West 23rd Street lies in a time warp between 1944 and 2009. 'Progress' has hit the hood like everywhere else in Manhattan, but here and there survivors of working class NYC (and its literary offshoots) remain.. as in Chelsea Sewing Center's call to another era when people made their own outfits... 
The impossible to photograph El Quijote...
Infamous Chelsea Hotel
Faux dive bar Trailer Park...gotta love the signage
Former 60s Bar and Grill Live Bait
Limerick's Irish dive bar
Lots of character in all of them... hard but happy place I think!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sean: so much character. I like to see 'hoods with character.
ReplyDeleteWhy is the Chelsea Hotel infamous?
Every time I see a picture of the Chelsea Hotel I think of a Leonard Cohen song.
ReplyDeleteNice interesting photos as always.
I once stayed at the Leo House, a catholic run (ex-convent possibly) hotel/B&B about a block east of the Chelsea Hotel. It was a great place for bargain accommodation if you could manage to get in.
ReplyDeleteTo this day when I here Chelsea hotel I think Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. Great post.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the Warhol gang live in the Chelsea? Looks in good shape, though.
ReplyDeleteSo Live Bait is a name, not an item on the menu, right?
Great photos.
Exactly HOW would Wayne get into a Catholic nun run ( that rhymes!!!) outfit? What's this world coming to?
ReplyDeleteI"m uneasy about the Live Bait. When I come to NYC, I ain't going there KM!
Some beautiful and lovely shots !! Great post..Unseen Rajasthan
ReplyDeleteThat Live Bait joint is pretty sweet. I love all these, Ken. Brilliant captures.
ReplyDeleteThe photo of The Chelsea Hotel is spectacular.
ReplyDeleteLove the bright, vivid pictures!
ReplyDeleteLove NYC!
Jas
Ireland
What treasures! But what's a dive bar? I've never heard the expression before. That Chelsea Hotel is both fantastic and scary-looking. And I like the look of Limerick's.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are a lot of stories from each of those places. All seem like their time has past.
ReplyDeleteHi--In response to your question--I have not lost patience with blogger--you get 1GB of memory(free)and then you have to pay for more per year. I switched because I want a free blog. So...come on over--many have and I love it. Also keep reading MELANIE because it is timely and relevant. Now I have 2 productions.
ReplyDeleteI think Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. Great post.
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Thanks for the info about the Chelsea, Ken. I like these sorts of gritty images much better than the glass/plastic type.
ReplyDeleteThe Limerick House is a fine place for some drinks... despite its location, seems to be a bit of a secret....
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for the tour of the hood.
ReplyDeleteBut I do like the Chelsea Hotel! I love the neon sign from the picture just below it.
ReplyDeleteCan't tell you how many "liquid lunches" the Guitar One editorial team had at Live Bait, or how many afternoon edit "meetings" we conducted at Limerick's!
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I were recently discussing about how we as human beings are so hooked onto electronics. Reading this post makes me think back to that discussion we had, and just how inseparable from electronics we have all become.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean this in a bad way, of course! Societal concerns aside... I just hope that as technology further innovates, the possibility of copying our memories onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It's a fantasy that I daydream about almost every day.
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