Predictions
By floor9 on Jul 20, 2006 in Central PA, Downtown
Now that we’re past the half-way mark for 2006, it’s going to be a little hard to bill anything forthcoming as “the best ___ of 2006″. Looking forward to 2007, what substantial events do you see coming down the nightlife scene? Could be anything — a new concert series, openings / closures, reformatting, the end of MMC — take your pick.
I’ll go first.
I think we’re going to see a resurgence of development away from downtown. Nothing to cripple downtown’s popularity, mind you, but I wouldn’t be too shocked to see another major draw or two develop outside of 17102. For starters, there’s The Coliseum opening in Camp Hill. It’s anyone’s guess what type of crowd it will draw, but I know I’ll be going at least once. The brand-new-yet-mostly-vacant plaza across the street suggests that there’s a nearby landlord eager to drive occupancy, which is correctly pronounced “cheap rent”. Perhaps a budding developer or two will see some potential and drop in a coffee bar or Prive-ish lounge. Maybe they’d even combine the two!
Downtown will continue to be strong. While certainly not invincible, the Second Street juggernaut would take a long string of events to shut down. But I doubt we’ll see the level of change that 2006 has brought. Maybe someone will take over the place formerly known as interesting Second Street Tavern and turn it around. Maybe we’ll get some decent food at 3am. Maybe we’ll get an after-hours downtown (Cameron Street doesn’t count).
And while I don’t have any information to suggest that this is even being remotely considered by anyone, I think it would be interesting to see the State Street Park(ing nightmare) thing turned into an open-air series of venues, not unlike Baltimore. This is very unlikely, however, considering the well-rooted offices and buildings that currently line State. Still, how cool would it be to bring back the cart vendors, throw in a few Pep Grill-grade bars, and hang with the crowd until sunrise? Better yet would be a variance for outdoor sales ala Backyard Bash.
What about you?
i think well see a better variety of fights arguments and verbal relationship drama outside second street at 2a
burgi | Jul 24, 2006 | Reply
Allof the bars and clubs close waaaaaaaaay to early.People aren’t ready to go home at 2am especially on a Saturday night that’s why i head out of the Burg for my weekend fun along with my girls.I can’t wait until September when we’re all heading down to Miami the PARTY CAPITAL where we will check out the following clubs…..Crobar,Twilo,Space,and if it’s open Sound Factory….
SarahT | Jul 24, 2006 | Reply
I wonder when that 2am law will be repealed. You know it’s not a question of “if”, it’s a question of “when”. We’ve already got liquor sales in select supermarkets and convenience stores.
floor9 | Jul 25, 2006 | Reply
Sararh T,
The only thing you that you metioned that you will be able to see on that date will be Space & Twilo. Crobar is closed due to renovations, and the Soundfactory opening is pushed back to around New Years 2007. Remember that Space is Downtown Miami and not South Beach. Nocturnal is something that you have to check out as well. Located right around the corner of the new Soundfactory & TWILO, it is housed in the building of the old “Space34″. Right now Downtown Miami is where its at. And as everyone knows, Downtown Miami is the only 24 hour liquor lincese in the country. Have a good time !!!!
Big Ron J | Jul 25, 2006 | Reply
Not true - there are a couple of clubs on SoBe that have 24 hour liquor licenses. Twilo is open but the construction has not been completed - Remember that Sat night is Gay night - Check out Mansion on the beach - one of the best lounges in the country - and by far the prettiest room. Enjoy.
YvonneD | Jul 25, 2006 | Reply
—i think well see a better variety of fights arguments and verbal relationship drama outside second street at 2a—
LOL LOL :)
It really is sad to see how much drama HBG has…IMO it is because there are far, far too many unhappy people that think they are tough on top of being so darn miserable…
Dave | Jul 25, 2006 | Reply
If i can remember correctly from last years “WMC” winter music conference. We could only dance in SoBe to about 6ish.
Taking from the Miami Herald:
“Downtown Miami has recently seen a revitalization thanks in large part to numerous political arms of our City Government. Metropolis Downtown being the newest addition to what will soon become the “Entertainment District.†With 24 hr liquor licenses and parties into the afternoons, many have said Downtown Miami will soon eclipse South Beach as the place to be.”
