The Cash Invasion of New York

By Gamal Hennessy

New York has never been known for being cheap. Our nightlife can be especially expensive. The $30 cover, the $9 pack of cigarettes, the $15 cocktail, and the $700 bottle are not uncommon. As Wall Street falters and gas prices rise, some New Yorkers have less and less disposable income. All of a sudden, a $15 margarita seems a little pricey. This situation can become even more stressful when you look across the bar and tourists of every stripe seem to be buying bottles of Grey Goose and then giving it away. Tourists are using their economic power to wine, dine and pay for all the things we can’t afford this summer…

New York City nightlife has always included a considerable amount of tourists. This year the numbers are expected to rise. NYC Company expects tourism to increase 20% from the same period in 2006, which means almost 3.3 million tourists will descend on New York this summer. A large reason for the increase is money. The U.S. Dollars is currently weaker than currencies in Europe and Asia. When tourist exchange their euros, yen and pounds for dollars it turns normal, middle class people into extravagant VIP’s who are willing to make it rain from SoHo to Central Park.

If you’ve ever taken a trip to the Caribbean or to Mexico, you’ve probably lived through this experience before, just on the other side. We show up with our American dollars and we can get into clubs where the locals can only work. We can easily afford things that we couldn’t afford back home. The people who lived in the places we visit probably feel a mix of appreciation and envy. They wanted us to spend money…that’s how their clubs stayed open. They just wanted to be able to have fun too. New York hasn’t become Cancun just yet, but experiencing the feeling from their point of view can be a little disturbing.

A savvy New Yorker will see this cash invasion as an opportunity, not a problem. If you have European friends, invite them to New York, all of them. Offer to take them to the best spots. When they bring you along, you’ve got a built in sponsor. If you don’t have international friends, now is a good time to make some. As a native, you know the best spots to party, now they have money to party. It’s a win win situation.

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Writing for Both Sides of the Bar

By Gamal Hennessy

There is a magazine for almost every human interest. If you doubt this, just browse your local Hudson News or Barnes & Noble. Obscure topics like pen collecting, Civil War reenactments and female horror movie victims all have magazines devoted to them. Drinking has traditionally been under represented, unless you count wine magazines, which we don’t. Do publishers think drinkers are too smashed to focus on small type? A company called Chilled Media is trying to solve this problem. Their solution is called Chilled.

Chilled Magazine is part bartending magazine, part drinking guide and part nightlife magazine. It has lighter pieces (like where to buy a fake beer belly to sneak in own booze under your shirt or a list of what different pop singers like to drink, in case you run into one of them at the club), practical nightlife advice (how to get a drink at a crowded bar or cure a hangover) to deeper pieces (the origins and uses of rum, the tragic fall of the daiquiri and a history of flair bartending). There are also interviews, a comedy section, short nightlife guides and hot female bartenders in bikinis…because every magazine needs that.

Part of the magazine is for the people who drink, part of it is for the people who pour the drinks, but no matter what side of the bar you sit on at night, Chilled is a pleasant diversion from the pen collecting magazines.

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Dancing on the Grave of the Cabaret Law

Kathleen Lucadamo: New York Daily News

Since the 1920’s, there has been a New York law that makes it illegal for a bar or club to have more than five people dancing to music unless it had a license for that activity. Out of the 1,200 nightlife spots in New York, only 200 have this license. Previous administrations have used this law to close clubs that they considered undesirable. It now appears that the Bloomberg administration is ready to take steps to repeal the cabaret law and get the city out of the business of dance regulation.

There are more than a few explanations about why the law was put in place, but the prevailing idea is that the 1920’s saw a rise in the perceived evils of women’s liberation and interracial dating and that jazz clubs were flashpoints for this undesirable activity. The law didn’t stop jazz, women or interracial dating, but it stayed on the books for almost 80 years before it was enforced again.

The Giuliani administration began to use the law to shut down clubs that didn’t conform to his “quality of life” crusade. After his demise, the enforcement of the law continued, just in a subdued way. Clubs found creative ways to get around the law and keep butts moving. Grass roots organizations like Metropolis in Motion have staged Dance Parades to put a spotlight on the issue. Now, Mayor Bloomberg is making moves to have the law repealed or ‘reduced’.

