And at the
Daily News today, there's a chirpy report that East Houston ... "the boozy border separating the East Village from the lower East Side is about to get a whole lot more chic."
Let's go right
to the article!:
In recent weeks, major nightclub operators associated with the Meatpacking District, SoHo and West Chelsea have been sniffing around the E. Houston corridor from the Bowery to Avenue A, where the weathered and fully licensed lower First Ave. properties Sutra Lounge and Lucky Cheng’s are prized commodities.
According to our sources, those interested in either these spaces (or a handful of unlisted ones in the area) include operators from Pink Elephant, Greenhouse, Hudson Terrace, Acme, 1Oak and Electric Room.
And here's a quote from a member of the Community Board 3's State Liquor Authority & Department of Consumer Affairs Licensing committee:
“The East Village is ripe for the picking right now,” says Ariel Palitz, who’s closing Sutra Lounge after nine years. “There’s an opportunity to change the culture and the makeup of the neighborhood from the underground nightlife experience to a high-end clientele.”
Yes! Especially if you're trying to sell a lounge space near East Houston!
And from Alex Picken, described as a "nightlife real estate specialist" ...
“It’s a good location for nightlife, because the residents for the most part are a younger age group,” he says. Picken also notes that a neighborhood used to loud bars won’t be impacted by a switch to lounges and clubs.
Yes, because a switch to lounges and clubs
will have zero fucking impact on the neighborhood! And we're all 22! And want clubs and lounges everywhere!
WOO!
The piece also mentions the coming changes to the former
Nice Guy Eddie's space and
Club Element on East Houston...
Good thing
the MTA put in those bus bulbs to handle the overflow of limos and stretch Hummers on First Avenue...