AofA's Hot To Trot Talking Points
Every Friday
Post-Awards, it’s great to be connected to a few more Substackers. Good to hear your thoughts. Thanks for commenting.
The New Yorker featured bold photographs by Tony Notarberardino of the residents of the Chelsea Hotel at night. And a fascinating line up it is. I asked our members if anyone had been and quite a few had including me - I visited a long term resident in his penthouse flat there in the early 2000s and I was enthralled.
Tenants of the Chelsea Hotel. Have you been?
‘The Chelsea was converted from an apartment building into a hotel in the early 20th century, and has housed both long-term residents and temporary guests. Tony Notarberardino, a photographer from Melbourne who first arrived at the Chelsea Hotel in 1994, thought that he would be one of the latter. Instead, “I never left,” he said. When Notarberardino began living in the hotel, he was struck by the hodgepodge atmosphere, where a surprise seemingly lurked around every corner. One night, in the fall of 1997, he approached an aging drag queen he saw in the hotel elevator; she agreed to sit for a portrait in his room. With this, he embarked on a series that he would spend the next two decades pursuing. “I just saw all of these amazing people,” he said. “And I couldn’t not photograph them.” Notarberardino captured a cross-section of the hotel’s guests, as well as its employees. His project documents participants in a specific era of New York City that was on the verge of ending. See the full collection: https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/0JWlso’
A fascinating little film about Irish man, Gerry Dalton who created his own sculpture garden and lots more sculptures inside his housing trust flat. He was an outsider artist and Gerry’s Pompeii can still be observed along the Grand Union Canal near Westbourne Park tube. There was a story in the Observer this week that I can’t seem to find. He’s no longer alive.
This was a piece in the Telegraph. ‘One writer’s parents were becoming increasingly frail until taking up weight training dramatically changed their lives.
It all began with a viral video of 97-year-old Merce Hershey deadlifting 24kg (53lb) in a gym in Cincinnati.
Many who watched it were astounded by this amazing physical feat, but Clare Johnston, 52, a journalist from Edinburgh, went a step further and called the personal trainer behind it to find out more.’It’s something we discuss quite a lot in the group - the advantages of strength training but interesting to hear that people are starting at older and older ages and seeing the benefits.
4. Wonderful to hear about Debra Rappoport and her upcycled flat. ‘A rambunctious Debra Rapoport upcycles her flamboyant New York flat with loo-roll tubes and used coffee pods https://the-world-of-interiors.visitlink.me/qSGd’
5. BBC Somerset put out this info - ‘Living with Pat has given Leon a lot more confidence’
He moved into her spare room as part of a scheme to help young adults who have been in care.
Somerset Council is looking for more people like Pat to host young people like Leon.’ I asked if members had heard of this scheme and they had. One member said the problem was often that the hosts didn’t get enough support around supporting the young people.
6. And finally we were thrilled with the news that Advantages of Age is now a Substack Bestseller, that means paying subscription have gone higher than 100. Thanks to all of you who support us in this way. Amazing.
