Upon entering, confronted with a wall of noise. It's *incredibly* loud. You can't make anything out — total wall of noise.
Near the door are some mini kegs stuck in ice. By the window are guys filling mugs from a mini kegerator. Very fratty, all around. Fratty smell, especially.
We try to figure out the bar situation. Confusing. It looks like there is no bar and patrons are just doing whatever, but really there is a bar. It's just surrounded by patrons. We eventually get drinks. My mixed drink is quite strong. This is good, as it took an eternity to get it. It was served by a bartender wearing legwarmers on her arms. As we're trying to secure drinks, we're hit by a blast of flatulence. Did I mention this place is fratty? We get our drinks and head toward the front. The girls here are CUTE.
There is a live band in the back, playing under an enormous lit sign that reads APPLAUSE. The sign is always lit. I do not clap. There is a guy on piano, trying to sing over the noise, and he's accompanied by a drummer. They're playing "When a Man Loves a Woman."
There are plastic cups everywhere.
We go for another round of drinks. We ask how much, and the bartender says "Ummm.... 30?" as if we're bartering. We pay. It seems fair for the amount of drink we're walking away with.
A cringing girlfriend leading her man away from his friends.
A group of girls enter, high-fiving each other. They are cute.
A guy in a yellow shirt starts to lose composure, head in hands. He's had enough beer.
"Thriller" is played (the pianist/drummer are done now). There is cheering, dancing.
And that's about it. We get bored and go for pizza.
The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors (BAN) last week presented a plan to limit the size of new buildings and preserve traditional commercial uses on the east side of the Bowery between Canal and E. Ninth Sts.
The alliance, which includes artists, loft dwellers and local merchants, has been calling for preservation of the east side of the thoroughfare for the past three years as new high-rise residential and hotel towers have been threatening to overwhelm the low-rise character of Bowery.
“This is the first step in gathering support for the plan,” said Anna Sawaryn, president of BAN, who led the group’s June 16 forum. “We intend to present it eventually to Community Board 3 and ultimately to City Planning.”
“We felt it was important to preserve the wholesale lighting, restaurant-supply and jewelry businesses that remain on the Bowery,” said Mitchell Grubler, a member of BAN. “Rezoning was the only way to do that before those businesses are forced out by expensive high-rise development.”
The crack between 273 and 275 Mott Street starts near the roof and shoots down more than 20 feet. It's a few inches wide already, and city officials want to know if all the rain is forcing the split even wider.
A complaint prompted firefighters to evacuate residents of 16 apartments in the two walk-up buildings for more than three hours. Megan O'Toole only moved in last month. I wish someone had told me about that when I moved in," she said.
A Sushi restaurant and clothing store were also evacuated during what should have been the busiest and most profitable part of the day.
"I wish I had the store open for the last two hours so we could be making money and not sitting out here," manager Anne Barker said. Some residents were relieved that building inspectors were taking a closer look.
Back on Mott Street, inspectors are giving the building a clean bill of health. The crack has been here on the facade for years and sensors are already installed to monitor whether it's widening. Just after nine, everyone was allowed back inside.
On an intersection in downtown Manhattan, the ever-present hordes of teenage fans are mingling with firefighters and the film crew — all less than 100 feet from a building that is dangerously close to falling down!
But while R-Pattz and co. bravely soldier on amid the flashing lights of the emergency services, on-set sources admit the melee is a nightmare for the crew.
"It's causing a hold-up for the shoot. We can't get anything in or out of here," said one gaffer-tape wielding worker.
Onlookers tell OK! that R-Pattz himself is taking the most recent near-disaster to strike his movie, following last week's near-miss with a taxi cab, in stride.
"Robert is concentrating on his scene," said one observant fan. "But most of the crew are staring nervously at the crack in the building and talking about whether it will fall down or not."
But if, heaven forbid, the building were to fall down, the top would land a couple of feet from Rob's dressing room trailer.
