December 6, 2006
Clubs Look to Leave West 27th Street
Shock waves in West Chelsea: The Observer reports Amy Sacco wants to sell Bungalow 8, the club that made the area attractive as a late night hang out. Citing the increased police presence in the area after the death of Jennifer Moore, the 18 year old NJ resident whose drunken night at Guest House on West 27th Street preceded being kidnapped from the West Side Highway and then raped and murdered in NJ, Sacco said, “It’s become really oppressive. People don’t want to walk outside and have klieg lights shining in your face and cops herding you like cattle."
“It looks like downtown Beirut,” said David Rabin, the owner of Lotus and the president of the New York Night Life Association. “You think someone coming in from France or London or Vegas or wherever is going to get off a plane and come to 27th Street and see that as fun?”Sacco also blamed the community board for issuing too many licenses. In turn, Community Board 4 pointed out that the State Liquor Authority does the actual issuing, with CB4 chair Lee Compton explaining, "Up until recently, the State Liquor Authority was predisposed to grant licenses no matter what.” (The SLA recently revised its rules, not allowing any new licenses for establishments within 500 feet of already existing liquor-licensed joints.
...“Two other owners on that block have approached me wanting to sell in the last couple months,” said Alex Picken, the city’s biggest nightclub broker. Mr. Picken was involved in the sale of one of Ms. Sacco’s other hangouts, Lot 61. “It’s like a Mardi Gras over there, and a lot of the high-end patrons—some of whom are models and actors and whoever—they’re leaving the clubs at 3 a.m., and they’re getting harassed on the streets by the other people as well as by the cops. And they’re deciding to take their business elsewhere.”
Was the demise of West 27th Street expected? Do you go to clubs on West 27th Street? Or are they overrun by the bridge and tunnel crowd? After Moore's death, the city's papers spoke to the young women who frequent West 27th Street clubs. In August, the NYPD said criminal activity increased in the West Chelsea club area, but whether that's due to more police presence is unclear. The Post even took to calling West 27th a "Waste Land."
Photograph taken by isaiaht
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'Or are they overrun by the bridge and tunnel crowd?'
Of course not! Where do you think they make most of their money?
P.S. = I never liked the term 'Bridge and Tunnel' crowd and how its used. It’s Incredibly stupid. Its more an elitist jab then anything else.
You'd prefer maybe "ferry and PATH crowd?"
Yes Tim. That is more acceptable. ty
Overall, while im sure most of the residents of the neighborhood are happy for the heavy cop presense and happy to see them go, I have to agree that the already annoying stamepede of people is even made more annoying by the huge floodlights, highway signs warning against underage drinking, and cops oggling girls.
They just need to move out and spread the whole racket around a wider radius so it gives less of a bar crawl vibe. Although, it looks like alot of the patrons have already moved to their drunken annoying antics to the LES...
No liquor licenses within 500 FEET of each other? in NYC that is two and a half blocks. So if you're at a restaurant on 16th street and you want to go to the NEXT CLOSEST restaurant, bar, hotel, club, or gallery, it's going to be down on 13th street. Does this really make sense in NYC? It certainly does upstate but here? Come on! We have laundromats more densely packed than that.
How about the Ferry, PATH and LIRR crowd? This way it includes all the undesirables from the NY Metro area.
27th street does not look anything like dowtown Beirut... Beirut in it's hay day and even now is much more beautiful and cooler.
Eater.com reports that this was a huge misunderstanding, blahblahblah. Now Sacco claims she's merely CONSIDERING selling the club.
Police outside a club is "oppressive"? Give it a rest. Most of the club crowd gets right into a cab.
I hope there's no mass exodus from that area. I'd rather have all the club BS and the people who love it to be corralled in that area, rather than spreading them all over Manhattan. Or, better yet, create a new super club area in the up and coming Jersey City, so they can all go there.
Don't sell. Just change the venu. Make the venu a place that illegal teens would not want to solicit. Like caiter to more elder crowd. Like the Liberace crowd. For God sakes make it fashionable first.
Then again, that may attract young male gay prositute that would get kidnapped raped and murdered.
So, with all that speculated, there's nowhere to run to baby, nowhere to hide.
You have to live and let live.
Get rid of the COPS! Give them reason to go away. If these busisnesses get established in another area of town, they will have a following. Hello. Control the patrons. Upscale club which a poor person can't get into do it. Bar certain people, PERIOD. The clubs are not that hard up for money that they need the currency of a minor.
Who cares which clubs close and move? Good riddance! Way less obnoxious when it was just Tunnel and Twilo, hookers, and commercial lofts used for parties/artists.
Very few hours of late night noise and madness (per week) back then!
I hate bumping into drunken Guido/Guidette types vomiting their screaming conversations all over the street when I leave an art opening.
They stink like cheap perfume/cologne, and can't manage stuffing a fake boob back into a tank top while simultaneously walking.
I think he meant "Paris" when he said "France." But Vegas???
Ohhh Tunnel and Sound Factory (Twilo)!!... Great memories.
Yeah.. bring back the hookers, get rid of the guidos
I drove by the other day and I barely recognize 27th street anymore.
Bryan,
This is for NEW liquor licenses. The SLA has given out far too many licenses per capita in the city, causing this bar/club congestion, which leads to crime and noise complaints. It won't likely cause the 3 block gap in watering holes that you forsee, unless all the existing establishments close up shop tomorrow.
Even if it did, would it really be so bad to have to walk a couple of blocks to get more booze?
Thanks, Lieutenant.
And thanks to you, too, Rodney. I was trying to get the Five Towns crowd in there. :>)
I have mixed feelings about this. The Chelsea club trend was probably the worst nightlife trend in New York in memory. On the other hand, it did keep a good part of the PATH & ferry crowd coralled west of 9th Avenue, and away from the neighborhoods that haven't been totally ruined. Once the Meatpacking District and Chelsea were definitely over, it was pretty easy to avoid both neighborhoods. The last thing I want is for Amy Sacco to open a club in the LES.
I think the whole Chelsea scene was created to some extent by the city and state's attitude towards nightlife; once you took the time and expense to get a liquor license and caberet license, the only way to recoup was to open some awful, "hot", megavenue.