Do we really need an ambassador of nightlife?

From the Daily News:

Mayor de Blasio wants to hire a “nightlife ambassador” as part of the jobs plan he announced Thursday, to serve as a liaison between city government and local music spots and clubs.

“We want to have an office that’s really going to work with the various music venues, with the nightclubs, with bars and restaurants and also take into account the community perspective,” Julie Menin, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, said.

The idea for the new gig comes from the “night mayor” concept used in London and Amsterdam — “only the coolest,” de Blasio noted in listing the cities.

Earlier this year, Menin’s office put out a study that found jobs and wages in the city’s music industry were growing faster than the city average.

“This is an area of tremendous growth for New York,” she said.

But for the live music fans who have mourned the loss of small music venues — especially “DIY” or do-it-yourself venues sometimes hit with city fines — it may feel more like the industry is shrinking. According to Economic Development Corporation President James Patchett, that’s not just hipster nostalgia talking: Another study from Menin’s office had found a 20% decline in smaller music venues over the last 15 years.

But whoever takes on the job won’t just be cheerleading for Baby’s All Right and The Bell House — they’ll also have to balance community concerns about things like noise, Menin said.

Sunnyside strip club shut down

From Sunnyside Post:

Secrets, the crime-plagued strip joint located at 49-19 Queens Boulevard, was shut down by the police earlier this month and the chances of it reopening are uncertain.

The police closed the club on September 9 following a series of violations, such as the sale of narcotics inside the establishment, a robbery near the premises, failure to comply with state liquor authority rules and not providing its employees with workers compensation.

The club was also in the news last November after a murder took place outside the premises following a dispute between club goers.

Deputy Inspector John Travaglia, commanding officer of the 108 Precinct, said at a Woodside community meeting Thursday that there is a 50-50 chance that the premises will not reopen.

Travaglia said the precinct is currently working to impose conditions on the premises—such as limiting its hours of operation and requiring security changes—before permitting it to reopen.

The new conditions would need to be approved by a Queens County Supreme Court judge.

Nightlife brings on gentrification

From RA:

"The gentrification of the East Village explicitly hinged on the aesthetics and ambience that the neighborhood's counter-cultural and bohemian artists had created [during] the 1960s and 1970s," she wrote. "The media's attention to this [movement] gradually changed the popular picture of the neighborhood from low and marginal to central and interesting."

Clubs often perform the same function, she said: "Thriving nightlife has ushered in and even constituted an essential part of the revitalization of neighborhoods." Her research showed that nightlife can "revalorize depressed property and trigger gentrification, enabling landlords and real-estate investors to reap 'monopoly rent.'"

Developers often benefit from the buzz that hip nightclubs generate for down-and-out neighborhoods. But Hae argues that when new, upmarket tenants move in and start complaining, they side against nightlife. This tends to be their outlook on the arts as well. "Municipalities [sponsored] workshops and housing subsidies as an anchor for future real estate capital investment in dilapidated neighborhoods," she explained. "Later [they] removed the subsidies to relocate artists elsewhere once gentrification kicks in."

It's tough to draw a causal relationship between vibrant nightlife and displaced communities. But plenty of real estate players in the last 40 years have tried to harness music scenes as part of their development plans. And plenty of cultural creators are concerned with the role they play in helping gentrification along.

Flushing police scandal gets bigger

From DNA Info:

Nearly two dozen NYPD officers are under investigation as a result of the recent arrest of a lieutenant and a detective involved in a protection racket for karaoke clubs and bar owners in Flushing, DNAinfo New York has learned.

Two captains, three lieutenants, three sergeants, three detectives and 12 police officers are now under a cloud in the aftermath of a two-year investigation that ended in December with the arrest of Lt. Robert Sung and Detective Yatyu Yam of the 109th Precinct, according to confidential NYPD documents obtained by DNAinfo's “On the Inside.”

The internal records include the names, photos and possible violations of department or criminal regulations each of 23 officers may have committed, but provide few specifics.

Sources say some allegations come from Yam, 35, who was arrested by Internal Affairs Bureau investigators and prosecutors from the Queens District Attorney’s Office, and taken to a secret location in a hotel where he was debriefed over two days.

The strongest evidence, however, was captured on recordings and surveillance tapes that shows Sung and Yam convincing fellow officers not to raid the clubs they were protecting or to free customers being handcuffed for using drugs there.

Sources say that instead of listening to Sung and Yam, the officers should have notified IAB or their supervisors about possible corruption, as is required by NYPD policies.

Basketball star's shooting becomes a federal case

From the Daily News:

The feds are investigating whether a Brooklyn man arrested for an armed stickup outside a Queens hip hop club is connected to the robbery crew that shot Knicks player Cleanthony Early last month, the Daily News has learned.

