New York Nights: The Year in Review

Over the past year, New York Nights has offered a unique perspective on the issues that affect the culture and business of nightlife. I’m looking forward to offering you more insight and information in 2009 but if you’ve missed any of our weekly features, don’t worry. I’ve provided links to all of them below.

Let me know what you think; what you want to know more about, where you think nightlife is going in the New Year and what you enjoy about NYN. Thank you for all your support and have a great year.

The New York Nights Weekly Recap for March 28, 2008
The New York Nights Weekly Recap for April 4, 2008
The New York Nights Poll: How has the Smoking Ban Affected You?
The New York Nights Weekly Recap for April 11, 2008
The New York Nights Weekly Recap for April 18, 2008
Last Call: A New York Nights Special Report for April 25, 2008
The NYN Weekly Recap for May 2, 2008
The NYN Weekly Recap for May 9, 2008
The New York Nights Insider for May 23, 2008
The New York Nights Insider for May 30, 2008
The New York Nights Insider for June 6, 2008
The New York Nights Insider for June 13, 2008
The New York Nights Insider for June 20, 2008
New York Nights Insider: The Pride Issue
The New York Nights Insider: The Independence Issue
The New York Nights Insider: The Alternative Venue Issue
New York Nights Insider: The Turning Point Issue
New York Nights Insider: The Mid Summer Issue
New York Nights Insider: The Liquor and Sex Issue
NYN Insider: The Down Market Issue
New York Nights Insider: The Image Issue
The NYN Insider: The Common Sense Issue
The New York Nights Insider: The Outside Influence Issue
New York Nights Insider: The End of Summer Issue
NYN Insider: The Down Side Issue \
NYN Insider: The Economy Issue
NYN Insider: The Sub Culture Issue
NYN Insider: The Controversy Issue
NYN Insider: The Woman’ Issue
NYN Insider: The Food and Wine Issue
NYN Insider: The Future Issue
NYN Insider: The Experience Issue (with Election Update!)
NYN Insider: The Crime Issue
NYN Insider: The Election Holiday Issue
NYN Insider: The Music and Fashion Issue
NYN Insider: The Culture Issue
NYN Insider: The Perception Issue

Have fun
Gamal

Dancers Claim Abuse at Dollar Dance Clubs

By Gamal Hennessy

In the outer boroughs, there are clubs that are different than the lounges or nightclubs you might be used to. These are clubs frequented by immigrant laborers and staffed by women who are paid, per dance, to dance with the patrons. A new report and federal lawsuit claims that these women are abused on several levels. Is the situation different in mainstream clubs, or is the situation just a difference of degrees?

A report in last week’s Associated Press explained that dollar dance clubs exist in various Latin American neighborhoods around the city. While it is not a strip club, women are paid to dance with men. Men pay $2 for a single dance or $40 for an hour of company. Prostitution is not supposed to be part of the job, but workers frequently have to be protected by security from over aggressive patrons who want more than just a dance and within their communities these women are often viewed as prostitutes.

A recent crime has pushed these clubs into the spotlight. In December of 2007, a 24 year old dancer named Adriana Valderrama was shot and killed near the Tulcingo Café in Queens. The ensuing investigation revealed allegations of sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions inside dollar dance clubs.

The perceptions and allegations surrounding dollar dance clubs are not limited to the outer boroughs. High profile spots like The Box are also currently facing allegations of sexual abuse and trading female attention for money is a common practice in modern clubs. They call it dollar dancing. We call it bottle service. One practice is explicit, the other is only implied. The prices might be different, but the end result is the same. People (men and women) come to the conclusion that sexually charged social interaction can be purchased.

This is not criticism of sexuality in nightlife, or a condemnation of buying a woman a drink. It is a critique against the concept of buying company. It is easier to buy a dollar dance than to actually approach a woman. It is a display of social value to buy a bottle for female attention, even if the tactic lacks subtlety. But the closer the connection we have between money and sex, the more nightlife will be perceived in a negative light. There has been a link between money and sex since money was invented, but managing that perception is crucial to the image of the city’s clubs.

Have fun.
Gamal

Source: Christian Salazar: Associated Press

Bloomberg’s Nightlife Record

By Gamal Hennessy

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to announce plans to run for a third term in office tomorrow. Various groups are weighing in before the official announcement and the outcome will be controversial no matter how it shakes out. Nightlife, as a distinct facet of the city, also needs to consider the implications of Bloomberg’s tenure. What has the mayor done to support or hinder nightlife during his term? Is nightlife better off with a new mayor?

To get a better picture of how the mayor has impacted nightlife recently, NYN went through all of its past coverage to find Bloomberg’s influence, even though all these events cannot be directly tied to him. Here is a sampling of his programs affecting nightlife since 2003.

Supporting the nightlife industry

October 2007: New York Nightlife Association and New York City Police Department create a new plan to improve security conditions after two separate nightclub murders.

October 2007: New York City launches multi-media campaign to attract tourists to various aspects of New York City, including nightlife.

February 2008: NYC expands its free condom offering to bars and restaurants in the face of rising HIV rates.

July 2008: Mayor signaled willingness to rescind the cabaret law, although that willingness has not been backed up by actions at this point.

Opposing the nightlife industry
March 2003: New York City institutes a smoking ban in bars, clubs and restaurants. While smoking rates have gone down citywide and anecdotal evidence suggests that non smokers now go out more, the ban has amplified issues between local residents and clubs.

