"It was my world, my life, my family, my people," says Betsey Johnson, the free-spirit fashion designer who, instead of taking the usual bow, is known to do a cartwheel or two down the runway at the end of her fashion shows. As you'll read in this issue (the interview appears on page 62), she was talking to us about the place that has been a virtual oasis for artists and bohemia for as long as anyone can remember--the Hotel Chelsea on West 23rd Street in Manhattan. The legendary spot has been under the stewardship of the Bard family since 1939--first there was David Bard, who rescued the place from bankruptcy, and then the helm was passed to his son, Stanley. Under their ...