Kareen Brown, 27, is charged with participating in a Sept. 6, 2015 robbery of three persons at the Purlieu Club in Astoria, according to a complaint unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Brown is not charged with the Dec. 30 attack on Early, nor is it mentioned in his court papers, but there are similarities between the two crimes, sources noted.

Brown and his accomplices allegedly boxed in the victims' car with their vehicles — just like the Uber cab occupied by Early and his gal pal Iliana Douge was surrounded in Maspeth after they left the CityScapes strip joint. A team of four robbers carried out the Purlieu Club robbery and as many as six bandits wearing ski masks accosted Early, police said.

Brown's crew may have had inside help on the Purlieu Club job — when the three victims tried to retrieve their car from the valet parking lot around 6 a.m., they were told the keys had been lost, according to the complaint.

While they waited for a locksmith, Brown allegedly drove up in front of their car and asked if they were looking for their keys. A second car pulled in behind the victims' car and Brown announced a robbery, cops say.

Brown's federal defender Jan Rostal declined to comment. Brown is being charged in federal court because both being a convicted felon and committing a carjacking with a firearm are federal crimes.

A .40 caliber shell was recovered by police from outside the Astoria nightclub.

Rumba to lose liquor license

From the Queens Chronicle:

Rego Park residents have cause to celebrate this week, as the State Liquor Authority has begun the process of canceling the Rumba nightclub's liquor license.

According to Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), the attorney for the 67-63 Woodhaven Blvd. venue offered the cancellation of the license in an "attempt to avoid the stigma" of having it revoked by the agency and the legal ramifications that follow.

From Jan. 1 to Dec. 27 of 2015, 90 complaints were filed against Rumba, 50 for illegal parking alone, according to Deputy Inspector Judith Harrison, the commanding officer of the 112th Precinct.
On Dec. 18, a multiagency operation was conducted at the venue, resulting in 40 SLA violations, five Department of Health violations and two FDNY violations.

Rego Park's Rumba raided

From QNS.com:

Last weekend, a multi-agency operation that included the NYPD, FDNY, Department of Health and the State Liquor Authority (SLA) paid a visit to Rumba Night Club in Rego Park and cited the club for 40 violations.

Those violations include unauthorized alterations to the bar, safety violations including a failure to maintain fire extinguishers, an obstructed exit, exposed electrical wiring; a number of health code violations including no food protection certificate holder and mildew in the ice machine.

The FDNY found that the club has no public assembly permit and no explosives permit even though four cases of fireworks were found. Other violations include the use of unapproved trade names, failing to conform to application ― the club falsely indicated that its legal occupancy is 202 when the actual number is 74 ― and a slew of other violations.

Queens Village foreclosure turned into sex club

For over 2 years residents on the otherwise quiet block - 211th Place in Queens Village - have had to endure a violation of their peace and quiet. No longer can neighbors go to sleep in the summertime with their windows open to enjoy a cool breeze without worrying about being assaulted at any point between midnight – 5AM by the sound of large groups of men and women screaming at each either, bottles shattering, and yes eventually the police will show up, with legions of squad cars blocking the entire road to quell the madness until the following night.

Yes, there is one foreclosed property on this block: 99-27 211th Place that has been under the control of a ring of male squatters for so long, folks cannot remember what life on this otherwise quiet, unassuming side-street used to be like. At least 15 people live in the home at any given time. Strange men walk up and down the block all day and all night long. Note that the house in question has a vacate order.

If there is a shirtless, strange man with his pants falling off riding a bike, piece of paper in hand, looking lost, guaranteed this is the home he is looking for. Huge groups of men congregate in front of the home all day. A pair of old sneakers hanging from a power line marks the spot. The 2AM fights, legions of strange young men trolling the neighborhood (some of whom try to avoid being seen going into the home by crossing the street), and dozen+ undercover squad cars are an almost daily presence on the block.

You might be thinking only drugs or prostitution would attract such large groups of men to one home – you’re probably right, but in this instance the highlight is the prostitution. Referred to as “The Play House” the squatters are using this home as a brothel for prostitutes to bring their clients to, as well as an anything goes strip joint. Lucky clients are charged a $20 entry fee with $5 drink specials and $60 for VIP bottle service. I wonder if they pay taxes?

Advertisement here: http://websta.me/n/biga_hof

They are even recruiting for more strippers and prostitutes, how entrepreneurial they are! And what convenient hours, open Wednesday – Sunday from 12:30 – 5:30AM. Now that is what you call customer service!

