Police linked him to hotel receipts…Cunanan had been staying at the West Side Club a gay sex club where you could rent cheap private rooms. As it turns out, he was New York around the time he murdered victim number four, William Reese in New Jersey. If anything, I hoped to help establish a timeline. Although, Cunanan was dead…I called the crime show America’s Most Wanted. I read the rest of the article and nearly fainted.Īndrew Cunanan would spend 8 days on the run before he took his own life in a show down with police on a houseboat where he had been squatting. I told my Mom but I’m not sure she believed me. I flipped to the story – to find a picture of the suspect. He went for a morning walk to pick up a newspaper and was shot in front of his Miami mansion. There was a copy of the Daily News on the table. It was another beautiful day, I woke up late and went down to the kitchen to eat breakfast. I was truly freaked out, so much that I got chills telling Leslie what happened.Īs the weeks passed, I forgot about that night, the wanted poster and the weirdo. In the car, I told her about my encounter with Andrew and how I felt there something was extremely off about him.
When Leslie arrived, we danced the night away. I told him I was going to stay behind to wait for my friend. He then said, “I’m heading over to Twilo” which was notorious for its druggie raves. I thought, how could someone not function if they were a successful architect? Right? I answered, “I enjoy partying too but responsibly I need to function.” Then things got weird, he said something odd, he said, “well, I don’t need to function.” This struck me as bizarre. We made small talk about the NYC nightlife and where the hottest clubs were located. His name was Andrew, he was in town visiting from “Chicago.” He was an “architect” which I thought was impressive. He said, “yes.” I think it was a Bud Lite. When he smiled back, I approached and introduced myself. I couldn’t help thinking he looked familiar but could not place him. I spotted a handsome guy sitting on a small stage near the dance floor, I smiled. Leslie was late and my beer was getting warm. When I arrived, the bar was somewhat empty but filled up as it got closer to midnight. I asked Leslie to meet me at a now defunct gay sports bar in Chelsea called Champs. The next week, I desperately needed a night out. The authorities suspected he would perhaps flee to New York City where he could easily blend into the large gay community. Cunanan made his way to Chicago where he took his next victim. One of his victims, architect David Madson was found rolled up in a rug with a gunshot wound to his head. Cunanan was wanted for several murders across the country. She said, “don’t worry about it, you wouldn’t be going to the type of places where someone like that would be lurking.” I can’t remember the exact timing, but later saw on the local news a report about the man on the poster. When I arrived home, I called my best friend Leslie and told her about my day and the creepy poster. I stopped dead in my tracks and took a mental note. As I walked down the subway stairs, I noticed a wanted poster a suspected gay spree killer was on the loose. After sunset, I headed towards 7th Ave to catch the train home. I strolled over to the Christopher Street pier to take in the sun and the sights – cute boys were everywhere. Feeling bored, I jumped on the D train and headed to the West Village to do some shopping and cruising. It was late spring 1997, I just completed my junior year of college and was back home in Brooklyn for break. And I will forever be haunted by the memory… Just a few months prior, I bought his murderer, Andrew Cunanan a beer in a New York City nightclub. The murder shocked the world, the fashion industry and me personally. 520 Eigh th Street SE website.It’s been 22yrs since Gianni Versace was gunned down in front of his Miami mansion. Orchid is projected to stay open until 2 a.m.
on Saturday and Sunday - envisioned as a disco dance party of sorts - will include lots of oysters, a 1.5-liter magnum of rose for $35, and six “baby bottle” buckets of bubbles for $50. There’s also a handful of wines for $5 each.Ī “post brunch” from 1 p.m. Cocktails ($10) include a Blue Orchid featuring Jameson whiskey and blueberry syrup, while beers ($5-$6) include Pacifico and DC Brau. Seasonal fare out of the gate ($8-$19) includes shrimp cocktail, grilled lamb chops, avocado gazpacho, cheese plates, crab cakes, and seared sea scallops. Event planner Timur Tugberk and fashion blogger Diego Gonzalez-Zuniga are also partners on the project. Orchid comes from Hill Restaurant Group, which runs other neighborhood watering holes including Finn McCool’s and Hawk ‘n’ Dove. Its glam theme pays homage to the heyday of the Prohibition era, sporting mahogany-lined interiors and vintage pink and purple glass lamps. The new entrant (520 Eighth Street SE) replaces now-defunct Senart’s Oyster and Grille Room.