Exploring the secret nightlife across the river

Overheard last night: "Darling! (double air kiss) I feel like I never see you anymore since the Beatrice closed!" "I know, I feel like no one knows where to go anymore!" "That will probably change now that Paul's new place is open." About a year ago in New York, there was a bar with a neighborhood feel, that was actually not in the neighborhood of any of its regulars and eventually pissed off the actual neighbors. This was a bar that people knew to steer clear from if they were avoiding a friend, one they could flock to after fashion events and where they'd inevitably end up whether they wanted to or not. Some felt smug for gaining access, some were just happy to drunkenly sink into a backroom banquette. Some are truly sick of people talking about it, but no one can deny, the Beatrice Inn was a staple part in the New York nightlife diet before shuttering. While Paul Sevigny swears Kenmare, his newest joint venture with Rose Bar's Nur Kahn, is "not a new Beatrice," the all too familiar private party "commitments" the duo made to "friends and family" during fashion week, coupled with the opinions of Beatrice regulars past, seem to point to a second coming.

The aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks left the city's economy in shambles and redefined the psyche and habits of nightlife. Many clubs, lounges and restaurants could not withstand the loss of tourist dollars and general economic downturn. By mid-decade a new way of doing business and new problems changed everything again. The club world will never be the same. In the scheme of things, writing about the effects of the 9/11 attack on clubs is unbelievably trivial. Yet the business of clubs is ever changing, adjusting to the world at large and this event, and the events that resulted from it, defined the fading decade.

The Paris party rides all varieties of waves of fun

It's that time of year when thanks, presents and awards are given out. My experience--okay, they mean my age--often has me asked to judge some award or another. I've been around a really long time. When I started out a club was something you hit a drunk on the head with at a saloon. The good people over at Night Club and Bar have asked me to judge some categories for them this year for their Nightclub and Bar Awards, "To recognize and applaud the best in U.S. nightclub and bar concepts and operation". There are concerns that revealing this top secret info will result in corruption or subtle persuasion. I must agree that shocking as it may seem, some people in the club industry cannot be trusted to play fair. So I wont tell you what categories I'm judging, but I'll say this: If you are a nominee, don't call me about anything. No need to catch up, or chew the fat, or see how I'm doing. I'm doing great. If you were me you'd be doing great too.

I came across this photo yesterday on the Purple Diary and didn't much consider the caption: "[Graffiti artist] Andre in front of the soon to be reopened Beatrice Inn, New York." Fans of the shuttered speakeasy have been eagerly awaiting a revival since it was first padlocked back in April.

Just heard a very realistic rumor that East Village hipster standby The Annex has been sold and will become, of all things, a sports bar. In honor of the decline of yet another club kid landmark, the infamous electro-nu-rave Ruff Club party will be throwing a final hurrah for the sweat den it made popular on September 11, bringing out some underground all-stars: the Misshapes, Spencer Product, and the Ruff Kids. Another fond farewell to a Friday night hotspot that many called home.

These days, I write for BlackBook the magazine as well as online. The magazine has limited space, and I have long stories to tell. Here's the expanded version of my September print column.

You can usually find Aaron Lacrate lighting up the 1's and 2's while spinning records in New York City or bragging that Robert Downey Jr. and Robin Williams are sporting his custom-made shirts. As creator of the clothing company Milkcrate NYC, Lacrate has avant-garde couture junkies clamoring to get one of his signature designs. When he’s not dishing out his fashion to the selective circles afforded to browse the goods, the Baltimore-bred DJ is working on building his record label, B-More Gutter World Wide. The label just released the critically acclaimed B-More Club Crack, an album his crew created as a way to allocate the signature sound of Baltimore club music worldwide. Lacrate takes time to discuss his burgeoning empire and why naming his company Milkcrate B-More just didn’t make sense.

It's common practice for us to ask celebrities what their favorite bars and restaurants are, so you'll know where to stalk them. Usually they'll list a couple of places with a few reasons why, and sometimes they'll struggle to remember the name. But rarely will they outright refuse us. Like Emily Haines, for example. The Metric singer told me buzz off when I prodded her to reveal her secret favorite New York drinking den. Instead, she just bad-mouthed the Beatrice. Yippee!