Strippers, Entertainers, Ladies of the night wanted to work at underground parties in Queens NY. (After Hours) We are open Wed,Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:30-5:30am. COME MAKE BETWEEN $500-$1000 a night in a fun safe clean enviornment. Tip in is only $25 and all ladies first drinks are free. IF INTERESTED send Pictures and number to (646)930-5512 (All races, Sizes & Ages 18 & over) BIG PARTY TONIGHT!!! COME WORK & BRING YOUR TOYS.

They're getting pretty good at this "marketing" thing too:

WEDNESDAY JULY 15th !! MEET US FOR AFTERHOURS!!
X-RATED FREAK FEST
Free Shots Till 12:45AM!!!
EARLY ARRIVAL SUGGESTED!
Over 15 STRIPPERS
$5 Drinks/ $60 Bottles
$20 Door cover
PRIVATE ROOMS
THE PLAY HOUSE House building AFTER HOURS
12:30-5:30am
TEXT FOR SECRET QUEENS LOCATION Phone: text/ (646)930-5512
ALL NEW DANCERS WELCOMED

The police seem to be doing everything in their power, my question is why hasn’t the BANK kicked these lowlifes out? What more can be done to remove these people?

The Play House – coming to a friendly neighborhood near you.

Astoria club is a pain in the ass

From the Queens Chronicle:

With summer right around the corner, some Astoria residents worry that one area night club, whose loud music has allegedly pestered those living in the surrounding neighborhood for months, will get louder as time goes on.

At this month’s 114th Precinct Community Council meeting, held last week in Astoria, a group of residents came forward with concerns over the disturbances from a sixth-floor rooftop lounge located at 32-72 Steinway St.

The establishment’s ownership changed eight weeks ago and the name went from Sunset Restaurant and Lounge to Escape Penthouse.

The residents asserted that the club was often so noisy it kept them up at night and that no amount of calls to 311 or 911 have had effect for more than a year.

Resident Chris Vega said the club’s glassed-in lounge seems to lack insulation.

“I can hear the whole song and I live a block away,” Vega said.

Capt. Dennis Mullaney, executive officer of the 114th Precinct, who led the meeting, said they are continuing to monitor the situation.

Vito has left the building

You may recall that back in June, the Bushwick United Democratic Club, founded by Vito Lopez, had moved into this space on St. Nicholas Ave.

Well, now they're gone.

Perhaps the NY Times' hipsters gentrified them out.

Club operated illegally without C of O

From DNA Info:

Bar and music venue Radio Bushwick was forced to cancel all of its upcoming CMJ shows after a judge slapped them with a temporary restraining order barring live shows — part of a legal dispute with the landlord that could put an end to all future concerts there.

The venue, at 22 Wyckoff Ave., had to cancel shows by about 40 bands since Oct. 10, with 20 additional gigs for CMJ either being canceled or moving to other venues. The move came after Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Lawrence Knipel ordered the venue to halt all of its shows immediately on Oct. 10 out of concern for the safety of their patrons, according to owners and court documents.

Knipel slapped the restraining order on the venue following a lawsuit filed by landlord Jamie Wiseman, of Cayuga Capital Management, who argued that the venue did not have proper fire alarms or sprinkler systems in place.

"Defendant's own website shows what appears to be hundreds of young people crowded around a performance stage," Judge Knipel wrote, "One shudders to contemplate the consequences of inadequate fire safety protection."

According to the Department of Buildings website, the venue does not have a Certificate of Occupancy, which is required to operate.

The building was never issued one because an alteration permit initiated in 2008 to convert the building from manufacturing to an eating and dining establishment was never completed, a DOB spokesman said.

The FDNY, which is responsible for monitoring sprinkler systems, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Taking matters into their own hands

From the Daily News:

Stop spying on us. Stop harassing us. Enough is enough.

That’s the message business owners along Dyckman St. in Inwood want to send to camera-wielding residents, who have been a ubiquitous presence along the bustling strip.

The citizen-snappers loiter in front of restaurants, taking photos and videos in an attempt to prove that the owners are turning their eateries into illegal after-hours cabarets.

"It's horrible," said Ingrid Rodriguez, 34, a waitress at Papasito Mexican Grill and Agave Bar. "They walk around taking pictures on the sneak tip. They're always spying on us all the time."

It’s one of the tactics that has taken root in recent years, as Dyckman St. has been transformed into a nightlife magnet from Broadway to the riverfront, where booming La Marina has become a notorious hip-hop hangout.

The buildup has fed a full-scale feud, putting the merchants on the defensive as residents insist the revelry and traffic is ruining their lives.

Residents, complaining that some eateries have skirted the rules by morphing into late-night dancehalls, have been making plenty of noise of their own.

