Chelsea Guitars and Old Homestead Steakhouse

Even though I can’t play guitar, I’ve always liked looking at them. I’ve always found guitars really sexy, maybe it’s because they’re shaped like a voluptuous woman, maybe it’s because I’m nuts. Anyway, I’ve always liked looking at them, so it’s only natural I enjoy looking around in guitar shops and there’s lots of guitar shops in New York City. I thought that every now and again we’d take a tour of one, here on TWM. One of the more famous gitbox shops in the city is Chelsea Guitars on 23rd Street, right next door to the Chelsea Hotel. It’s just about ten blocks from where I live, so I figured this would be the perfect place to start our debut of guitar shops in New York City.

Here we are on 23rd Street, not far to go now.

Fresh fruit alert!

We're real close now, here's the Chelsea Hotel.

Which is sadly still closed to the public.

And right next door is our destination, Chelsea Guitars. This place used to be a tailor shop and they left the "Alterations For Men and Women" sign stay above the door, which is a nice nod to the past.

The front window has some very cool guitars on display, including a Les Paul on the left.

As you can see, it's a narrow shop inside and it's jampacked with guitars.

The first thing you notice in here is the giant sea serpent crashing through the ceiling. I was told his name is Stanley, named after Stanley Bard, the former manager of the Chelsea Hotel.

Here's the owner of Chelsea Guitars, Dan Courtenay, strumming on one of the guitars from the walls of the shop.

As you can imagine, Dan has seen all kinds of famous guitarists come and go in Chelsea guitars. He told me a few people you wouldn't guess that has shopped in here include, Jonathan Demme, Arthur Miller and Allen Ginsberg. Dan cited Joan Baez as being one of the nicest customers to shop there and he said he was knocked out when Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's former guitarist came into the shop to get a guitar when he was opening up for Los Lobos here in New York.

Acoustic guitars line one side of the shop.

And various electric guitars line the other side.

A shot of the shop from the back.

Here's Roy Orbison's Diners Club card, I think he'd be happy to have it hanging here amongst all these great guitars.

Three ukuleles hang with their larger stringed brothers in the shop.

Close up of some of the electric guitars hanging on the walls.

Check out this painting, it looks like Bob Dylan has gotten food poisoning.

Yikes!

Guitar cases are stored above the guitars on display in the store.

Pedals and fuzz tones are stored in the case at the back of the store.

Bass guitars can be had here as well, here's a Fender Jazz Bass guitar.

Carl Perkins autographed this guitar.

In addition to guitars, you can also purchase CDs in here.

It was getting close to dinner time, so I had an appetizer of a Sid Loves Nancy guitar pick. Another nod to the neighboring Chelsea Hotel.

And for the official Saturday night dinner, I decided to wander over to the Old Homestead Steakhouse.

Those of you that have followed my past blogs will recognize the bar in here and maybe we'll see a familiar face as well...

And here's the familiar face, friendly bartender, Robinson. You may remember him from the 365 blog or on one of our Saturday Night Cheeseburger adventures.

I started off with a lump crabmeat cocktail.

And here's the main course, a 10 ounce filet with a hash brown potato cake beneath it.

Delicious! It was a great meal and wonderful to see Robinson again. And big thanks to Dan and the friendly crew at Chelsea Guitars for letting me hang out and take pictures.

Chelsea Guitars
224 W. 23rd St. (Near Seventh Ave.)
212-675-4993
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 11AM to 7PM • Sunday: Noon to 6PM

Old Homestead Steakhouse
56 Ninth Ave. (Near 15th St.)
212-242-9040

Further reading: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, New York Magazine and Vintage & Rare.

Ah ooh, smokestack lightnin’,
Shinin’ just like gold.

Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!

----------------------------------------
Chelsea Guitar T-Shirt Contest!
I bought this t-shirt at Chelsea Guitars, because I believe in supporting local businesses that let me come in and pester them by taking photos and putting their guitar picks on my tongue. And so I thought I’d give it to one of the TWM readers and commenters. So the first person who can answer this guitar related question wins the shirt. Warning: You will have to give me your address, which means I may show up at your house or apartment, drink all your beer, eat all your cheeseburgers and watch all of your internet porn, so you’ve been forewarned! Okay here’s the question: Name the guitarist for the band, The Wombles, who had a connection to The Sex Pistols and tell me what the connection was.

