In what was once the center of the gentrification goldrush — the section between the Bowery and Essex Streets north of Delancey — most of the businesses left from the boom are nightspots catering to less-sophisticated outer-borough and beyond patrons. Fat Baby, Mason-Dixon and R Bar, along with restaurants that serve over-priced drinks, like Stanton Social or Spitzer’s Corner, dominate. Residents recently suffered the final affront when Zagat ranked the Lower East Side the city’s “hottest nightlife neighborhood,” replacing its more upmarket rival, the Meatpacking District, already renowned for its annoying nightlife clientele.
Susan Stetzer, the district manager for Community Board 3 and a long-term resident of the Lower East Side, says that the area is now an “entertainment center” for the bridge-and tunnel set. “Residents have given up if they still live there,” says Stetzer. She and other residents complain that the streets, shorn of businesses, are empty during the day because the tenants couldn’t pay rents inflated by the influx of nightlife money. Then, at night, it’s wall-to-wall yokels from the suburbs, which, according to Stetzer, “is really depressing.” She’s an advocate of vanishing mom-and-pop shops and dive bars, and says no one who lives in the LES goes to the clubs and lounges. “If they do, they don’t tell me,” she says. Others claim it’s impossible to find a quiet place to have a conversation and a drink.
Unless you’re in the market for a nose piercing, a pleather bustier, or a pair of $5 sunglasses, New York’s St. Marks area isn’t exactly a fashion hotspot for most people. Yet Marc Jacobs has been able to effectively channel some of that punky East Village spirit in his new St. Marks Hobo, a quilted black satin handbag that’s been studded (like most St. Marks denizens) for extra edge; the chunky black chain strap also oozes downtown street style. I love the combo of high and low fashion - something Marc is always so great at! Available for pre-order at Bergdorf Goodman for $1,850.
I had asked several of the bartenders if they knew when it would re-open. They shrugged; one said that the bar had a permit issue (noise, perhaps?). Now the door connecting the bar to the garden is bricked over, and I expect the garden will be sold or leased as a separate parcel.
Croxley is pleasant on weekend mornings, when the only people at the bar are well-preserved and the cool quiet breeze blows in. Any other time it is unbearable -- even walking past can be irritating.
"Went here for my bachelorette this weekend and was able to do a keg stand, bartend, dj, and dance on tables. That basically sums it up."
Oh boy. This bar is complete madness... it is the place frat guys dream about. You can make your own drinks or buy an entire keg for your table. There is a random assortment of instruments in case you feel the need to play one and the DJ station is up for grabs, as long as you use your own Ipod. I'd like to tell you more, but I honestly can't remember...
Is this going to be the greatest bar that New York has ever seen? ...
It’s like the goddamn Wild West. I hope that they have a set of those swinging half-doors one of those saloon pianos that play by themselves and spittoons on the floor.
A Revolutionary Free For All with kegs and booze -– Please excuse me while I go get some tissues for John Adams and Thomas Jefferson to dry their eyes.
