Hotel Chelsea and the Near-Death Experience

Nothing like jumping on the bandwagon a little late!

Truth be told, I had never heard of the Hotel Chelsea in Second Life. I had heard of the more solid one in New York City - once home to a number of writers and musicians (perhaps most infamously known as where Dylan Thomas died of alcohol poisoning, and where Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen lived and Spungen died) and now in the midst of a renovation. Built in 1883 and originally run as a co-op apartment building, it was recast as a hotel in 1905.

Then various blogs, including Prim Perfect and Crap Mariner, mentioned that there was not only a Second Life replica of the original - one that offered rooms to let, exhibits, and live music - but that the hotel was about to disappear, a victim of reduced donations, reduced interest in Second LIfe, high tier,…it's always hard to tell what the fatal blow is for a sim, as the cause of death is usually a combination of things. At any rate, before I could see what the fuss was about, notice came that the sim had gotten a reprieve.

From the notecard:

Hello Fellow Bohemians

Welcome to the Virtual Hotel Chelsea

Please feel free to look around the Hotel, and enjoy the Art and Ambience. We have Gallery 23 where we feature SL artists to the left of the hotel, and gallery row to the right where more Sl artist show their work. There are also galleries and shops to be seen all over the sim, so check them out as well.

You may also visit room 100 where Sid and Nancy lived ( and nancy died) , and room 211 where Bob Dylan lived. As well as several residents rooms that are open to the public, just click on the doors.

We have residential rooms for rent, these are unfurnished and vary in price and prim allowance. We also have rooms that you can rent for one day at a time, these rooms are furnished and have no prim allowance.

We have Live events including Live music, and poetry readings. Most of the Live music is on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Check the marquee next to the stage for information or ask your host.

We also have Literary Night on Wednesdays at 6pm. This is an open forum where anyone may read, we have published authors who join us and read from thier own works. You can read your own poetry or flash fiction, or anything else you want.
Enjoy your visit !

The hotel is clearly under substantial (virtual) renovation, so I'll have to return after it is completed. I can only imagine how prim-heavy the entire setup is…it must cost a virtual arm and leg to maintain. Or perhaps a real arm and leg.

In any event, there is a Wall of Shame for real life residents of the hotel and, of course, I found the bar.

The lobby shows the hotel's bohemian focus, with arty pictures and mismatched furniture.

It remains to be seen whether this incarnation of the hotel can make a go of it…then again, the same can be said for all of us, I suppose.