July 7th, 2009 New York’s Ada Clare
A visitor has a lot to look forward to when considering our 4-star hotels. New York on its own is a world original for culture and style, and our hotels mirror the place. There is an exquisite attention to detail, to make sure that guests here are continually reminded that hospitality is our number one priority. The design here is likewise exceptional, with an old-world charm that take into account the multitudes of ideas and points of view that grace the city’s streets. New York is an amazing ride, with some of the world’s best minds passing through at one time or another.
It has long been home to artists and writers and other intellectuals, looking for a place to find like minds, feel free to be individuals, and for the unique blend of cultures that doesn’t really exists anywhere else on earth. It has been this way for a number of generations, too. On the streets of Greenwich Village, the ghost of the revolutionary Ada Clare is almost palpable. Her legacy is a long and continuous one, even if her name is too rarely uttered. Born Jane McElhenney in 1834, she moved to New York from South Carolina in 1854. She had a child out of wedlock, probably by Louis Gottschalk, and enjoyed scandalizing people by introducing herself as an unwed mother.
She had a fiery spirit and a graceful demeanor, coupled with a marvelous wit and talent for acting and writing, that caught the attention of the local Bohemian society at the time. One of her favorite haunts, a pub called Pfaff’s, was particularly amenable to the underground cultural heroes of the time, and she was one of its favorites. It was here that Ada Clare earned her the title Queen of the Bohemians, and also here that she attracted the attention of the likes of Walt Whitman. Her ideas of the New Woman earned her a place in contemporary society, and scandalized or not, Ada Clare’s ideas were obviously the products of a sharp mind, and earned her a readership, and the respect of her peers. It also earns her a place in the history of New York City.
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