MORE ON THE CHERRY GROVE BEACH HOTEL

The Meat Rack

The Meat Rack Deer

The following comment was left in several stories on Times Square Gossip on our story on The Chery Grove Beach Hotel in Fire Island New York. It was signed anonymous, so I deleted it but then I was thinking more and more and I decided to give a few answers to this comment. I rarely delete comments because I believe everyone has their opinion, and even when they take a stab at me, I let it stay. I also let anonymous comments stay unless I find them full of four letter words or something so outrageous it should be deleted. You can also read the original story by clicking here. Here is the original comment....

"James's review of the Grove Hotel and Ice Palace is incredibly fabricated. James has a documented history and publishes the same exact fiction about the property as his current borderline libelous piece. He is a blogger who has a personal issue with the property and uses his keyboard to tap out a few slanderous paragraphs. James mentions bites on his legs, perhaps he incurred these bites during his extended visit to the meat rack late that Saturday evening. I am not a big fan of bashing people or establishments. I try as hard as I can to support my gay community. James's unethical rant only exudes a very unhappy, overweight , unloved mans attempt to fit in to some form of social circle. James I would suggest finding some happiness in your life, making up stories about things you really don't know, its pathetic. I will follow up soon with my own blog JamesEdstromisabullshitartist.com I can assure you honey, you have too many skeletons in your closet to have opened this can of worms."

Times Square Gossip Reply:

I ask, what fabrications? The photos speak for themselves. I paid $175.00 for Saturday night. This is the same room that can go for as much as $500.00 a night. Would any of my readers feel good about paying that much money for those conditions? Moldy bathrooms, ripped carpeting, pipes hanging out of the walls, windows painted shut, beds that are cots. You say in comment that James has a documented history with this property. What history? I have never trashed the Cherry Grove Beach Hotel ever before in print. In fact I put the place in the National Enquirer with a happy celebrity posing at the hotel. Where are your documents? You say I am a blogger with personal issues with the property and I use my keyboard tapping out slanderous paragraphs. What was slanderous ? Look at the photos in the story. They speak for themselves. You say you are not a fan of bashing people or establishments. Every time that hotel charges those prices with those room conditions, you are bashing the gay community. You are taking advantage. You say you try as hard as you can to support your gay community. This makes me think that the comment came from the owner himself. Can't be sure, because you didn't have the guts to sign the comment and include your e-mail for my reply. You say James Unethical rant. What is unethical about finally saying in print what everyone talks about in the gay community. They all talk about what a ripoff this hotel is at these prices. Like I said in the story, I could have put up with this mess at the old prices, but for a new owner to buy the hotel and double the prices and to still give these conditions, is a rip off to the gay community. Furthermore, this time of year the hotel used to be packed, from what I saw it was almost empty and I was just about the only sucker that was stupid enough to stay there. You call me unloved, over weight. True I am overweight, and the only place I feel unloved is at the Cherry Grove Beach Hotel. You say you will start your own blog JamesEdstromIsABullshitArtist.com . And you are so sweet, you call me honey and say you will out my skeletons in my closet on this site. Let me tell you honey, I have no skeletons. I was always openly gay, unlike you who was probably in the closet till it was safe to come out. Where were you when I was fighting for gay rights ? Hiding safely in Cherry Grove? The end result was I was not trying to hurt anyone. I was simply fed up with being ripped off in Cherry Grove not only by not only the hotel, but by the restaurants, supermarkets and everywhere else. Just about the only fair place in the whole town is Cherry's. Tides is pretty good too. I'm tired of all the business owners telling me they have to make their money in the 7 months they are open. Most of the residents buy their food on the mainland because of the high prices. Don't tell me about the freight to bring it over. The New York Post sells for 25 cents in New York City and at the supermarket they cross out the price and put one dollar on the paper. Are you telling me one copy of the New York Post cost 75 cents in freight to bring over to the island? I think not. If the supermarkets and all the businesses charged a fair price, people would spend the money instead of bringing it all over from the mainland. And as for having only 7 months to make your money, you make just about more money than a regular business that is open year round makes. You have a captive audience, but I see it is ending by the few people that seemed to be on the island when I was there. Almost every review I write is a good review. I like to see the good side of a Hotel or restaurant, not the bad. Fix your hotel and charge a fair price and I will be very happy to give you a shining review. Otherwise, I stand by my story. Next time you comment, leave a e-mail so I can reply. Leaving comments anonymous is not fair. As for you saying I was running through the meat rack, yeah that was me. I was probably running from you !

Photos By: James Edstrom