Empire Room, Mad46 and SLA Improvements

The Nightlife Report for March 30, 2010

Government
SLA wipes out license backlog
(Business Review)
Less than a year ago, the State Liquor Authority was facing a corruption scandal, license applications that were supposed to be reviewed in a month often took 6 months to review and there was a backlog of over 2,000 unprocessed applications languishing in Albany. Now the old regime is out, applications are being reviewed within several weeks and most of the backlog is gone in other parts of the state. While there are still considerable challenges facing Chairman Rosen, including eliminating the backlog that still remains in New York City, overhauling the Prohibition Era licensing laws and updating the technology infrastructure of the agency, this announcement is welcomed news to an industry that is often at odds with state officials.

Opening
Empire Room
(Urban Daddy)
The rise of midtown as a nightlife hub continues with the long awaited opening of an upscale lounge located inside the Empire State Building. Although the location might make it impossible to hide from tourists, one can only hope that the doorman enforces a no fanny pack policy to the best of his ability.

Opinion
The Most Expensive Venues in New York
(Club Planet)
In a recession, an operator has to cater to a very specific clientele if he wants to charge top dollar for his or her hospitality. At the same time, a nightlife native needs to know which places are the most expensive and plan their evenings accordingly. Some will avoid these places, others will flock to them. While any place can break the bank if you order bottle service for everyone, Taryn Haight of Club Planet list these five venues at the top of the price pyramid.

Re-Opening (April 7th)
Mad46
The Roosevelt Hotel throws its hat into the retractable rooftop ring with a midtown lounge that promises to combine signature drinks, gourmet snacks and quality service to create the perfect place to start your night. Look for a full review of this venue in Prince of the City later this month.

Have fun.
G

Listen to the NPR Interview for Seize the Night

Cityscape is an award winning radio program from NPR focusing on various aspects of life in New York City. Author Gamal Hennessy recently sat down with the host of Cityscape to discuss his new book Seize the Night. To listen to the podcast of this radio show, click on the link and then click on the “View in iTunes” button for NYC After Dark.

Gamal Hennessy interview on NPR’s Cityscape


Have fun
Gamal

Avoiding Sexual Violence in Nightlife

By Gamal Hennessy

It is a scene that started out with banal familiarity and ended with nauseating violence. A young woman in a club decided not to dance with a man who approached her. He responded to this by following her when she went into the bathroom and beating her savagely. While she lies in the hospital and the venue works with the police to find the criminal, anger and anxiety ripple through New York nightlife. What can women do to protect themselves and still enjoy their clubs?

Roots of Violence
Marc MacYoung is a noted expert on the mental and emotional elements of violent confrontation who has defined four types of violence: territorial, in which violence is used as a tool to remove someone from an area claimed by the attacker; behavior correcting, in which violence is used as a tool to stop some activity that the attacker defines as undesirable; criminal, in which violence is used by the attacker as the means to gain some monetary good; and predatory or revenge, in which violence is used to retaliate against an actual or perceived attack. Any type of violence could occur in nightlife, but revenge violence is the most common form of violence in nightlife since fanatics see it as a legitimate form of expression.

When a fanatic engages in revenge violence, it is commonly in response to something. That something could be an emotional, physical or verbal action. It could be an actual action or the absence of an action. Whatever form the something takes, it boils down to the concept that you hurt his ego, his self-esteem or his standing within his group - whether you stepped on his foot, “hit on” his girlfriend or refused to dance with him. Whatever you did, he doesn’t feel that you gave him the respect he deserves, so now he feels justified in physically punishing you for your “offense.”

The most important thing to emphasize here is that the responsibility for revenge violence does not fall on women or operators. The fanatic alone is to blame. Revenge violence is often committed by people with low self-esteem that existed long before the situation unfolded. The anger, frustration, hatred and self loathing that fuels them often has very little to do with the particular victim. It is a product of his unhappiness with life in general. Unfortunately, these people use violent confrontation to “let off some steam” and momentarily re-establish their feeling of self-righteous power. They need an unwitting volunteer to unleash that anger upon. Some of them find that volunteer in and around clubs.

Avoiding Violence
There is no practical way for women to alter or eliminate predators or fanatics in nightlife. It is often very difficult to even identity a potential threat in the chaotic environment of a club. But there are five steps that women can take to deter and avoid assaults while they are out; group movement, designated watchers, deterrence images, retained awareness and responsible indulgence.

