The Essex House (in NYC)

Submitted by denny March 11th, 2010

I love the simplicity of the red sign. When I look at it, it takes me right back to an era of NY that I wish I could have been a part of. I took this in the summer of 2009.

6 Responses to “The Essex House (in NYC)”

  1. Allee Willis

    I stayed at The Essex as a kid with my parents on one of our few trips to New York City. We were on a high floor and I could see Central Park and a teeny part of Broadway and found all things big city very invigorating. When I finally moved to New York in 1969 to work at Columbia Records I used to walk by The Essex and look up at that sign and think ‘I made it!.

  2. MyFunCloset

    If I had a time machine, it would be set for NYC, 1900, upper class please. Whether it’s 1910 or 2010, living comfortably in Manhattan is more fun than a 5 flight walk-up with a bright yellow bathtub in the kitchen. That was my first apt. on E. 14th St. A picture to follow shortly, now that I’ve opened that door.

    • Allee Willis

      My very first place was on E. 14th St. too! Summer of ’69. For about three months I was living just east of Fifth Avenue in my cousin’s apartment while she was in Europe. Can’t remember the address but it was a big white building on the uptown side of the street. From there I moved to 72nd St. between Third and Lex for three years and then to 69th St. between Central Park West and Columbus where I was until I moved to LA in ’76. I love New York but clearly always wanted to be in LA. I went to New York out of college because I wanted to work at a record company and I wanted to be in advertising and there were more of both there. But as soon as I started writing songs and singing which was in 1972 I realized I’d way rather starve to death in LA than New York. It took me four years to be able to make the move but once I got here I fell in love with it so much I knew I’d never move again.

  3. MyFunCloset

    I moved in with friends in June ’69. E 14th, between B & C. Get this…. rent was $69 a month split 3 ways! I was fresh out of Ohio & green. 3 months later, after the apt was broken into twice, I moved up to 83rd betw. 1st & 2nd. There’s a lot more to the story but I’ll stop here.
    One more thing…then you knew the movie house on E 72 near 1st that only charged a $1 and there was always a line, or the great junk store on the corner @ 79th & 2nd.
    Thanks for jarring my memory.

    • Allee Willis

      Yes, knew both those places but I was a Westside girl at heart. When I lived on E. 76th my life was pretty much going back and forth to the record company or down to the Fillmore to see acts I worked for. When I really really got into collecting I was mostly going to places in the village. THE single greatest clothes place I ever went to and really what got me started wearing vintage full time was a place called Bogie’s on 10th and 2nd Ave. Everything was sold by the pound and it was the greatest stash of vintage clothing I’ve ever seen anywhere, all in giant piles and you just climbed through and jammed as much into shopping bags as you could. It was pretty much the first round for vintage clothing so what you had to choose from was insane. I was completely broke but would leave with 20 new pieces of clothing every week. Without question I cite this as one thing that turned me into an obsessive collector.