June 2007: Mayor’s plan for congestion pricing in midtown threatened to create residual traffic jams on nights and weekends when the tax wouldn’t be in effect.

September 2007: Arguments between the city and local taxi drivers over GPS, credit card, TV screens in the back of all cabs boil over into a cab strike.

April 2008: The NYC Department of Health targets select gay clubs for violations while possibly ignoring a majority of others

Real Estate Issues
The mayor enjoys support in the voting community and in the business sector. Their basic argument is that the extraordinary economic times that we live in call for a mayor that has the business experience to see the city through this difficult time.

When you look at how business has fared in New York recently, it is worth noting that the real estate sector, which experienced a boom under Mr. Bloomberg, is in full retreat now after years of wild profit speculation and uncontrolled growth. It also makes sense to point out that the encroachment of residential real estate into formerly commercial areas where nightlife thrived added to the conflict between clubs and local residents who didn’t want to have their illusion suburban quiet disturbed while they slept in the middle of the city. A more balanced investment by the city between more residential real estate and more support for local nightlife might have been the wiser business strategy.

It is easy to see how Mayor Bloomberg’s term in office was more beneficial to New York nightlife than Mayor Giuliani’s, since Rudy would have preferred to close all clubs. It is difficult to say that his impact on New York nightlife has been wholly negative, given some of his actions. It is impossible to tell if nightlife would be given more support to thrive under a new mayor because we don’t know who the opposing candidate might be. But it is possible to see that he is willing to impose his own lifestyle on others and circumvent or rewrite laws to achieve his goals. If that kind of brazen cowboy attitude to power fails miserably on a national level with Bush/Cheney, what makes us think it will work better on a city level?

Have fun.
Gamal

Source: Michael Barbaro: New York Times

Give us your opinion on what’s going on. Use the comments space below to tell people what you think.

13 Tips for a Good Club Night

By Gamal Hennessy

Every social situation has a set of guidelines to help things run smoothly. The dinner table, the classroom, the office and the locker room inside the gym each has its own customs to keep people from throwing food around, throwing a tantrum or crossing swords. People who know these rules often get ahead, even if they don’t always follow them. People who don’t know the rules often suffer. The nightclub is no different than any other social environment, there’s a certain way to do things. Common sense will make most of these rules obvious, but common sense isn’t that common so read this just to make sure…

Keep in mind that this advice can be used by anyone, but it is focused toward men, because I have don’t have the experience to know the nuances of female clubbing and I didn’t have time before this piece was due to ask them (I’m sure it will be a follow up article).

Before you hit the club, it pays to be prepared:
1. Decide where you’re going and have a couple of back up plans.
2. Find out how you need to dress to get in and respond accordingly.
3. Figure out how you’re getting in whether it’s reservations, connections or just standing in line.
4. Don’t travel with people who are going to sabotage your fun, unless its part of your hustle.
5. Decide if you’re buying bottle service (and who is paying for it) before you get there. This might not be the time to make a $1,000 decision.
6. When you get there be nice to the bouncer whether you are on the list, ordered bottle service or just standing on line. Giving them a hard time won’t get you in faster. It could ruin your night.

Once you’re inside the main goal is having fun. Just remember these simple tips:
7. You can have a good time without giving the club staff a hard time. It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.
8. Unless your express goal is getting a hangover, it is always wise to drink and do something else (dance, flirt, eat, talk, whatever)
9. The key to meeting people is helping them feel good about themselves while you’re around, not using them to help you feel better about yourself.
10. You don’t have to get drunk just because you drink.

When its time to go there are a few things you can do to cap off a good night.
11. If you can catch the attention of the staff that served you, thank them on the way out. They don’t get much of that and some of them will remember you if you come back.
12. If you leave with your people, make sure everyone gets to their chosen transportation. Put ladies in cabs before you jump into one.
13. Before you pass out on the short road to hangover, try to make sure your people actually got home. New York is safer than it has been in decades, but it shows you care. Ask them for a quick ‘I’m alive’ text when they get in the door. This is especially true of your female company even if you just met them (it’s also a good way to confirm her phone number is real, but that’s beside the point).

Now that you have tips on nightlife behavior, you can have a good time without crossing swords.

Have Fun.
Gamal

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.

And if you want to find out more about what's going on in New York nightlife, sign up for NYN Insider. It's free.

Smoking, Drinking and Dancing...

Nightlife News for June 10, 2008

Smoking: Will the Smoking Tax Make New Yorkers Quit?
Drinking: Why Should You Love Your the Hangover?
Dancing: Can You Sell a Dance Style?
Find out in Nightlife News

Strip Club Dancers and Hookah Smokers

Nightlife News for May 20, 2008

Dating: Learn to be a Stripper
Smoking: Better Smoking Through Hookah?

Club Cruises, Dance Parades and Smoke Smuggling

Nightlife News for May 13, 2008

Events: Club Cruises
Events: The Dance Parade
Smoking: Smokers Will Choose Quitting or Crime

The Bell Trial, Cachaça and Fighting to Dance

Read about police officers on trial for killing a groom at his bachelor party, the ongoing fight against cabaret laws and a new drink from Brazil..

All in the February 26th Edition of Nightlife News from New York Nights.