First one to answer in the comments wins the shirt! And I’ll throw in a Chelsea Guitars sticker and a couple of picks as well. What a generous motherfucker I am, huh?

Saturday Night Cheeseburger

Live, from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger! Starring the Old Homestead Steakhouse and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher! And now, please welcome our host, the Old Homestead Steakhouse!

Okay, as you see it's still light out and that's because we're headed out early. While bopping around the internet I found the following lunch special at The Old Homestead Steakhouse, check it out below.

All that for 22 bucks? It looks too good to be true, but it's only available from 1 PM to 4 PM, so today's Saturday Night Cheeseburger is actually happening in the afternoon. I went to the Old Homestead Steakhouse for the 365 bar crawl, I wonder if I'll see any familiar faces. It's only about five blocks away, so we'll see soon.

And here we are. The Old Homestead Steakhouse is a classic place, it's been on the block since 1868.

And check it out, "The Triumvirate of Beer Royalty," sounds good to me!

And so it's through the gold-leafed doors we go.

There's a small dining area overlooking the street in the front room as you enter.

And then there's the bar area, hey, I think I see a familiar face!

It's Robinson, the bartender who I met on my trip from the 365 bars dinner. He remembered me and said he had followed along on the bar trek. It was nice to catch up with him.

And Robert came up to say hello, he remembered me as well. This was a real reunion at the Old Homestead!

Looking up, I realized they had tin ceiling, I don't think I noticed that when I was here before. This is really a classic place.

Here's the long and somewhat narrow dining room. The fact that it's this crowded at three in the afternoon is a testament to how great the food and atmosphere is here.

Here's a shot of the other end of the highly polished wooden bar.

And as I return to my seat, the table is set. Saturday Night Cheeseburger is about to begin!

And here's the first course, a Caesar salad. Lots of grated cheese and crisp lettuce, a perfect starter.

And here's the main course, three mini burgers, with different toppings on assorted fresh rolls. They look fantastic!

Delicious and the roll is bakery fresh.

The Tater Tots are homemade and really crispy. I used them as a Palate cleanser between burgers.

Wow, that was a perfect meal. I'm full, but not stuffed and the burgers were top-notch. And the whole thing was just 22 bucks, best deal in the city.

Okay, one last look at the cow and we're off. Moo York, Moo York. See you tomorrow!

My Meal
I found the “Burger Diamonds” lunch special on the Old Homestead Steakhouse and it looked like a great deal for 22 bucks and it did not disappoint. What the special offers is three mini burgers: one made of Kobe beef, another chopped filet mignon and the last but not least chopped sirloin, they all have different toppings and you also get a Caeser salad and an order of Tater Tots, plus your choice of a beer or a glass of wine. So I ordered it an first up was the Caeser salad and it was crispy with fresh grated parmesan cheese and just the right amount of freshly made dressing. Then came the main course. The burgers were more like meatballs  and each one had its own unique taste and toppings. And the Tater Tots were really crispy and served as a good Palate cleanser between burgers.

The Old Homestead Steakhouse has been in this location for over a century and is a legendary and classic New York spot. In addition to 11 different cuts of steak, Old Homestead also offers: The Empire Cut of Prime Rib on the Bone; Colorado Rack of Lamb; Chilean Sea Bass and four styles of burgers. There’s also a raw bar and a large selection of appetizers including: Truffle Mac and Cheese; Crispy Kobe Bacon; Truffle Buttered Baked Potato and Oscar’s Buttermilk Onion Rings.

Cheeseburger Rating
Four Wimpy’s, great cheeseburgers and a great deal!

Old Homestead Steakhouse
56 Ninth Ave. (Near 15th St.)
212-242-9040

Further Reading: Time Out New York, TV Food Maps and Shecky’s.

Polk salad Annie polk salad Annie,
Everybody said it was a shame,
Cause her mama was working on the chain-gang.
(A mean, vicious woman.)

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!

-----------------------------------------

Bonus Photo by Gene Rubbico!

The BBC were out in full force last night in Baltimore. Gene took this shot of Terry outside of the bar. I love that the sign just says, "Bar." Perfect! Great shot, Gene, thanks for sending it in!