Was reading a bunch of articles about the state of things in New York’s service industry world. All pretty sad really. When I left in 2012 there were over 12,000 businesses with liquor licenses in Manhattan alone. Living in New York, like many people I felt a symbiotic relationship with the bars in my neighborhood, you knew where to get your ‘hair of the dog’ bloody mary the morning after a late night, you knew which pub served a semi-proper Guinness, you knew where to go for cheep after work margaritas with friends, the bartenders were “lifers”, they knew you by face if not by name and that familiarness offered many people a much needed sense of family. In mid-May the Post said close to 3,000 restaurants have closed for good. As of today that number is well over 8,000. 8,000 LESS places to have a drink in the city that never sleeps. In the 90s I thought Guliani ruined nightlife for good, but we adapted and the scene survived, bounced back even stronger some would say. Then 9/11 happened and took and even bigger toll on NYC’s rebounding nightlife world. But again, the city adapted and the scene slowly came back (but it NEVER felt even remotely close to what it was before the towers came down). Even though I dont live there anymore, I talk to my NYC fam on a daily basis and from what everyone is saying, I just don’t see NYC rebounding from this shit. I mean what is the appeal when you’re paying $3000 a month for a 400 square foot studio apartment in a city where the culture has been white washed and the nightlife is all but dead. To think none of the generations to come will experience the kind of random, oddly exciting, shit show, frantic door drama depicted in this photo hits me as something to be sad about… but life goes on. I truly hope NYC rebounds. I hope everywhere rebounds.