Group Movement: Lisa Friel is an Assistant District Attorney for the sex crimes unit in Manhattan with experience in cases of nightlife sexual assaults. She advocates that women use the concept of group movement, meaning that the ladies go out together, remain in the same general area and leave together. This prevents any one woman from being isolated and abused. Ms. Friel isn’t saying you shouldn’t dance, meet boys, exchange numbers and generally have a good time. She isn’t saying that the whole night should be one huge exercise in cockblocking. She is saying that there is strength in numbers when it comes to preventing sexual assault.

Designated Watcher: Ms. Friel also supports the use of a designated watcher. Similar to a designated driver, the watcher drinks less than the rest of the group and makes sure that no one falls unconscious, gets overcome by a group of fanatics, or stumbles out of the club at 4:15 without any idea of where they are or how they are getting home. Again, this isn’t an invitation for a wet blanket to play morality cop and ruin everyone’s night, but if you go out in a group and the whole group gets blind drunk, then the security of the group isn’t that effective.

Deterrence Image: If you are separated from your group, or if you are the designated watcher, you will need a way to drive off people who might cause problems. Sexual criminals in nightlife are similar to predators in nature. When choosing someone to attack, they often choose the person who appears the least likely to protect themselves. They target the weakest of the herd. In the nightlife context that means they will target people who are drunk, isolated, preoccupied, confused, or who project weakness through non verbal signals in their body language. Victimology experts Chuck Hustmyre and Jay Dixit suggest that attackers are less likely to choose targets that are organized in their movement, confident in their posture and comfortable in their surroundings are less likely to be singled out.

Retained Awareness: The concept of an ambush is one of the most common elements in violent confrontation. Put simply, it is very hard to get out of a situation that you are not aware of. If you are surprised, caught off guard or blindsided, you are more likely compound your problems. Maintaining awareness of your surroundings as you party is an integral part of being a nightlife native. You can have a good time and keep your eyes open, but you have to make that choice up front.

Responsible Indulgence: The basic concept that women can use to protect themselves is responsible indulgence. It isn’t about being afraid to go out or going out looking for trouble. It is about knowing your limits and being familiar with your environment so you can deal with a potential problem if it arises.

Sexuality is at the core of the nightlife experience. Women are the linchpin to the majority of nightlife business and culture. But that doesn’t mean that they need to feel uncomfortable, threatened or afraid when they go out. It does mean that they need to take some precautions to deter the fanatics of the world.

Have fun.
Gamal

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The Chelsea Hotel, Collective, Ink 48 and the Nightclub Convention

The Nightlife Report for March 10, 2010
Compiled by Gamal Hennessy

…I hunt down the nightlife news so you don’t have to…

Opening
The Collective
(Urban Daddy)
An anti-bottle haven springs up in the heart of bottle territory.

Coming Soon
Ink 48
(NY Barfly)
Although the rooftop lounge isn’t open yet, Midtown West has a new hotel with a new bar. Maybe you’ll be able to wave to your friends at Hudson Terrace from there…

Stillborn
Chelsea Hotel
(DNA Info)
Operators and local residents are having a hard time agreeing on the application for two new bars inside the historic Chelsea Hotel. At this point, they can’t even agree on a time to meet or agree about what they disagree about, so this project might take a while to develop.

Events
The Nightclub & Bar Convention
(The Las Vegas Sun)
The 25th Annual trade show kicks off in Las Vegas this week amid concerns over falling revenue and increased competition. But the nightlife industry as a whole appears to be thriving there. A local nightlife writer named Jack Colton was quoted as saying “A nightclub in Las Vegas is a lot like a tree growing in a lush tropical forest. Our nightlife operators enjoy relatively lenient alcohol laws in a popular tourist market, providing substantially larger budgets to do everything it takes to consistently be considered the best.” New York is a popular tourist market that can provide substantial budgets to some operators. Could it be that our licensing process or our zoning laws are preventing the local nightlife industry from consistently being considered the best?

