In a city of garbage trucks, car alarms, crying babies and neighbors having band practice at 1 a.m. on a Wednesday night, only one noise violation has the honor of being the subject of a Times profile (this week): Loud bars. As the weather cools to being bearable at night, "unregulated" roof and backyard drinking holes are causing a ruckus for neighbors who seem otherwise fine with living in a noisy neighborhood. Michael Jones, the Liquor Authority’s deputy chief boils the argument down to one sentence: "They have a right to run a business, and the community has a right to have quiet and the ability to sleep at night." more ›

Lounge 47, a restaurant and bar with a capacious back yard on Vernon Blvd in Long Island City, has had a tough time making peace with some neighbors who say the noise and smoke from the patio is unbearable. Next door neighbor Beth Garrett and her husband have installed large signs on their property begging Lounge 47 patrons to pipe down, and a growing group of locals want the State Liquor Authority to revoke the liquor license, which was recently renewed. (The Garretts have also been accused of spraying their hose over the fence onto diners.) The current owner is now trying to sell the place, but the potential buyer wants to make sure he'll be able to transfer the liquor license. more ›