From High Tides to High Wires
Get ready for lots of neon
While planning my tour for Jane’s Walk in May, I went through a lot of trial and error. My first route was ambitious and included all of the things. Last weekend, when I did a trial walk around Soho with Lorenzo, I realized that my route just wasn’t going to work. That meant cutting some of the stops I had planned that I was really excited about, but it didn’t mean saying goodbye to them forever. So for the next few weeks you’ll get a sort of preview of my walk by reading about some of the stops that ended up on the cutting room floor!
Also, surprise - I was on a podcast this week! started a series called Between the Stacks and we chatted about the origin of BCLF, how to make friends if you’re new to NYC, and my current restaurant obsessions. If I sound peppy to you, it’s because I recorded it while lounging on a cat sitting client’s rooftop on a gorgeous sunny day (hence last week’s sunburn). Is this what you imagined my voice sounded like?
Also - BCLF 100 is still around the corner and I want to hear your stories! Do you have a favorite pizza place because whenever you walk in the counter guy yells “what’ll you have boss?” Do you have an apartment horror story to share (don’t we all)? Do you have a museum you love? A museum you hate? Let me know!
Ear Inn and Original Shoreline Marker 1766 326 Spring St, New York, NY 10013 Neighborhood: Hudson Square
I’ve never eaten at the Ear Inn, but in a very “me” move I did visit to look at a plaque in the sidewalk out front. The sidewalk plaque marks where the original shoreline of the Hudson River stopped before years of landfill extended Manhattan’s coast a few more blocks to the west. Somewhere between 2,000-3,000 acres of Manhattan’s land (roughly 29%) exists due to landfill from construction projects, most notably The Battery. When the Hudson or East River flood, they’re mostly just overflowing the artificial shorelines that we’ve created over time.
A plaque in the ground marking an old shoreline is cool and all, but what used to reside on the westernmost edge of Spring St way back when? The edges of the city tend to be the most interesting because they’re either the most isolated (due to no one wanting to go all the way out there) or they see the largest rotating cast of characters (due to their proximity to shipping yards). This little plot at the end of Spring St falls into the latter camp as it was home to a dockyard and, eventually, what is the Ear Inn today. But that little building has had quite a history and it’s that history that makes this spot so interesting.
While the shoreline plaque was seemingly placed by a UK brewing company, the Ear Inn building itself has a plaque affixed to the second story that was placed by the Landmarks Preservation Committee. This structure, the James Brown House, was one of the earliest landmarks designated by the LPC in 1969. The first record in New York City of the house was in 1817 - and that’s an important distinction because prior to 1817 Greenwich Village was actually its own independent hamlet. So naturally, NYC had no record of this building prior to 1817 even though it was very likely built much earlier, possibly around 1770. So who was James Brown?
This was not home to the father of funk, but to a former enslaved person who served in the Revolutionary War as George Washington’s aide. Upon gaining his freedom, James built himself a little slice of paradise in the Federal style home and was quite a successful tobacconist. When James sold his house in the mid 1850’s, his record goes dry and we follow the home’s journey from apothecary to tavern to brothel to boarding house to speakeasy. In fact, the building changed identities so many times that it never even really had a name; it was just known as “The Green Door” because apparently the color of the front door is the only thing that’s stayed the same. Despite the building’s many identities over the years, its proximity to the shore (a mere 4 ft from doorstep to dock) kept it afloat as a place that was frequented by the longshoremen who worked the shipyard. However, the ground floor of the building has housed a bar since 1817, which makes this one of the oldest continuously operating bars in NYC.
Shortly after the above photo was taken, the building changed hands for the last time (for now). In the late 1970s, Martin Sheridan and Richard “Rip” Hayman bought the business and ushered in a new era for the little house that once stood on the shore. For starters - they gave the place a name for the first time in its 150 year old history. At the time, Hayman was running a music magazine, Ear Magazine, out of the second floor. The bar’s neon sign, likely from the 1930s after Prohibition, served up some inspiration. But remember how the building was a NYC landmark? This meant that to make any changes to the building’s facade, including the sign, Sheridan and Hayman would have to fill out tons of paperwork and hope for approval by the LPC. Apparently, though, the LPC was so caught up in them making any additions to the building that they failed to mention any issue with subtractions…and so the men spray painted part of the B on the Bar sign to make it an E. Ear Inn was officially born.
Sheridan and Hayman really did a lot to bring this spot back from the brink and turn it into a respectable place to grab a drink. The neighborhood, and the bar, were in a decline in the 1970-80s and these guys managed to bring a contemporary air to the place without erasing its past. The inside is chock full of old shit and memorabilia, lots of it leaning maritime or ear-centric. And as the neighborhood around it modernized, developers were forced to reinforce parts of this building because it’s a protected landmark. During one such construction project in 2006 — Philip Johnson’s Urban Glass House — the foundations of the tavern were dug up and stabilized revealing “apothecary bottles for elixirs and salves, and pieces of the actual original pier into the Hudson.” according to Sheridan (the artifacts went to the New-York Historical Society).
I’ll have to go back and actually go inside the Ear Inn because a NYT article alleges that they serve “the best dumplings this side of Chinatown.” Consider me skeptical, but intrigued.
Red Pavilion 1241 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237 Neighborhood: Bushwick Open: Thu-Sat 6:45pm - Late
A few weeks ago Susannah, Tara, Michael, and I visited The Red Pavilion in Bushwick. I’ve been meaning to visit this place for so long that they’ve since rebranded; they are no longer a tea house by day (😭) and exclusively host nighttime programming. This is difficult for me because I both love tea and going to bed early, but ya snooze ya lose I guess (literally, in this case). They are now a self described Asian Neo-Noir Cabaret and Nightclub and if I was going to stay up late for anything, this would be it.