New York Nights has advocated the repeal of the cabaret laws since we started. While there are issues of overcrowding, ventilation, emergency exits and other security measures in certain clubs, prohibiting dance in all clubs doesn’t solve any of these problems. It is good to see local government take steps to support (or at least stop attacking) the nightlife that makes New York unique. Hopefully, the repeal of the cabaret law won’t come with any conditions that stifle us in a different way.

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Sex in the Summer

Yvonne Fulbright: Fox News

The first week of June is pivotal in the New York summer season. The weather is consistently hot, everyone is out of school and the city is primed for its annual nightlife rituals. Drinking on rooftop bars, going to outdoor concerts and weekends in the Hamptons are staples of New York summer.

Summer sex is another less publicized, but no less important feature of summer nightlife. The change in seasons prompts a change in behavior on a variety of different levels.

There are several factors that increase the frequency and variety of summer sex. On a biological level, increased sunlight raises levels of MSH hormone and melatonin. On a visual level, more skin is revealed in public and that skin tends to be more tanned and attractive. On a social level, more people are focused on relaxation and pleasure as opposed to school and work. On a functional level, it is simply more comfortable to engage in sex when everyone is wearing less clothing. The combination of all these factors creates an atmosphere conducive to fun in the sun.

While we agree that summer weather promotes sexual activity, it’s clear that the exposed skin, raised hormones and focus on pleasure are a part of New York nightlife in every season. It’s also clear that higher levels of sex in an already sexual environment (supported by large amount of alcohol) can lead to al fresco sexual experiences. Couples are hiding in secluded shadows inside and outside club more often common than might think. If you find yourself in these circumstances…congratulations. We have two pieces of advice for you. Pay attention to the rules of public sex, and for God’s sake remember to bring a condom.

Opinion: The Evolution of Gay Sex Clubs

Opinion
The Evolution of Gay Sex Clubs
(Steve Weinstein Village Voice)
This year’s New York Pride Week marks a turning point in the relationship between heterosexual and homosexual culture in America. California has recently started issuing same sex marriage licenses and the political climate might be right for other states to follow suit.

This year could also see a change in the relationship between homosexuals and nightlife. As the social system changes, staples of gay culture begin to fade away. Gay sex clubs might be one of those staples. It is not necessarily government persecution or disease that’s fueling this trend. A certain segment of the gay community doesn’t seem to want those kinds of parties anymore. The argument is that because coming out doesn’t automatically lead to social isolation anymore, gays and lesbians are less likely to seek release in public sex venues and are therefore less likely to seek out gay sex parties.

While there might be some merit to this argument, there is evidence that the city is helping the trend along by exerting pressure on local gay sex clubs (See Nightlife News Health 4/29/08: “City Cracks Whip on Gay Sex Clubs”) and HIV is still a major concern (See Nightlife News Health 1/8/08: “HIV Cases on the Rise”). Maybe it’s the combination of all three factors, plus the rise of the internet as a source of sexual contact, that are killing off the gay sex parties. This combination could lead to lower HIV rates and further social acceptance between straight and gay communities. It could also be another sign of the homogenization of nightlife in New York, where more and more things are the same and the unique flavor of the city is harder to find.

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Opinion: The Anti-Club Police

Opinion
The Anti-Club Police
(Steve Lewis: Good Night Mr. Lewis)
In 2007, the NYPD asked the city council for expanded ability to enforce the Nuisance Abatement Law. This law gives the police the right to close an establishment where violent crimes, drug sales, prostitution, gambling, are going on or where building, health or zoning laws are being violated. Proponents of this law claim that it is in the interest of the public to close or regulate establishments where criminal activity is being carried out. The nightlife industry as a whole and the New York Nightlife Association in particular doesn’t argue the merits of the law. However Steve Lewis, and other nightlife experts, think the current enforcement of this law is a problem.

In a recent posting on his blog Steve Lewis explained how the NYPD manipulates the system to the detriment of the nightlife industry. When a club or bar is closed, it is invariably closed on a Friday. This has two effects. First, the club cannot respond the charges until the courts re-open on Monday. Second, the club can’t open until it responds. Since the weekend is where most of the money is made, the police have effectively killed the business of the club for that weekend. Keep in mind the police can close a club that is charged with violating the nuisance law. It doesn’t have to prove the law has actually been broken. While the losses that the nightlife industry suffers might be more than enough to justify a lawsuit, club owners are reluctant to start a case that will draw the animosity of the police department. This reluctance gives the elements in the police department that have initiated this plan (Mr. Lewis makes it clear that he is not accusing the entire NYPD of this abuse) a free hand in targeting nightlife.

