Last week a letter was sent out to residents of the Hotel Chelsea asking them to clean up and not leave their personal belongings around. The hotel has long had a homey, lived-in feeling and its unofficial blog says "Some residents have turned the space outside their doors into pleasant little sitting rooms or galleries." Changing this is a definite step in the wrong direction being made by the new management, and it seems to be making way for a more polished clientele.
However, the residents also bring up a more public cleaning project. The legendary sign on the outside of the building is being shined up. "The workers have been not only cleaning, but also painting parts of the sign, apparently with the goal of making it more reflective, so that the neon will shine brighter at night. I spoke with a resident involved in the restoration of the building, and he argued that they were cleaning up and restoring the building to its original grandeur, and that, as opposed to Stanley's policy of benevolent neglect, this new direction actually shows more respect for the building."
It seems even the little changes are making big statements to residents, and possibly leading to a split in the overall mentality on restoring the hotel. We're guessing the kids there are pro-Bard, though.