Mynt
Mansion
Crobar
Prive
Amika
B.E.D
Nikkibeach / Pearl
Ect. Ect. Ect.
All close at 5am……How do I know? Because I closed them all out! :-)
Sarah T. if you listen to Yvonne your weekend will turn out to be a dying mess. Be responsible and check all bars, clubs and lounges closings online before you go. Thats my opinion.
WMC 2003 & 2005 :-)
Big Ron J | Jul 26, 2006 | Reply
i don’t see any change to the 2am close imminent. regionally, it’s a fairly popular time flanked by delaware’s 1am and new york’s 4am.
remember when the uk repealed any laws for clsogin pubs to curb violence when all bars let out? it hasn’t really shown much of a lessening in fights from what i understand.
cosby | Jul 26, 2006 | Reply
Big Ron - the people I wotk with managed and operated the largest club on SoBe and are still involved in the productions (WMC White Party etc) that take place in South Fla (including the upcoming Superbowl). Their club was one of the first to have a 24 hour liquor license - I think they have more knowledge than Herald reporters - agreed?
Twilo’s Phil Smith has gone full circle going back to Miami. Twilos was supposed to open July 8th - did not happen and is still not finished even though they opened their dloors last Sat. Sound Factory will open after Labor Day. Space is still Space. Guestlists and VIP lists are the only way to experience the beach and yes you need to know people to get the best out of your visit.
YvonneD | Jul 27, 2006 | Reply
Just because a club closes at 5 does not mean that it does not have a 24 hour liquor license! It just is not profitable to stay open 24 hours. You make the bulk of your money in the first few hours of operations.
Sunshine | Jul 28, 2006 | Reply
Now wait a minute you are starting to confuse me. Regardless of how messed up I was went I went to “SPACE” for the WMC. I would have recalled what biulding I walked into.
Here’s a link for you.
http://livedesignonline.com/mag/lighting_miami_vibe/index.html
Miami Vibe
Oct 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By David Barbour
Clubbing as urban renewal? Not likely, you say? Consider the case of club owner Louis Puig, who has had a big effect on Miami’s Park West neighborhood. His first club there, Space, was a pioneering act. Now comes the sequel, Space 34, which aims to be Miami’s top nightclub, South Beach be damned.
Lord Toussaint, president of Infinite Audio, the company that supplied the lighting and sound equipment to Space 34, says: “The first club, Space, operated for two years. It was a very pioneering thing; nobody had a club in that neighborhood. Park West was a commercial area in downtown Miami that was seedy and abandoned, with a lot of vacant buildings. [Puig] moved into an abandoned warehouse. The city gave him a special incentive to open there with a 24-hour liquor license. That means you can open at 11pm and pour liquor through noon the following day.†For the club’s first six months, Toussaint adds, attendance was thin, but then it picked up and Space became one of the hottest spots in town. “Everyone was doing the South Beach thing, and he had the guts to go out to Park West,†he says. “[Puig] created a district. Of course, success is often imitated. Other clubs have been tried in the area, but haven’t succeeded.â€
As the expiration date on Space’s lease drew near, Puig made plans to continue in the neighborhood, developing a building one block west of Space into a new venue called Space 34. If anything, the new venue improves on its predecessor. The 25,000 sq ft. Space 34 features an oversized dance floor with a mezzanine area for VIPs. The second-floor Terrace features two more VIP spaces, which allow views of the rising and setting of the sun, and of the Miami nightlife scene. A lounge area features a more intimate atmosphere. The house DJs include such names as Oscar G. Rowland, Radamas, and Tony Tone, along with guest appearances by Steve Lawler and Danny Tenaglia, among others. Not for nothing does the club website Cool Junkie call Space 34 “a quantum leap and club for all Miami to be proud of.â€
Infinite Audio provided the design and installation of the systems at Space 34, although Toussaint emphasizes that everything is done in close collaboration with Puig. “During the process of building the club, he becomes one of us,†says Toussaint about Puig. “He doesn’t just sit at his desk and write checks. He’s a part of the lighting design, the audio design–we come up with it together.â€
The club features more than 80 Robe units, including the new Vision 250 and Vision 575 moving-mirror units. Also, says Toussaint, “This was our debut with the Color Zoom Spots 250, a 250W moving-head, hard-edge unit, with zoom optic capability and zoom range; it’s fantastic.†He adds, “The drive for Robe products in this project came from me. We’ve had two years of experience of Robe and it’s been such a positive experience. In my opinion, they are faster than the Martin 250 fixtures, they’re more reliable, and, for the price point, they represent a fantastic value.â€
