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Hotel Nightclubs

Snapshot: Hotel Chelsea's Star Lounge

Where: 222 W. 23rd St [map], New York, ny, United States, 10011

March 19, 2007 at 3:30 PM | 1 Comment

The Hotel Chelsea seemingly has everything a cool, hip hotel could want in the 21st century. Celebrity guests? Check. A hotel blog? Check. Voyeurism? Check. Interesting artwork? Check. And now, we there's the hotel's Star Lounge in the basement.

The venue is comprised of three distinctive areas subtly suggestive of a 1920s speakeasy, a swank cabaret club, and a posh gentlemen's lounge.

The first of these three rooms is called "Room 100" as a nod to the suite where Sid Vicious put an end to girlfriend Nancy's life. It's actually a mini-VIP chamber where you can close the drapes for complete privacy and continue your Sid and Nancy séance without interruption.

Over in the second room, banquettes line the walls and run down the center of the room, where you are actually encouraged to get up and dance on the tables. We hope this is true, because every time we try bouncers tell us to get down for one of two reasons: there's no cabaret license or our high-heels might punch holes in the seat leather.

In the third room, (pictured above) the "gentlemen's club" vibe is helped along by the presence of a "toffee zebra wood bar" and the drink menu which features drinks inspired by legendary Chelsea Hotel guests like Edie Sedgewick ("The Socialite" drink) and Jimi Hendrix ("The Guitarist.")

Some other cool things about the Star Lounge are its discreet location and basement level entrance (consider it the anti-Teddy's), and its modern, simple style. So if you're not down to actually stay at the hotel (it's really not for everyone), popping into the Star Lounge just might be the perfect alternative for those looking to visit the "Last Outpost of Bohemia."