Apr 17, 2008
Community boards influencing earlier closing time for NYC nightlife
I’ve been hearing the rumors lately, the 4AM closing times that have been a driving factor in the ability for bars to succeed even with ridiculous operating costs, may be coming to an end. The community boards do not have the authority to change the laws, but they do have influence on who gets licensed(ny state liquor authority has the final say). It seems to be a near impossibility to get the necessary licenses to open a new bar in most parts of the city that can stay open until 4, I’m not sure what influence these boards will have on existing establishments that are looking to renew leases and licenses.
The city’s nightlife is what keeps new york vital. It is the energy that draws people in. If anything, these restrictions meant to help long time residents sleep better at night, will draw the nightlife out of the city, filtering into the boroughs. Taking with it the youth culture and creativity that is so closely married. With any luck, this logic can bring us those much desired franchise restaurants with kid’s menus and 11 PM closing times.
In most parts of Manhattan, bar and club owners say, it has become nearly impossible to open new nightlife establishments that are permitted to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. — the Prohibition-era curfew that is seen as a bedrock of New York City’s party town identity.
Community boards that now hold substantial clout with the New York State Liquor Authority are increasingly requesting that liquor licenses be tied to earlier closing times, often at or before 2 a.m., a number of advocates for the nightlife industry said.
“It is a trend that has certainly increased in the last six months, and if it keeps increasing there are going to be serious problems for the nightlife industry and the city’s economy,” a lawyer for the New York Nightlife Association, Robert Bookman, said. An independent study conducted at the request of his association found that city nightlife establishments garner 58% of their revenues between the hours of 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., he said. Under state law, which says the closing time for bars in the city is 4 a.m., the liquor authority lacks the power to place stipulations on the operating hours of bars and clubs. However, if a bar owner agrees to limit its hours of operation with the local community board, the liquor authority will write it into the license.
Community boards for years have provided the liquor authority with recommendations for liquor licenses, but only recently has their influence become a determining factor in designating them. “The new leadership that took over during the last few years of the Pataki administration has been dramatically more responsive to the community than any I’ve ever seen with many years of experience with the SLA, and I think that’s a good thing,” a state assemblyman who represents the Chelsea area of Manhattan, Richard Gottfried, said.
A spokesman for the liquor authority, William Crowley, said the agency determines liquor licenses on a case-by-case basis and follows the letter of the law.
Some say community boards are wielding their newfound power with the liquor authority to force bars to close earlier than ever before.
“More and more of the community boards are insisting that bars close at 2 a.m. or earlier,” Ben Leventhal, the editor in chief of Eater.com, a Web log that chronicles many of the liquor license issues arising in the city, said. “It’s become the community boards’ de facto bargaining chip.”
Eding Post
This is something that caught my eye on a trip last year to Tokyo. Nothing complex, just t-shirts and bags in the shape of fast food
- First, I thought it was a regular hamburger, but wehn I looked thoroughly, I realized that I was wrong.
- A piece of T-shirt has appeared from what was thought to be a hamburger.
- When something that we consider ordinary changes into a peculiar subject, our mundane life might look extraordinary.
Maybe a t-shirt that is shaped like a hamburger won't make your life look extraordinary, but it's a nice outside look at fast-food culture.
Yam Cart
I like to think this is an example of doing everything right. I took this in a fairly residential neighborhood outside of Tokyo at around 6 PM. People were getting off of work and on their way home to likely prepare a meal or pick something up for their families. Along comes this gentleman driving a truck with a wood fired oven in the back.
Tsukiji Market
One of the most impressive markets I've ever seen. Tsukiji gets rolling every morning around 6 AM. This is where virtually all of the fish that is served in Tokyo comes. The sites and sounds are incredible, auctioning of fish, motorized carts buzzing around carrying shipments from the vendors to shipping.
Egg Soldiers
I like to think this is an example of doing everything right. I took this in a fairly residential neighborhood outside of Tokyo at
World Dinner Maps
I like to think this is an example of doing everything right. I took this in a fairly residential neighborhood outside of Tokyo at