There are some clubs that break laws when they are open. They need to be controlled and the police need to control it. But the solution to this problem is not attacking the entire industry. That makes about as much sense as punishing every driver in the city because a few people drive drunk. The practice of abusing the Nuisance Abatement Law, and the liquor license struggles we have described in Can We Keep Clubs Open and Last Call are simply the latest examples of attacks on clubs. We are the people who appreciate and enjoy New York nightlife. Up to this point we have also been the silent majority, unable or unwilling to speak out against things done allegedly for our benefit. If we continue to be silent, nightlife will suffer and ultimately, so will we.

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Are You Ready for Everyday Drinking?

DRINKING
Every Day Drinking: A Preview
(Dwight Garner: New York Times)
When you imagine a man who consumes a lot of liquor, you might imagine a sloppy mess of a man who talks a lot but doesn’t say anything that makes sense and falls over a lot before kneeling over a toilet to pay for his overindulgence. A literary classic about the virtues and charm of regular drinking might seem counter intuitive…how can a drunk stay awake enough to write a book? The only way you can find out is by reading Everyday Drinking by Kingsley Amis.

Sir Amis (1922-1995) was a British poet and novelist. He was also obviously well versed in the art of drinking. He was so enthusiastic about liquor that he wrote not one but three books on the subject; On Drink (1972), Everyday Drinking (1983) and How’s Your Glass? (1984). The out of print books have recently been compiled and re-released as Everyday Drinking. The new work is part practical guide (“Serving good drinks, like producing anything worth while, is troublesome and expensive”) part recipe book (it includes, among other things, instructions for a tequila based Bloody Mary that serves as a “pick-me-up, throw-me-down, and jump-on-me” kind of drink) and part philosophical treatise (“humor and drinking are connected in a profoundly human, peculiarly intimate way”)

In a city of $20 cocktails, bottle service and a “liquor brand as a status symbol” culture it might be nice to take a step back now and then to enjoy drinking for its own sake. Instead of elbow wrestling 200 people at the bar to get that shot of Cuervo down your throat as fast as possible, maybe its time to gather good friends and sit down to some quality liquor. Maybe then we can have a few more nights of enjoying our drinks and a few less nights kneeling in front of the toilet.

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Nightlife News for May 27, 2008

Drinking: Hunting for Hops
Opinion: The Nightlife Exodus
Smoking: Social Non-Smoking




Check out http://www.newyorknightsonline.com/newsletter.html to get free weekly updates from New York Nights

The Cops Chase Weed. The SLA Holds Back.

Nightlife News for May 6, 2008

Crime: Cops Hooked on Pot
Government: SLA Holding Business Down

Cigarette Smuggling and the Tribeca Film Festival

Nightlife News for April 15th 2008

Smoking: Cigarette Smuggling (Will the New Tax Lead to a Black Market?)

Events: The Tribeca Film Festival (Lower Manhattan Rolls Out the Red Carpet)

Nightlife News for April 8 2008

Dating: Drinking and Dating (Read This Before Your Next Date)

Events: Food and Wine Festival (Ready to Eat, Drink and Be Merry?)

Music: Roc Nation (Will Jay-Z Transform Hip Hop Again?)

Sean Bell Testimony, Alcoholism Drugs and Transit Lies

Nightlife News for March 26, 2008

Lap Dance Lawsuits, DJ Schools and Metro Funk

Nightlife News for March 18th 2008

Music News from New York Nights

Coverage of the Winter Music Conference and Local Music Havens in this Week's Nightlife News...

Catalytic Converters, Drunkorexia and the Best of New York

Nightlife News for March 5, 2008

Lesbian Mayors, Fashion Mentors and Free Condoms

Nightlife News for February 19th 2008
By Gamal Hennessy

Bloomberg Bans, Bedroom Branding and Baby Bars

Bloomberg Bans, Bedroom Branding and Baby Bars

Nightlife News for February 12th 2008
By Gamal Hennessy

Smoking
Bloomberg Moves to Ban Smoking Worldwide
(Tiffany Sharples: Time Magazine)
As Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg has a platform that stretches far beyond the five boroughs. He can influence the national race for president without even running. He can also push his anti-smoking agenda out of our bars and into the developing world.

