Founder Alexander Farnsworth Reflects on His Journey to Now
Photos by Ryan Duffin
On being queer in Utah, hotel balconies, and lessons from his great, great uncle.
as told to Gossamer
I moved to New York with a suitcase when I was 19. I sold my car for $2,000 and I said, “I’m going to the big city.”
I grew up in Utah, but I spent a summer in New York on a modeling contract when I was 17 and fell in love with it. I was like, This is the place for me. I did some teen acting and modeling in Utah, which is a big hub for Disney given its proximity to L.A., so I had been toying with moving to California, but ultimately I felt like I needed a Mercedes to fit in there. In New York, I could ride the subway and be a bit more independent.
I spent the latter part of my junior year of high school on a film set, where I got my SAG card. And when I went back to Utah after my summer in the city, a lot of my friends had already moved on. I was also queer in a very conservative Mormon community and I didn’t really feel like I had a place there artistically or intellectually. I just kind of quit going to school. I dropped out, got my GED, and was admitted to the University of Utah on a special talent scholarship.
I applied to NYU Tisch as a transfer student, and I wasn’t accepted, but I moved to New York anyhow. My first five nights, I stayed in a hostel on Bowery and 4th. I had a friend to stay with, but they were out of town when I arrived. I was so committed that I didn’t want to wait until they got back.
Just Kids had come out a year or two before I moved, so that first day in New York, I went to the Hotel Chelsea. It was all boarded up. There have obviously always been residents, but the lobby was in shambles. And I loved it. Now, whenever I’m back in the city I stay there. It’s my home away from home.
I love hotels. I spent five years working for André Balazs, who I think is one of the most iconic hoteliers of our time. And when I met my partner, he was actually living in The Maritime Hotel. A good hotel makes you feel like you’re at home wherever you are in the world. It mixes locals and travelers. To have a hotel in New York City where I actually feel at home is such a privilege. Also, the Hotel Chelsea is one of the only hotels in New York City where you can get a terrace, and as a smoker, I love a terrace. Read the rest on Gossamer.
