RIP Arthur Weinstein

Photo courtesy of hotelchelseablog.com

Forgive me for being so late on this, but it took me a while for it to sink in: Club legend Arthur Weinstein recently died of cancer. Arthur, a feisty man who was central to the New York club scene back when there was one, owned seminal spots like Hurrah (a new wavey dance spot), the Continental (a jazzy after-hours haunt), and the World (a sexy adventureland in Alphabetland where Dean Johnson rocked and irrepressibility ruled).

Arthur went on to do the lighting for Peter Gatien-owned jaunts like Limelight, the Tunnel, and Club USA, creating an integral part of the partying experience and generally joining in on the fun in order to add to the electricity. A few years ago, Weinstein exuberantly told me, "I'm an artist now!"—an endeavor he carried out while living in the perfectly artistic Chelsea Hotel. His resume kept growing, then it suddenly stopped short, and the loss to New York at night—or even by day—cannot be calculated.