The space manages to hit a very difficult mark flawlessly. It could have been kitschy. It could have been too traditionally Asian. It could have been too Americanized. They could have swung too far in either direction and missed the mark but, like Potluck Club, they struck the perfect balance of their personal inspirations. In Red Pavilion’s case, that was “from the films of Wong Kar-Wai, Zhang Yimou, Hou Hsiao Hsien, and David Lynch to invoke a moody and dream-like ambiance.” The Red Pavilion proprietors describe the space as a “floating city” and they certainly hit that dreamy, otherworldly feeling.
Red Pavilion hosts their own programs in addition to renting themselves out as an event space to others. What can you look forward to seeing there? Pole dancing, Shibari, Studio Ghibli + Anime Jazz, Chino-Latino Jazz, and Lust Caution: A Neo-Noir Cabaret. I attended that last one, though I really want to go back for the Ghibli Jazz. The cabaret show features different performers every time so you might see burlesque, aerial, cirque, sideshow, shibari, or ritual theater. Their shows all have the option of booking table space or GA admission and as a certified Old™ I really enjoyed having a seat and not having to stand around the bar. If GA is your thing though, they frequently offer discounts via their email list.
The show I attended had a 2 drink minimum and I imagine most of their events follow that. Luckily, they had a couple mocktails on the menu so I enjoyed a double helping of their very gingery Sunny Side drink. I really wish there were some vestiges of their daytime teahouse left in the nighttime menu because I love sipping on a warm tea any time of the day, but c’est la vie. They also have a few little snackies left on the menu, but I would have killed for a steam basket of dumplings. Honestly this just reinforces the fact that I am a daytime dim sum person at heart, it’s not Red Pavilion’s fault for catering to the night owls.
I really enjoyed all of the performances. The woman in red who performed burlesque was amazing! She was stripped down to nothing but booby tassels and a tasteful thong by the end of her performance and I basically melted when she winked at me. This was also my first time seeing a Shibari performance live! If you read my previous post about Kenka, you’ll remember that they have a dummy tied up Shibari-style in their restaurant. If you’re not familiar, Shibari is an act of Japanese bondage/BDSM that involved tying someone up using intricate twists and knots. The subject is sometimes nude and they’re often placed in asymmetric and uncomfortable positions, though these positions aren’t random and they do follow aesthetic rules. The person who was tied up at this show was at times upside down, had one leg over their head, and was generally in very compromising positions that belied an insane level of trust on their partner doing the tying. BDSM can be a touchy subject, but from what I saw here it can also be a very beautiful and intimate practice that requires absolute trust and communication between partners.
Our night also included multiple aerial performances and as soon as I saw these women enter in their neon pink bikinis I knew they were gonna get up to some serious shit. I was not disappointed. These women were strong AF and swung and flipped and tossed their ponytails around as they absolutely commanded the room. If it’s not clear from the photo, they also performed literally right in front of my table, whereas some other performances were done on stage. The performers regularly eschewed the stage and made their way through the crowd, so you’ll likely get a good view of parts of the show no matter where you’re sitting (or standing).
I may be biased, but I love a space that is created by women. Shien Lee was inspired to open this space after she unfortunately experienced a hate crime during the wave of anti-Asian violence during the pandemic. Red Pavilion has managed to create a space where performers can be vulnerable (they’re often semi-nude or hanging in precarious positions) while remaining safe and protected. The venue had a few of your classic big security guys around, though I didn’t witness anyone in the venue being anything other than respectful and, frankly, awed. It’s not always easy to create a space where women and LGBTQ+ individuals feel that they can safely exist, but I’m happy to say that Red Pavilion seems to have succeeded there and I can’t wait to go back.
Head to Leland Eating + Drinking House on March 26 for Mahjong + Dim Sum. Tickets are $50 and include mahjong lessons and snacks!
My favorite flower shop - Stems - is having a Stoop Sale this Fri-Sat! All plants will be 20% off and they’ll also have potting soil, planters, and more.
If you, like me, love cats then consider attending a NYC Cat Walking Tour. Learn about famous NYC cats (like the Algonquin Hotel cat) and discover NYC history through a unique lens.
I don’t drink sake or eat oysters, but maybe you do! Stop by Bin Bin Sake in Greenpoint on April 2 for a guided Sake + Oyster Tasting. Tickets are $71 (and going fast) and include 9 oysters (3 of each variety, for the full tasting experience) and 4 corresponding pours of sake.
If you’re looking for something artsy, try your hand at a Pottery Class at Le Petit Monstre on March 25. Tickets are $118 and include lots of clay and instruction. You’ll also get 10% off any tasty vegan treats from the bakery (I promise you’d never know their stuff is vegan).
I’m unfortunately a week late for this one, but someone put up signs for a Chuck Schumer Spine Lookalike Contest last week and I cackled.
Cherry Blossom Season is upon us! Tickets for BBG’s Hanami Nights are now available for the end of April. You can enjoy a picnic on the Cherry Esplanade under illuminated trees!
Also - take a look at the Cherry Blossom Guide I made last year for the best spots to peep those blooms.
Just coming back here to say I just did a cat walking tour thanks to your suggestion here! It was great! Everyone should take a tour!
West side of reservoir tree peeping ftw!!!!