he attacks a mentally disturbed "transient" woman with a fire extinguisher because she wouldn't stop screaming in the hallway). So much for my stereotype that all Southerners are great writers. This volume also began life as a Blog which probably accounts for the more pedestrian tone.
Although he is nowhere near as bad as the real trust fund invaders, he does not waste an opportunity to tell you how superior he is to them (and filmmakers like Ethan Hawke who made a supposedly awful film set at the Chelsea). I couldn't help think that he and his girlfriend were also the type of slumming Yuppies who would move to a place like Williamsburg and then complain that there isn't a Wal-Mart nearby (I guess that is because he devotes many words to the condition of the shared bathroom which appeared to be occupied by junkies who repeatedly broke the locks to get in. He also opines about sharing a cab with a couple who "supposedly" forgot to bring money. As they only mention this after they are in the cab, he believes they did it on purpose (until they later give him the $5.00 and legal advice on how to avoid a rent increase). And the reason he did not want to share the cab in the first place was that it was $1.00 subway night. That just annoyed me.
Because I am familiar with those stories, I thought a first hand account of the everyday eccentrics and weirdoes could have been just as interesting. In fact, I was compelled to read on because there were a lot of tales to tell. However, if someone like Ray Davies had written this, it would have been a lot better. I was surprised that the author was a middle-aged Southerner because most of the book sounded like it was written by a 20 year old Mall Rat (at one point he attacks a mentally disturbed "transient" woman with a fire extinguisher because she wouldn't stop screaming in the hallway). So much for my stereotype that all Southerners are great writers. This volume also began life as a Blog which probably accounts for the more pedestrian tone.
Although he is nowhere near as bad as the real trust fund invaders, he does not waste an opportunity to tell you how superior he is to them (and filmmakers like Ethan Hawke who made a supposedly awful film set at the Chelsea). I couldn't help think that he and his girlfriend were also the type of slumming Yuppies who would move to a place like Williamsburg and then complain that there isn't a Wal-Mart nearby (I guess that is because he devotes many words to the condition of the shared bathroom which appeared to be occupied by junkies who repeatedly broke the locks to get in. He also opines about sharing a cab with a couple who "supposedly" forgot to bring money. As they only mention this after they are in the cab, he believes they did it on purpose (until they later give him the $5.00 and legal advice on how to avoid a rent increase). And the reason he did not want to share the cab in the first place was that it was $1.00 subway night. That just annoyed me.
February 8, 2014
If you love any of the following: New York, quirky/crazy characters, terrific stories about the art/music/writing worlds, or feeling like you are peeking behind the curtains of your nutty-but-lovable neighbours in the run-down historic building down the street, you will like this book. If you go for ALL of those things, you will ADORE this book - I certainly did!
The author, Ed Hamilton, is a writer with his own colourful past, and who lived at the Chelsea for years, has a whole whack of his own personal experinces to tell stories about, but he's also hunted up all the best stories about the historic people who've lived or visited at The Chelsea Hotel. And there are a LOT of them! From Arthur Miller and William Burroughs, to Sid Vicious and Dee Dee Ramone, to Edie Sedgwick and Sarah Berhardt, the name-dropping is non-stop.
But this book is so much more than just a who's-who tell-all about celebrities. The author really captures the spirit, the grittiness, the life and the total weirdness that is certain parts - and people - of New York City. The quirks and the run-down-ness of the Hotel, and the over-the-top kookiness of the residents is a collection of all the shenanigans and "colourfulness" that those of us who live boring, typical, ordinary lives love to live vicariously through - whether we want to admit it or not.
Everything about this book is endearing, fascinating and humbling and really shows why artists, of whatever genre, are the kinds of characters we love to hear about and simply can't get enough of. As the place where so many of them have lived their lives and had their adventures, The Chelsea Hotel is unquestionably its own character in the book. It comes pretty close to out-shining every last one of the residents - and believe me, that's no mean feat considering who they are, and what they did - with its spirit, its run-down gentility and its New York state of mind. I loved everything about this book! I read it in three days because I just didn't want to put it down.
The author, Ed Hamilton, is a writer with his own colourful past, and who lived at the Chelsea for years, has a whole whack of his own personal experinces to tell stories about, but he's also hunted up all the best stories about the historic people who've lived or visited at The Chelsea Hotel. And there are a LOT of them! From Arthur Miller and William Burroughs, to Sid Vicious and Dee Dee Ramone, to Edie Sedgwick and Sarah Berhardt, the name-dropping is non-stop.
But this book is so much more than just a who's-who tell-all about celebrities. The author really captures the spirit, the grittiness, the life and the total weirdness that is certain parts - and people - of New York City. The quirks and the run-down-ness of the Hotel, and the over-the-top kookiness of the residents is a collection of all the shenanigans and "colourfulness" that those of us who live boring, typical, ordinary lives love to live vicariously through - whether we want to admit it or not.
Everything about this book is endearing, fascinating and humbling and really shows why artists, of whatever genre, are the kinds of characters we love to hear about and simply can't get enough of. As the place where so many of them have lived their lives and had their adventures, The Chelsea Hotel is unquestionably its own character in the book. It comes pretty close to out-shining every last one of the residents - and believe me, that's no mean feat considering who they are, and what they did - with its spirit, its run-down gentility and its New York state of mind. I loved everything about this book! I read it in three days because I just didn't want to put it down.