Nightlife Racism, Tiny Hotels and the Cocktail Olympics

The Nightlife Report for March 5, 2010
Compiled by Gamal Hennessy

…I track down the nightlife news so you don’t have to…

Coming Soon
Le Baron
(Societe Perrier)
Operators of a well known Parisian club are planning to set up roots in Chinatown. Hopefully they can use some of that French charm to overpower the NIMBY element of the community board.

Yotel
(The Independent)
Pod Hotels are big in Japan. They are called pod hotels because the rooms are about as big as a coffin. The operators of an international pod hotel chain are bringing the concept to Times Square in 2011. With all the space they save on the rooms, they plan to open the largest outdoor lounge in New York putting themselves in direct competition with Hudson Terrace. I’m not sure the coffin sized hotel room thing will work here, but its hard to go wrong with a roof top bar.

Events
Martini Week (March 1-14 at Various Locations)
(Tasting Table)
Spend the next two weeks sampling new martinis all around the city in an event brought to you by Tasting Table and Thrillist

Ultimate Cocktail Challenge (April 12-14 at the Astor Center)
(Bar Business Magazine)
If you’re still going through Olympic withdrawal head down to the Astor Center for the ultimate in cocktail competition. It’s a lot more exciting than curling.

Opened
Tangled Wine Bar
(Time Out New York)
You want to feel like you are protecting Mother Earth while you drink. You’ve already been to Greenhouse and you’re over it. Now you can go uptown and drink from a organic, biodynamic (whatever that means) wine menu complimented with Mediterranean tapas.

Opinion
Segregation in Clubland
(Good Night Mr. Lewis)
Very few venues can boast about having a diverse multi-ethnic crowd. Several natives and operators have pointed out that the “top venues” in the city today are more segregated than a Birmingham lunch counter in the 1950’s. In contrast, they point to a high level of diversity in the days of Studio 54, Limelight and Paradise Garage. Is this the result of niche marketing or outright racism? Read the article (and the comments) and decide where you stand.

Have fun.
G

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China Club, Copacabana, Double Windsor, Touch, Upstairs and Vander Bar

The Nightlife Report for February 25, 2010

Compiled by Gamal Hennessy

…I hunt down the nightlife news so you don’t have to…

Coming Soon
Copacabana
(Club Planet)
The operators behind the iconic Latin dance spot are trying to grab the China Club space (see Closing below). As midtown grows as a potential nightlife hub, a good dance space with a retractable roof sounds like a great idea. I wonder if they will bring back the Tuesday night buffet dinner and the live salsa bands. Midtown could use that kind of energy to wash away the image that China Club had at the end of its run…

Vander Bar
The Roosevelt Hotel on 45th Street is planning to add a new bar to its amenities. Vander bar bills itself as a hideaway for locals, but considering its location (right next to Grand Central) and its operating hours (12:00-9:00 Monday to Friday) it feels like this will be another upscale Midtown option for the liquid lunch/ corporate Happy Hour/ need to grab a drink before I catch the Metro North set. This is not a bad thing. The foreplay of New York nightlife has to start somewhere. It might as well be upscale.

Opening
Upstairs
(Urban Daddy)
You can add this hotel based venue to the growing list of retractable roof lounges that currently include Hudson Terrace and Provocateur. Maybe every decent rooftop in New York should become some type of venue. That’s one more way to deal with the agonizing smoking issue that is festering in the industry…

Closing
China Club
(Eater)
Earlier this week, Barfly wrote that the troubled midtown spot was undergoing a name change to try and re-brand itself. That gambit appears to have failed and Eater is reporting that the space is now closed. The good news is that new operators are already standing by to take over the venue and make it safe to dance in midtown again.

Touch
(New York Post)
The post reports (and a DJ reader of New York Nights has confirmed) that the SLA suspended the license of the midtown nightclub for a series of infractions that include underage drinking, overcrowding and employment of unlicensed security. The operators are planning to fight the SLA ruling, but since the new chairman is looking to establish a reputation for enforcement, Touch is going to be fighting an uphill battle.

Changes
Double Windsor
(Eater)
Among the young mothers and MILFs of Williamsburg and Park Slope, taking your baby to the bar for an evening of drinks with the ladies has been a regular site for the past few years. Operators and patrons have tried to adjust to the diaper changing in the bathrooms, crying at the bar (from cranky children instead of forlorn adults) and Maclaren strollers parked out front. The Double Windsor is trying to reverse the trend by taking the bold step of banning babies after 5 PM. Time will tell if the anti-baby backlash from drinking mothers will bring down the bar. Maybe if they reserved a special “mom’s only” night they could reduce tensions and make everyone happy…except of course for the cranky crying baby.

