Seth Porges shows the event in all its raucousness, but he is also sympathetic to its origins. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Bars and Nightclubs”
Fleece, Love and Vomit: New Yorkers’ Best (and Worst) SantaCon Stories
By Gotham Rex on December 12, 2025
The bar crawl and charity fund-raiser has been eliciting strong reactions in the city for more than 25 years. Readers shared theirs. Source: New York Times
One of the Last Times Square Dive Bars Faces Eviction
By Gotham Rex on December 10, 2025
New York is a city of hustlers, of odds makers and shot takers. For 54 years, Jimmy’s Corner has been their bar. Source: New York Times
‘Everyone’s in Sync’: Phone Ban on NYC Dance Floors Is Getting Rave Reviews
By Gotham Rex on November 21, 2025
In the TikTok era, people were filming rather than dancing. “I’d rather live in the moment and feel the joy,” one reveler said. Source: New York Times
Ronny Whyte, Cabaret Singer Who Personified Elegance, Dies at 88
By Gotham Rex on September 16, 2025
Like his friend and mentor Bobby Short, he exuded haute style while imbuing American standards with grace and wit. Source: New York Times
Silver Saundors Friedman, Who Helped Found the Improv, Dies at 89
By Gotham Rex on December 9, 2022
She ran the famous New York comedy club with her husband for years as they launched the careers of many comic stars. Source: New York Times
Retracing Walt Whitman’s Steps Through Brooklyn and Manhattan
By Gotham Rex on December 7, 2022
The poet wandered for himself and for his various day jobs with New York City newspapers. Some of his haunts are still standing; most have been swept away with time. Source: New York Times
Druggings, Deaths and Robberies Put New York’s Gay Community on Edge
By Gotham Rex on December 3, 2022
At first, the men’s deaths were treated as overdoses, until tens of thousands of dollars were found drained from their bank accounts. Source: New York Times
New York’s LGBTQ Community Is on Edge After Colorado Shooting
By Gotham Rex on November 21, 2022
Hours before the Colorado mass shooting, a gay bar in Manhattan was targeted for the fourth time this month when someone threw a brick at its window. Source: New York Times
NYC Ends Monkeypox Emergency and Mobile Vaccine Vans
By Gotham Rex on November 17, 2022
As the monkeypox emergency subsides, the city has stopped placing vaccine vans outside nightclubs and sex parties. Vaccinations will still be available at sexual health clinics. Source: New York Times
Budd Friedman, Who Built an Empire of Comedy Clubs, Dies at 90
By Gotham Rex on November 16, 2022
Starting with the original Improv in Midtown Manhattan, he gave Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin and countless other comedians a launching pad to fame. Source: New York Times
On Car-Free Streets, Many New York Restaurants Thrived
By Gotham Rex on October 25, 2022
By promoting outdoor dining, the city’s Open Streets program has helped some eating and drinking establishments survive the pandemic, a new report finds. Source: New York Times
Casa Cruz: $250,000 to Join this Private Playground
By Gotham Rex on September 27, 2022
Casa Cruz, a London celebrity hangout, opens on the Upper East Side. Source: New York Times
Ghosts of New York’s Glamorous Past Haunt an Empty Pub
By Gotham Rex on September 25, 2022
A bar from the Stork Club, once a gathering spot for Grace Kelly, Ernest Hemingway, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, collects dust in a downtown tavern that went out of business. Source: New York Times
Staying Up Late to Find Out Why New York No Longer Does
By Gotham Rex on September 21, 2022
More bars and restaurants are closing their doors at earlier hours, and more New Yorkers are grabbing dinner earlier in the evening. One of our reporters set off to find out why. Source: New York Times