February 5, 2017
Upon moving to New York, it was difficult for me not to get caught up in some of the more bohemian aspects of the city, including its thriving art scene and the different characters that live/had lived here. When purchasing this book, I had visions of stories surrounding the Warhols, the Borroughs' and admittedly Sid Vicious. What the book ended up being was the author's recollections of several (possibly untrue) events in his ten years at the hotel, with only trace references to legendary characters. The only mention of meeting someone even remotely famous is someone who "may have been Ryan Adams."
May 12, 2017
Repetitive, but interesting. A glance at the craziest of hotels, and the crazies who reside there.
November 11, 2019
Such a good book for anyone who is interested in oral history, pop culture, general history, LGBTQIA+ history, or just a great non-fiction book! I loved reading this and it was perfect for researching my podcast, Heinous Hotels. I used this book several times to help me research for my podcast.
March 17, 2022
This is a disappointing personal memoir of Hamilton’s time in the Chelsea Hotel. Superficial, occasionally interesting sketches of the “characters” who were concurrently living in the hotel, but I was hoping for more—a detailed history of the stays of Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol’s crew, and others.
March 8, 2014
Interesting stories about a bunch of eccentrics living in New York's Chelsea Hotel. I enjoyed these stories even while the images of living in this place made my skin crawl
August 2, 2015
Great character stories, but maybe the kind of book you read one or two stories from every so often (instead of all at once)
August 9, 2015
This book is mostly about more recent Chelsea history with a bit of the history of more famous tenants. I enjoyed hi style and point of view but wish, of course, that he had included more pictures.
December 31, 2021
Was not what i was expecting
August 6, 2017
Hamilton tells short stories about many of the artists, writers, actors, and weirdos who have stayed long or short term at the Chelsea Hotel in NY. While some of the stories were interesting, overall, many were not. Never having been inside a residential hotel, it was illuminating to learn more about that type of life, having one room, sharing a bathroom with others, etc. I did want to know the actual dimensions of Ed's room so I could imagine even more, but he did not reveal that fact. I have been lugging this book around for months. The short story style was good for me waiting for kids at their various activities.
July 9, 2018
Great read! I couldn’t put this book down and often found myself googling information, i.e., Hiroya’s artwork, scenes from movies, etc., just to get a better picture (and further reading) of what Mr. Hamilton was writing about. That’s nothing against his writing - it was just me being curious of the characters with whom I was unfamiliar. The characters were well-described and really gave me a feel of what it was like living there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2021
Stayed at the chelsea for 2 nights quite a while ago and could probably write a better book about what I witnessed.
July 17, 2010
This book was awful. The most interesting part was the title. It went downhill from there. The more I read it, the more I disliked the writer. I lost track of how many chapters contain the phrase, "I went to take a piss." There are many chapters that contain day to day interactions with people that are so uninteresting that they shouldn't even be repeated. Ed Hamilton also comes across as smug and cheap. He takes the liberty of assuming people's thought processes, motivations and feelings. Ed also believes that he is smarter and better than everyone else in the book. He criticizes everyone even though they may be more interesting and sucessful than him. Was it necessary to have a chapter about a diner in the neighborhood that got a new ceiling? Ryan Adams might or might not have lived on his floor....that is not a story. He saw Ethan Hawke in the elevator. Anyone who has walked down 7th Avenue in the morning has seen Ethan Hawke. I hate this book so much that I used my autographed copy to kill a yellow jacket.
Ed - if you are reading this, you could have bought the old man the Oreos. I can't believe that you wrote a chapter about how you thought that the man was trying to con you out of $5.00 for his share of the cab ride. You shouldn't make assumptions about people's thoughts and motivations and write them as if they are fact. You also shouldn't write that people are junkies and drunks without knowing the facts. Stop being so smug and laughing in people's faces when they say something. You are not clever or interesting.
I am sorry that I am being so harsh but this book made me angry. I wish that I could have my $16.95 plus tax back.
Ed - if you are reading this, you could have bought the old man the Oreos. I can't believe that you wrote a chapter about how you thought that the man was trying to con you out of $5.00 for his share of the cab ride. You shouldn't make assumptions about people's thoughts and motivations and write them as if they are fact. You also shouldn't write that people are junkies and drunks without knowing the facts. Stop being so smug and laughing in people's faces when they say something. You are not clever or interesting.
I am sorry that I am being so harsh but this book made me angry. I wish that I could have my $16.95 plus tax back.
April 21, 2016
I found this an enthralling read! I looked forward to picking up this book each day so that I could be transported to the quirky, sometimes dark and wonderful world which the Chelsea Hotel houses. I was especially moved by Hiroya's story, while also finding myself laughing at some of the relatable humourous encounters with those living or visiting the hotel. The hotel has been a fascination that has grown through a love of artists who have stayed at the hotel. Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Brett and Wendy Whiteley, Edie Sedgewick, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen, Dylan Thomas, Dee Dee Ramone and many more have all been under its roof. The book touches on encounters or insights in to some of those that stayed in the hotel, some famous and some not but all riveting. I have always yearned to stay at the hotel but it has unfortunately been out of my budget when I may have been able to. My sister and I were lucky to step foot in the hotel lobby in 2010 before the scaffolding went up. Despite planning to visit the hotel we came across it by mistake after visiting an art opening close by. We walked around the corner to be greeted by the iconic neon Chelsea Hotel sign. Was great to see the art on the walls and hanging from the lobby roof. I hope to have the opportunity to visit and stay in the future once the renovations are finished. I truly hope the new owners stay true to the hotels' history, and respect remaining tenants and what the hotel represents. It would be devastating and heartbreaking to see this invaluable and irreplaceable piece of NYC's creative history lost.
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