Opinion
Smoke Signals
(New York Magazine)
The stated goal in passing the smoking ban was to help operators by protecting them from second hand smoke. Now the city wants to close clubs that have allegedly violated the ban. Matt Harvey asks if putting hundreds of operators out of work will actually help them at all.

Have fun
Gamal

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Solutions to the Smoking Ban

By Gamal Hennessy

One of the most contentious issues in New York nightlife this year, or in the past 7 years, is the ban on smoking. It draws the wrath of local residents down on club owners who follow the law. It generates animosity between smokers and non smokers in venues that don’t throw smokers outside. In extreme cases, venues are having their liquor licenses threatened and might be forced to close based on the actions of their patrons. Seven years under the current regulations have exposed problems in the system. What are the solutions that can serve the interests of everyone involved?

Outside vs. Inside
The smoking ban adds to the tension between club owners and local residents because when smokers are pushed outside it sets off a cycle of disruption and noise. You might think that a few people standing outside a venue will not substantially increase the level of street noise, but that concept only considers the smokers themselves. Smokers, especially attractive female smokers, provide a powerful incentive for groups of male fanatics to hang out in front of a club (especially if they couldn’t get in or got thrown out.) In a twisted effort to get noticed and prove their sexual superiority, these individuals will shout, get into fights, honk their horns if they are in their cars, or try to talk to girls from their cars and back up traffic behind them, which causes other cars to blow their horns. Fortunately for residents who live near the club, this mating cacophony will die down when the girls finish smoking and go back inside, but it will begin again when the next group of girls comes out of the club to take their place. If you change the law so smokers are not smoking out on the street in front of a bar, you reduce the negative impact the venue has on local residents.

Smokers vs. Non Smokers
Once you bring the smoking issue back within the four walls of the venue, accommodations need to be made to separate the smokers from the non-smokers. Published reports and anecdotal evidence suggest that a substantial number of non smoking nightlife patrons do not want to mix with active smokers indoors. To create physical separation, venues with separate rooms can designate the room furthest in the back as a smoking area. This will prevent non-smokers from having to travel through a nicotine cloud to get to their part of the club. Venues without separate rooms could have pressurized walls put in to create mini rooms inside the venue. As long as these rooms were properly ventilated and otherwise conformed to local building codes, smokers could smoke indoors and still be separated from the rest of the patrons and operators.

Clear the Air
Even if smokers were brought back inside and separated from the general population of patrons, something would have to be done with the smoke coming out of the smoking room in order for second hand smoke to be eliminated as a health and odor concern. Technology can provide the best solution here. There are air filtration systems on the market that have been approved by the Department of Health and are currently used by infectious disease wards in hospitals to clean the air. These systems reportedly are the size of a humidifier and one of them can keep 1,250 square feet of interior air cleaner than the air in Central Park, even if 60% of the people are smoking inside. If the law was modified and operators created separate spaces for smokers and installed air filtration units in the club, smokers could smoke without creating unnecessary noise for residents or an additional health hazard for patrons.

Targets the Actors, Not the Scene
There is only so much that an operator can do to stop smoking in their venue. Whether or not the city decides to allow for a more reasonable approach to the ban, one thing that needs to change is the parties that are punished for ignoring the ban. Under the current system, the patron ignores the ban and the operator is punished. There is no real disincentive for the patron to either continue smoking or to go to another venue to smoke. If the onus was placed on the smoker, if the Department of Health or some other organization that has enforcement powers fined the smoker instead of the bar, then the smokers might think twice before lighting up. I am not advocating DOH monitors in every venue. I am pointing out that any group that can act and know that someone else will be punished for their action has little reason to change their behavior.

Closing
Cities around the world are coming to the conclusion that open smoking in venues is no longer acceptable. But protecting public health does not have to lead to detrimental effects on nightlife. There are solutions that the current ban does not utilize. Failing to modify the law to take these options into account hurts everyone both inside the clubs and outside of them. It is time to move past the entrenched positions of City Hall to develop a plan that addresses the reality of the situation.

Have fun.
Gamal