In a remote corner of the Hotel Chelsea, behind a yellow door trimmed in red and topped with plastic 
flowers, lies a short hallway painted in the same red and yellow stripes. A unique, antique brass lighting fixture dangles from the ceiling. A turn to the left brings one into the main room, a dreamlike mélange of faded grandeur set against a backdrop of intense, radiant color.
On Feb. 14th, Valentine’s Day, friends of the late artist, witch and free spirit Vali Myers assembled in her old room at the Hotel Chelsea to commemorate her passing, as they have every year since her death on Feb. 12 in 2003. In no sense wicked, Vali was a witch with a heart of gold who touched a great many lives with her vibrant spirit and optimistic outlook. “To know her was to love her,” said poet, filmmaker and publisher Ira Cohen. “Vali was an original, a modern-day Kiki of Montparnasse. A million people were charmed by her.” Vali was a champion of life and love in all its varied manifestations, and hence it’s fitting that her friends should gather on a holiday that has its roots in an ancient pagan fertility festival. (READ MORE)
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