Nightlife News for October 9th, 2007

Nightlife News for October 9, 2007

New Club Book Released (Anna Vander Broeck- Forbes)
Rob Fitzgerald, a bouncer at one of the Westside megaclubs has moved from a popular blog to a new book entitled Clublife. The book is a description of how Rob became a bouncer and how his job shapes his perception of New York nightlife. If you have ever wondered what a bouncer is thinking when you walk up to the velvet rope and try to hustle your way in, this book might be for you. If you want to know how NOT to act when you are trying to get into the club of the moment, this book is probably for you. Just don’t make the mistake Ms. Broeck does of using this book to paint a negative picture of every club in every major city in America.

City Could Face New Cab Strike (Chris Dolmetsch- Bloomberg)
Yellow cabs in New York City went on strike last month (see the Sept 6th edition of Nightlife News) to protest against the GPS/ video/ credit card systems that are now required in all cabs. In spite of the fact that the last two day strike did little to alter the city’s position and the fact that a judge has rejected their claims are an invasion of privacy, cabbies are planning another strike on October 22nd. I understand that drivers don’t want to be tracked (who does?) and they don’t want to pay the $6,000 it costs to install the equipment, and they don’t want to listen to Al Roker every 48 seconds, but let’s face it; being able to pay your fare with a credit card is a great idea. It leaves you with more singles to tip your bartender/ waitress/ exotic dancer of choice. (Additional coverage from NY1)

Crobar fighting to reopen (Daniel Maurer- New York Magazine) Local community boards are continuing their quality of life push. Last week, Local Community Board 4 asked the State Liquor Authority to reject the clubs new liquor license application. Miami’s Opium Group, the new owners of the space) claim that they are going to run the space differently from the previous owners and avoid all of the violations that got it in trouble in the first place. With all the spaces closed down on the west side, and the downfall of Forty Deuce, the city is making it harder and harder to get rejected at the velvet rope and pay $12 for a drink. Can anyone say lounge?

Have fun
Gamal