In its Hey-Day, the Chelsea Hotel in New York City had summer ‘beach’ parties on the roof, mostly just half clothed people sitting around drinking. The roof-top “End of Summer” Beach Party held at Virtual Hotel Chelsea on Saturday the 18th included 4 hours of live music on a real beach with surf, sand and even sharks. No doubt the real life residents of the original bohemian hideout would have been even more delighted.
Ascending the hotel stairs, I stepped through a door to find a beach with waves lapping the shore. Nearby, people stood knee deep in the surf dancing as others sat in deck chairs drinking and conversing while one woman worked diligently on a sandcastle, all accompanied by sweet melodic music.
Crossing the shallows, wary of the cruising shark fin I’d noticed, I plotzed on a bobbing floatie, listening to music and people watching. A quick click on a drink dispenser got me an ice-cold beer and, fingers trailing the water, I absorbed the atmosphere.
The music stage was a truck at one end of the beach, half in the water with speakers either side of the flat bed. An ever-changing party ambiance came from the diverse live musicians, including:
Lexus Melodie
Lyric Wolfsong
Jamba LosAngeles
Effinjay (Jaycatt and Frogg)
The party grew through the afternoon, with almost three dozen people dancing, lounging, swaying, drinking. A porpoise occasionally surfaced to kick a beach ball around in the surf.
All too soon Effinjay sang their final song and I reluctantly made my way to the street via the lift, happily trailing imaginary wet sand through the lobby, summer gone but not forgotten.