“I want to see restaurants stay restaurants and don’t become nightclubs,” said Nancy Preston, who lives at Dyckman St. and Seaman Ave. “If you’re a nightclub, say you’re a nightclub.”

Frustrated by what they call a lack of enforcement, the residents have taken it upon themselves to document the activity.

Introducing the Melrose Ballroom

There's a building going up in Astoria called the Melrose Ballroom at 36-08 33rd Street.

Their website advertises it as coming in early 2013, but apparently they're a bit behind schedule.

Here's what the finished product will look like. Hooray for chartreuse!

Just for fun, I decided to see what was there before this new building. Oh, I'm sorry, according to the permits, this is not a new building. There was only supposed to be "INTERIOR DEMOLITION AT FIRST FLOOR, MEZZANINE, AND SECOND FLOOR."

Yeah, okay. They DID get caught, BTW.

The final result will be this.

"Miraculous Greek singers" are scheduled to perform here starting mid-November. Why, you may ask?

1930s Jamaica nightclub for sale

From Massey Knakal:

The building was formally the La Casina nightclub which opened in 1933 at the end of the Prohibition Era. The building, with its distinctive Streamlined Moderne style, was restored in 1994/1995 and became landmarked in early 1996. This property is one of only 68 individual landmarks in the entire borough of Queens, making it a truly unique prospect.

If landmarking is so bad, why do realtors use it as a selling point? And why would an organization like Greater Jamaica Development Corporation have pushed for the designation if landmarking actually hinders development as opponents always argue?

Illegal Ridgewood club shut down

From the Times Newsweekly:

Law enforcement sources said that Sgt. Eric Turbetsky and P.O. Milton Reyes of the 104th Precinct responded to a 911 call regarding an incident outside the Scorpion Café lounge located at 792 Onderdonk Ave. near Putnam Avenue.

Upon their arrival, police noted, the officers spotted a male in front of the location bleeding from the head. The man’s injuries were not considered serious.

Soon after the officers came to the scene, authorities stated, members of the club shut off the lights and drew down gates in an apparent effort to appear closed. When Reyes and Turbetsky initially attempted to gain access to the location, police noted, they were denied entry.

Moments later, the club’s owner—identified by police as Dan- Nicky Dianconescu—allowed the officers inside. Upon entering the establishment, the officers found patrons inside and located a pair of “joker poker” slot machines, each of which contained currency.

Reportedly, the officers also determined that the entrance to the club had been locked from the inside, a violation of the fire code. Additional violations of State Liquor Authority regulations were also observed, and the club was closed down, police noted.

LIC gets a hoidy toidy club

From the Daily News:

Private clubs have long been a staple in New York society. These clubs are extremely expensive, with membership dues that reach into the thousands. As such, they are unavailable to most of us, who have to do with a cozy corner of Starbucks for our social needs.

That’s why the Oracle Club in Long Island City is such a welcome addition to New York’s cultural landscape. It strives to be a meeting (and working) place for writers, artists and intellectuals.

Nor is it, technically, a social club, but a hybrid of an intellectual salon and the kind of writers’ spaces that have become popular in recent years. One book-lined room is reserved for writers and another for painters. A third serves as a gathering place where readings and classes (ballet, cosmology, art) are held; in this airy “salon,” a member can also simply read a book or chat with another Oracle member over a beer (yes, there is a bar).

The Oracle is the brainchild of novelist Julian Tepper and painter Jenna Gribbon, who run the club out of the ground floor of a building owned by a friend. Tepper and Gribbon live above the club with their 1-year-old son.

This wouldn’t be a New York social club without some exclusivity. Tepper and Gribbon interview all members, who — if they are accepted — gain access for $175 per month for artists, $125 for writers and $50 for salon-only members.

The club already has 25 members, who might be sequestered away in a library nook working on a novel or painting the next masterpiece downstairs — or simply enjoying a drink in the salon.

You know, just like they do on the East Side.

Artists living in LIC can afford $175/month to lounge around? My, how times have changed.

Isn't a liquor license required? They're not in the system.

I wonder if patrons are told upfront during their screening process that this place never got the C of O they were seeking and that their latest plans were rejected by DOB, meaning that collecting money from people to hang out there is not exactly kosher. Why don't reporters ever check into the legitimacy of the places they hype before they go ga ga over them?

Underground clubs still a problem

From the Village Voice:

It's surely a hackneyed complaint that the city's last two mayors have done their best to force out New York's bohemian culture in hopes of creating a future perfect Gotham. But it's also demonstrably true. Not long after the new Quality of Life Task Force began to crack down on long-unenforced cabaret laws during the Giuliani administration, the Social Club Task Force—established after the 1990 Happy Land fire—evolved into the Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots (MARCH), overseen by the New York Police Department. "Unauthorized dancing" was now only one of many potential infractions.