Last week Mayor Bloomberg joined World Health Organization to unveil a report on the effects of smoking on the world wide population. According to the report, 5.4 million people die from smoking every year. By 2030, 8 million people will die per year world wide, unless governments worldwide monitor tobacco use; protect people from secondhand smoke; offer help to people who want to quit; warn about the risks of smoking; enforce bans on cigarette advertising; and raise tobacco taxes.

While the mayor might be a zealot on the issue of smoking, he isn’t in favor of a total ban on tobacco. He just wants to make cigarettes so expensive that only the rich (and those pretending to be rich) can afford them. I don’t think anyone has considered what a nicotine addict will be willing to do for cigarettes if they get to $20 per pack, but if our experiences with crack and heroin are any indication, we might be in for a rough ride. (Additional coverage by Brian Hindo: Business Week)


Music
Bands Trying to Move Beyond Myspace
(TurnTo23.com)
First, A&R executives in music companies held the keys for musicians to get their music to the pubic. Then Myspace and iTunes gave bands a new way to connect to fans and get around the music labels. Now these sites aren’t new. There are hundreds of thousands of bands on Myspace. It’s just as crowded and just as difficult to set yourself apart to gain an audience as it has ever been. So what is the next step? How can an artist or a band build and audience in the post myspace world?

Many artists are moving beyond music to create a brand identity. Instead of just writing songs and releasing albums, unsigned and newly signed bands are offering home made videos on YouTube, creating mysterious personas, and promoting lifestyles that match their intended audience. Their music becomes another brand message in the larger tapestry of what the artist sells. The theory is once they get people hooked on the message getting them to accept the music will be automatic.

Creating a brand identity isn’t a new concept. Prince, Madonna, U2 and most of the successful artists of the MTV era combined music, image, lifestyle and persona to outlast other musicians. The difference now is that social networks and the internet give bands the ability to brand without the resources of the major labels. Time will tell if this bedroom branding will help any of these artists reach the Grammy’s.

Trends
When Play Dates Invade the Bar
(Alex Williams: New York Times)
There is often a perception that once you have children, your days of hanging out in a bar with your friends are over. But bars from Park Slope to Boston are witnessing a small invasion. And it’s the invaders who are small, sometimes only a few months old. When parents decide to bring their babies to bars, two classes of people emerge. Those who want to keep as much of their pre-parent lifestyle as possible, and those who don’t want their bar to become a nursery school.

The idea of children in bars is not a new phenomenon. In England and Ireland the bar was historically a public house, a place where people of all ages could come and gather. At some point, probably Prohibition, children were removed from establishments that sold liquor and the image of smoke filled rooms filled with questionable activity kept parents away. Now that smoking is banned in all New York bars and young parents look to retain their youthful lifestyles, some have decided that a bar is just as good as a park to hang out.

I don’t think that having a child needs translate into house arrest, sentencing parents to isolation with nothing but Sesame Street, Dora and whatever wine you have around the house. I also have no interest in dodging baby strollers while I’m tipsy, watching my language when the game is on, or curtailing a potential make out session because someone’s child might be present. If parents are willing to expose their children to adult environments so they can hold to their freedom, go for it. Now the drunks can have someone to throw up with. But parents need to treat the bar like church; fold up your strollers and if the little angel starts to cry, take him outside.

Have fun.
Gamal

Cougars, Connections and Giuliani's Other Failure (Nightlife News)

Nightlife News for February 5th, 2008
By Gamal Hennessy

Dating
Turning the tables on the Sugar Daddy
Robert Campbell: Reuters
The image of an older man dating a younger woman isn’t that unusual. Using money and status and pursue a younger woman is also an accepted social practice. But what happens when the tables are turned? How do we view older women who use money, experience and status to pick up younger men?

Government
Is Times Square Smut Free? Not Really.
Keith Richberg: Washington Post
When Rudy Giuliani ran for President his main claim to fame was his experience as Mayor of New York. He was here during 9/11, so he should be President in a dangerous new world. He stopped crime and cleaned up the smut on 42nd Street, so he had the moral character to be President. But the reality of the situation could be that Giuliani didn’t mastermind the purity of 42nd Street and even if he did plan it, he didn’t succeed in cleaning the place up…

Special Announcement
New York Nights Adds Connections to the Magazine
Gamal Hennessy: New York Nights

New York Nights readers are being given the first chance to join a new social network devoted to nightlife. The service is called Connections and it is available starting this month.

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