The bar 78 Below on Columbus Avenue and 78th street closed its doors last week after a dispute with its landlord, owner Leslie Hutchinson said. 78 Below was one of the few remaining venues in the neighborhood that held live music just about every night. Another bar and restaurant that also had live music, Sasa’s Lounge, also closed earlier this year.
78 Below had opened last spring, replacing P&G Bar.
Hutchinson didn’t tell us all of the details of why the venue was closed, but apparently the landlord forced her to vacate within less than an hour, which made for a chaotic scene. A couple of weeks ago, 78 Below was closed by the city, apparently for unpaid fines.
Leslie posted this on Facebook:
“I love you all. I thank you all. I thank you for your friendship. I thank you for your patronage, and most of all, I thank you for your love and appreciation of live music. Thank you to every musician who played in my venue. This is not nearly enough, but I do thank you all from the bottom of my heart. 78 Below is now closed for good. I’m sorry if this disappoints you, believe me, no one is more disappointed than I. Much love, many thanks. Leslie I hope to see you all very soon.”
Will miss this place…
This will, of course, add to the boringness of the Upper West Side. Where are the hang-out places now that every neighborhood place is biting the dust.
You know what’s really weird? No one in the neighborhood seems to mind. It’s all babies and dogs and tv and ‘ordering in’. How did this happen? It’s tragic. Why are we turning into the ‘suburbs’ I cant bare it. Who are these people who act so strangely who’ve moved here and are so dull.
Jules, you’ve gotta be kidding, right? You’re really blaming “suburbanites, dogs, and babies” for the closings? I think your anger should be directed at high commercial rents that are keeping scores of storefronts empty all over the UWS.
Incidentally, if you ever decide to venture out of NYC, you’ll find that music joints and nice independent little eating establishments are alive and well out there in The Forbidden Zone, er, I mean, the suburbs.
Re: “…Why are we turning into the ‘suburbs’ I cant bare it….”
O.M.G. !!! Please DON’T “bare it”…it’s much too cold and you wouldn’t want to chill it so it stops functioning.
However, along with Yogi and Boo-boo, you are welcome to BEAR it.
B/T/W: down here on the Lower-Upper West Side, specifically on the south side of W. 72nd btw. Amsterdam/Columbus, there is a perfectly lovely place, Lime Leaf, which serves great Thai food, has a nice bar, and most nights has some excellent jazz….
oh, yes, and probably no suburbanites!
This is a loss to the neighborhood. I hope that another restaurant or bar will see the demand for live music and start presenting small bands and solo acoustic artists.
The basement bar below Symphony Space sometimes hosts live music.
I agree..UWS has turned into suburbia. How can we make it interesting again? (Would love more live music everyday!) No offense to the babies, strollers and nannies…
Once upon a boring time, delayed effect post-Emancipation white guilt caused a replacement of UWS artist colony housing by community-organized Democratic welfare voter homeless housing, proudly, as minor Art World star Banksy competed for wall space with fake bank outlets that function as billboards in Rich Urban America. The result of even local CENTRAL PLANNING was a quiet mess, in boringly blue LEDs, that long ago replaced the crackling neon of our once and future great city.
Until landlords realize that not every space will be occupied by a bank or a national chain, or a Duane Reade, this will continue to happen. $23K a month? more than 75% of the people make for a year. I signed the lease and I should have negotiated lower. The new landlords don’t give care about the neighborhood, just their own pockets.