Upon checking into the Chelsea around 2, we received the keys to Suite 608 . More like an apartment, it was giantic with 3 rooms that included a small kitchonette, a living room with fireplace and a setting area, a little dining table, and full size bedroom and bathroom. The decor was a dream.: a purple gray shag rug, and green fainting couch and lovely artwork on the walls and ashtrays in both rooms. We settled in ; ) and then played the Black Flag drinking game. After taking some tipsy pictures, we decided to explore the famous hotel. Artwork from previous tenants and guests lined the walls all the way up to the top of the intricate staircase, where Andy Warhol's contribution can be seen hanging from the domed skylight.
The Misfits concert was an experience. One the music kicked in, it was like all the air around me was suctioned out and I was vacuumed packed next to all the sweaty people around me, being pushed and shoved. I had to get over my claustophoebia asap. I got hit by a flying boot of some crowd surfer, which would cause a headache that remained the rest of the night. After being pissed for a little bit, I gave in to the music and pulse of the maggots and began 'fucking people up' myself (namely pushing the poor spanish dude in front of me). We left the pit and I bascially made my way to the side of the stage to take photos, bypassing the barricase and all the people in VIP passes. No one questioned me for at least 5 minutes and then they kicked me out. Afterwards, I got gropped by Jerry Only when taking a picture and then he grabbed my [face] cheeks and squeezed. Ah thats okay, he looks damn good for 50.
We returned to the hotel and explored further, taking photos. The second floor reaked of ganja and we tried to sniff it out, asking where the weed at!? Then we got first floor, the most reportedly haunted. Room 100 was were Sid allegedly killed Nancy, but since then they combined room 100 and 103 so 100 no longer exists. Immediately the feeling on the first floor was different than the previous ones, but I didn't read much too into it. At the end of the hall was 103. I went to photograph Jeremy in front of the door and it took a while to autofocus and then the exposure took forever. We did think it was odd, being I didn't have a camera problem all the while I was taking photos of the art. The exposure took 3 minutes and came out completely white (probably cause i got impatient and pointing it down at the marble floor). I didn't attempt another photo since we both felt weird and wanted to leave.
The night continued, we walked the city streets and looked at the costumes. The most clever was some guy in a cardboard box that said "Suspicious Package: If you see something say something". At around 2 we headed back to our room. It was daylight savings time that night and around the time we would set our clocks back, so I called it the hour of limbo. We laid down in bed and I was looking through the photos I'd taken when I saw a photo I did not remember taking. It was the picture right before the White exposure that came out in front of Sid and Nancy's room. I know I only took one exposure, I have no idea how this picture came out. At further inspection it only got weirder. See for yourself:
The first thing Jeremy saw was the very vague face above his head that looks like it is half covered by two hands giving the middle finger. He believes it is Sid. He didn't even see at what I feel is most clear: that of the skeleton hands. Odd being that I was wearing my skeleton hands misfits shirt I had just gotten. Moving up from the sideways hands that look like they are clasped I see an intimidating profile of an elongated skeletal face. The jaw with a manical grin that leads up to a hooked nose and an eye. I mean, there are so many things that are in this picture i can't explain. On the left, I see what can look like a studded bracelet and grommets that are the same as the ones on the combat boots we wore. There is swirling energy everywhere.
Overall pretty creepy, especially considering the fact that Daylight Savings Time happened to fall on Halloween this year, and I realize now that that hour didn't exist. It was 2 am when you're supposed to set the clocks back, giving another hour and it was 2 am when I discovered the photo.
I slept on and off after that. The room wasn't very uncomfortable, but I waking up and waiting for the day to start. Eventually I did get up and had my own Chelsea Morning, had a cigarette and took some photos.
We checked out at 12 and took the subway to Chinatown to eat at Wo-Hop. Mmm, it was good. Of course there peddlers trying to sell me all kinds of rolexes and designer bags, one after the other. You gotta wonder where or if their have the same source, I mean how could everyone within literally 2 feet of another happen to have the same goods. Of course the only thing I took interest in was this guy holding a claustophobic plastic tank with two tiny turtles in it. Poor things! I bought them for $20 including food. They had quite a splashing journey back to Penn. From the start, they interacted with me and just stared with their tiny green eyes and intricately decorated skin and shells. They really are beautiful. Their names are Chelsea and Japhy, after Jack Kerouac's character in Dharma Bums. Japhy looks so zen & wise and loves to climb. Chelsea is smaller and more emaciated, like a resident artist or musician drug addict from the hotel of yesteryears.
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