GregGramercyPark

Location, location, locatoin (wait, is Chelsea still a viable locatoin?)

Stayed here numerous times when I was not yet living in New York City. The hotel is, well, okay. The only reason that you'd want to stay here (I mean, it's not anything horrible, it's just so average with few amenities) is the location, on the xw corner of 23rd and Seventh. ' However, given that the vultures are circling the Chelsea neighboorhood and I'm anticipating that in the not so distant future what used to be heartbeat of gay NYC may have two, count 'em two bars. The shuttering of wonderful NYC gay insitutions -- clubs, restaurants, bars, stores -- over the past three years has been truly shocking, and there's no way around the fact that this neighborhood will cease to be a destinatoin within Manhattan -- there are some pretty streets, good restaurants, galleries galore, the Highlilne, but whereas in the late 80s, the gays were pioneering what was a very shaky neighborhood and rebuilding it. Now that we've done that, the landlords have skyrocketed their rents and great place after great place, many of which were NYC institutions, have closed their doors for good. If you pick up a Next Magazine and look at the map, there are now scores of places in Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea very clearly is not a player anymore. If you thought that the West Village and Christopher Street have lost to some degree their gay appeal, you'll drop over when you see what's happened to Chelsea. Clothes - Rufskin is still there, and is A+. To say that there's not a club in Chelsea to which one would go to dance could never have been predicted. Gym Bar will stay firm on Eighth Avenue, if operating as nothing more than a neighborhood bar. Barracuda and G are still open and if you fit within their demographic, by all means go, but I think you'll find yourself trending north. And everyone is expecting the bells to finally toll for a certain leather bar north of 23rd in that they are now surrounded by the pros and cons of the Highlilne opening, tons of new highrises, etc etc. The Eagle will either close out the concept of leather in New York City once and for all if they close. Or the Eagle may have to land somewhere, but it doesn't look promising. There are, however, lots of new nail salons, banks, Duane Reades in Chelsea, replacing a world created by gays which was intense, vibrant, fun, edgy. Chelsea is none of those things today, I write with regret.

In that the neighborhood is not a hot spot, the Eventi gives you much more for much less.

Can't say enough wonderful things about the Eventi. A friend and I stayed there very soon after it opened, so we missed a number of the Eventi's features now open. First off, it's a Kimpton, and there's no hotelier better to the gays (whether as employees or as guests). We ended up in a truly remarkable suite, an enormously long interior entry hallway (good, no noise), two big tvs, a nice sitting area in the "living" area, great looking wall treatments (and the exterior pocket door for the bathroom is brilliant), toilet is in its own interior room within the bath, big big tub (and a shower too, I think). Most spectacular of all are the views -- just jawdroppingly close to the biggest and best bldgs in Manhattan, the Empire S and the Chryslter felt as if there were in reaching distance. I'm a photographer, and my friend is a stylist, and I'd be hard pressed to think of a hotel in which to (cough) shoot with these views, the amenities. And that's without exploring the rest of the Eventi. (Think about having dinner outside while a classic film is beamed onto an enormous wall. This "noMad" (north of Madisio) area is still in its early stages, but it (as have all previously ignored 'hoods in Manhattan) will develop rapidly. No safety issues at all, but you won't find a Gap outside the hotel. And for that matter, why would you want that anyway? Location is imminently walkablle -- to Chelsea, Flatiron, Gramercy, and on up to the 42nd Street area. Plus there's a subway stop nearby, but why bother, you're equidistant at the Eventi. Hope to go back soon. It's swell.