Interestingly, he says, “I look at lighting from a different perspective. I’m an audio guy, who got involved in lighting about six years ago. That gives me a fantastic advantage: I look at lighting with a fresh perspective: what will the lighting do for the clients? What’s happened in the lighting industry is what happened in audio: People concentrate on the devices; they don’t concentrate on the end results. They have a product they want to shove down the client’s throat. I think more like an owner, purely from a value standpoint. There’s more expensive product out there, with a longstanding reputation, but I look for the bang for the buck. Owners don’t care about how many gobos, lithos, color-they want to know how colorful, reliable is it, how is it perceived.â€
In the main room, the gear package include eight Color Zoom 250s, 12 Vision 575s, 12 Vision 250s, one 48†Mirrorball, and eight Diversitronics strobes, under the control of a Martin Light Jockey and a Light Stream Controls Show Designer 2D. In the lounge, the equipment includes six Vision 250s, six Color Spot 250s, four Color Wash 250s and four Diversitronics strobes, under the control of a Show Designer 2D. On the terrace, there are six Color Wash 575s and four six vision 575s, controlled by a Show Designer 2D. The club’s trussing is by Total Structures. Speaking of the main room Toussaint says, “The fixtures there are all 250W moving-mirror and moving-head units. I pushed for that because Louis has built his reputation for lighting that is not blindingly bright. He wants to run fixtures for their color, not for their sheer output. A perk of these units is that the 250W fixtures are so bright that th 575 looks like a 1200 and the 250 looks like a 575.†The control system, he adds, with its simple user interface, allows for lighting to happen “without the requirement of a programmer. At any given time, there are two to three people operating lights in the club.â€
The installation happened on a relatively fast track, as Puig wanted Space 34 to open the weekend after the original Space closed, and some sound equipment was transferred from one venue to the next. Still, says Toussaint, “Our relationship with Louis made this job possible. He’s a part of what makes the design a success. Everything is a lot smoother when you’re working with someone who’s deeply knowledgeable and committed to making it right.†Overall, he says, “the lighting rigs in the club are effective without being ostentatious or distracting. The lighting is there to augment the experience. It’s not about how many fixtures, it’s about how they’re deployed and how they become part of the theme.â€
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1425036
24 hour liquor license
(idea) by pod-x (2.6 mon) (print) ? Tue Feb 04 2003 at 9:45:05
In 1999 the Miami-Dade city council voted to allow a certain impoverished district in the Downtown area be host to approximately 10 venues with unrestricted operating hours and liquor licenses. Obtaining one was on a first-come, first-served basis, and was free as long as you provided proof of a valid business plan for a building in the area.
All ten were immediately spoken for, and work soon began on the first of the new 24 hour clubs, the now-legendary Club Space. Critics bashed the idea, citing the fact that no one would seek out entertainment in an area inhabited by degenerates and bums. In March 2000, with a heavy police presence, Club Space opened to a capacity crowd of 4000 people. The idly curious showed up, as well as media, and people sick of the upscale antics of nearby South Beach. The club was a hit, boasting a state-of-the-art EAW sound system and a Martin lighting array spread across 3 warehouses and a patio.
The critics silenced, other developers unveiled their projects, including many short-lived clubs, and a successful 24-hour strip-joint notorious for it’s VIP suites at 7 in the morning. The city was thrilled to have at least 2 successful venues in the area, providing a new tax base and an impetus to clean up the impoverished area.
Currently, Club Space operates until at least 2 PM on Saturday nights and Sundays, later when a guest DJ shows up. Goldrush, the strip club, might as well not have locks on it’s doors, as it never closes.
Big Ron J | Jul 29, 2006 | Reply
Holy hell. Thanks for the … uh … “thorough” … comment. In the future, would you mind throwing something that size into the forums? That’s why I put them in. :)
floor9 | Jul 29, 2006 | Reply