Legendary Party Spot the Jane Hotel Ballroom to Close and Become a Members-Only Club

The Jane Hotel Ballroom and Rooftop, one of New York City’s most legendary party spots of the aughts, is officially closing on November 20, according to a representative. In February 2022, it was reported that the Jane Hotel had been sold to hotelier Jeff Klein, a west coast operator who also used to own the Monkey Bar in Midtown with Graydon Carter. Klein plans to turn the space into an East Coast outpost of his members-only San Vicente Bungalows club, the latest example of a growing number of private restaurants for rich people. A general manager for the hotel shares that rooms will remain bookable indefinitely, while the hotel undergoes renovations next year.

The landmarked Jane Hotel building has seen many iterations over the years, well before the Jane Ballroom and Rooftop bar were celebrity haunts. It first opened in 1908, as American Seamen’s Friend Society Sailors’ Home and Institute, later, in 1912, it housed the survivors of the Titanic. In 2009, the New York Times wrote of the changing tides: “the hip young bankers in the bar, the old-style and new-style tenants in the lobby.... all combine to give it a distinct wash-ashore quality, as West Street evolves from shipping to hip.”

A cafe closes following demolition of its $50K outdoor structure

Lower East Side spot Pinky’s Space has decided to close for the time being, after the city took down its dining structure that it sunk $50,000 dollars into building, the New York Post reports. Pinky’s had one of the more wild-looking outdoor set-ups, outfitted with neon lights, a disco ball, and art installations with mannequins. “We had no indication they were taking the structure down, taking my whole livelihood down,” owner Mimi Blitz told the publication. “Some of the DOT workers were laughing at us. They took the lights, every piece of wood, and the astroturf.”

Fany Gerson plots a new Tribeca La Newyorkina

The owner of paleta spot La Newyorkina and donut shop Fan Fan, hinted on Instagram yesterday that she’s working on a new spot in Tribeca, in a shared space with a forthcoming Mexican restaurant called Caliza. According to a representative, the La Newyorkina outpost will be located at 378 Greenwich Street, near North Moore Street, in Tribeca.

An Ocean Hill coffee shop files to unionize

Workers at the Daily Press coffee shop in Brooklyn’s Ocean Hill neighborhood have filed to unionize with Workers United NY/NJ, according to the Brooklyn Paper. The publication reports that the decision to attempt to unionize last week stemmed from slashed hours of work.