When Michael Bloomberg succeeded Giuliani in 2002, MARCH activities rose immediately by 35 percent and kept growing. (MARCH shut down Silent Barn.) "If you listen to stories about what led to this homicide or what led to this assault, you would be surprised how many stem from nightclubs," Robert F. Messner, a police commissioner who oversaw club shutdowns, told the Times. "We don't want those places in New York. We make it very clear." In 2003, the smoking ban went into effect, outlawing one of the city's longest-running cultural institutions: the smoky jazz club. Regulations have kept creeping into other bastions of the old, free New York. The Algonquin Hotel has had to confine its lobby cat to a space behind the check-in counter, and don't even think about trying to have a bar dog.

I agree that cracking down on hotel cats and bar dogs is ridiculous. But preventing another HappyLand disaster is something the City should definitely be involved with. Most of these places are a tossed cigarette away from just that.

Gang melee/hit-and-run in Astoria

From the Daily News:

A 23-year-old man was jumped by a group and slashed in the back when a melee inside Amnesia, a club on Steinway St. in Astoria, spilled onto the street just after 4 a.m. closing time.

The driver of a champagne-colored vehicle who happened to be passing by the melee hit several club-goers, slammed into a parked Jeep Grand Cherokee and then fled the scene, cops and witnesses said.

Orlando Santos, 18, of Brooklyn, who suffered a dislocated hip after being struck by the hit-and-run driver, was arrested at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell in connection to the slashing attack. He was charged with gang assault.

A 28-year-old man was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital after being slashed
in the left side of his face during the brawl and struck by the hit-and-run vehicle, cops said.

A 25-year-old man was treated at Elmhurst Hospital for crash-related cuts.

Ridgewood 'music venue' ransacked and robbed

I was alerted to this posting on Facebook:

This weekend has been incredibly heartbreaking for all of us at The Silent Barn. On top of many issues that we’re currently dealing with, over the weekend our house was completely ransacked. About $15k worth of audio equipment, house projects and personal belongings are gone. The violence to the space is almost as upsetting as the theft. Doors were ripped off of hinges, furniture ripped to shreds, and everything in the space strewn about in a sea of debris. We’ve lost 7 years worth of accumulated equipment, tools, and artwork donated and built by individuals from every end of the scene’s spectrum, and we’re still reeling with what this means for our own lives and the future of the space. If you would like to find out what you can do, email silentbarn@gmail.com. We need your help to continue.

Well, were you supposed to be here? There's a full vacate on this property... which has been illegally converted into 4 SROs... (Note the photos of hipster in bathrobe making breakfast.)

And here's some work without a permit:

Fraternal organizations losing members

From the Daily News:

A bronze statue of an elk, now green due to decades of oxidation, stands guard in Elmhurst in front of a landmark commonly known as Elks Lodge No. 878.

For generations, the clubhouse hosted charitable and social gatherings until the Elks, whose dwindling membership no longer warranted such a vast space, sold it to a church a few years ago.

The Elks still meet next-door at a smaller facility. But many point to the group's exit from its Queens Blvd. base as a sign of a borough-wide downturn in fraternal organizations and service clubs.

Once signatures of many tight-knit communities across Queens, groups such as the Elks - known for camaraderie and charity work - are struggling to lure new blood and hang on to meeting spots.

Elks aren't alone. Other fraternal groups like the Masons are struggling, too, as are service clubs such as the Kiwanis, the Lions and the Rotary.

Locals fear that the weakening of such organizations diminishes civic pride, as does the demise of other middle-class institutions being profiled in the Vanishing Vintage Queens series.

From the Daily News:

Cutting through blocks of single-family homes in Forest Hills, Metropolitan Ave. embodies the main drags in small towns across the United States, thanks to a library, a post office and banks.

That atmosphere was once also exemplified by the Masonic lodge - until troubled finances forced the owners to sell in 2000 to a bank that then razed the lodge for a parking lot.

Gone is the meeting hall where Freemasons organized and hosted dances, dinners and charity events that signaled a civic pride many say is disappearing across Queens.

All that remains is the lodge's cornerstone, dated 1967, which was rescued by Jim Haddad, a Freemason who attended many functions there. He displays the memento in the yard of his Forest Hills Gardens home.

"The tombstones of fraternal organizations lie throughout Queens, which I suppose is appropriate given the number of graveyards we have," said Haddad, 46. "It really is a problem."