The New York Nights Club Report for December 20th, 2008
Complied by Gamal Hennessy
Opening
Club
Urban Daddy
Go here for your poker game instead of Atlantic City…
PDT (Please Don’t Tell)
New York Magazine
Sample this season’s trend (the small “secret” speakeasy) in the East Village
Closing
Studio B(Gothamist)
Money troubles mean NYE will be the last night for this Greenpoint club
Opinion
Best Looking New Bars(Sheckys)
Feast your eyes on 2008’s best looking venues
Have fun.
Gamal
The NYN Club Report for December 11, 2008
Compiled by Gamal Hennessy
Opening
Les Caves Des Fondues(Urban Daddy)
It’s a perfect place for a secret rendezvous, until everyone finds out about it.
Closing
Knitting Factory Downtown(Highbrid Nation)
The legendary music venue will get one last legendary hip hop show before it closes its doors.
Rebirth
CBGB(Pollstar)
Is the estate of Hilly Kristal planning a comeback?
Opinion
10 Biggest Rip Offs in NightlifeSheckys
The places to avoid when times are hard
Have fun
Gamal
NYN Club Report for December 4, 2008
Compiled by Gamal Hennessy
Places where you can celebrate Repeal Day without getting shot in the leg.
Opening
Sweetiepie(Urban Daddy)
Absinthe and dessert mix well in the West Village
Macao(Urban Daddy)
Spiced cocktails and an underground vibe in Tribeca
Closed
Sortie(The Feedbag)
Clinton has one less after work drinks spot
Have fun.
Gamal
The NYN Club Report for November 19, 2008
Opening
Beekman Bar and Books (Thrillist)
High class libations and a strict dress code are at home here.
Greenhouse(Urban Daddy)
Meet the latest fad in eco-consciousness…the green nightclub.
Elsa
(Martini Boys)
The Lower East Side takes another step toward respectability.
New Year’s Eve
Marquee(New York Observer)
The Chelsea staple won’t be able to stay open past 4:00 AM on Jan. 1.
Financial Reports
Rick’s Cabaret
(Earth Times)
Sex sells…even in a recession.
Have fun.
Gamal
The NYN Club Report for November 13, 2008
Opening
RDV
(Urban Daddy)
A “secret” underground lounge opens up in the Meatpacking District.
Moving
Hog Pit
(Shecky’s)
Will the grimy biker bar be more comfortable in Flatiron than in Meatpacking…probably not.
Reviews
Zagat
The first name in restaurant reviews offers its annual nightlife guide.
Have fun.
Gamal
By Gamal Hennessy
Last year I was offering advice on how to survive your office holiday party. This year the question is “will your office holiday party survive?” As companies fail and the market sinks, the lavish holiday party seems out of place this year. How can you keep the recession from ruining your holiday?
No one is surprised that companies are cutting back on holiday festivities. Event planning firms claim that 81% of all firms are planning an end of the year event. While this is a significant majority of all companies, it marks a 20 year low in end of the year activity, worse than both the period after 9/11 and the bursting of the internet bubble. This decrease in entertainment spending parallels a drop in bottle service that hit the nightlife industry this year as finance firms (one of the largest consumers of bottles) began to fail. Corporate perks are being cut on every level by large and small companies. It is only natural that the holiday party also gets hit.
While the majority of firms are planning a party, that party will not have the same level of extravagance as last year’s party. Many venues that host corporate parties are offering substantial discounts in order to lure budget conscious planners through their doors. Last year I was hired to be the DJ at an ad agency party. I spun in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton on 6th Avenue, ate like a dog and made more money in a couple hours than I do playing all night at a bar. Something tells me that this year I’ll only be making bar money…if I get hired at all. And all those parties I wandered into even though I didn’t work there…that probably won’t be happening very much either.
But our recession does give us the chance to rediscover a fact that all nightlife natives intrinsically know; the price of the party has no relation to having a good time, and having a good time is the point of the party. Maybe you can’t drink so much free Grey Goose and Cranberry that you pass out in your cubicle, but can still enjoy time out of the office with your co-workers and friends. You can still appreciate the things you have instead of regretting parties of the past. And maybe this year you’ll be able to remember everything the day afterward.
Have fun.
Gamal
The NYN Club Report for November 6, 2008
Opening
Citrine(Thrillist)
A high end luxury bar opens in Flatiron just in time to celebrate the election or the recession.
Vero Wine Bar(Shecky’s)
An upscale wine bar invades the land of sports bars in Midtown West.
Donnybrook(Shecky’s)
The new LES neighborhood bar fights the recent trend in that area.
Have fun.
G
