New York is a little quieter this morning, probably because everyone is recovering from the blowout party that heralded-slash-mourned the closure of Lower East Side institution Max Fish, which is shutting its doors after more than two decades because of high rents (what else?) before a move to Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg. Jeremiah's Vanishing New York has a detailed history of Ludlow Street and its gentrification (and subsequent so-called hypergentrification), while Bowery Boogie was left somewhat speechless, publishing a photo gallery of its rager of a swan song. The News, naturally, cornered the celebrities who came out to say good-bye to one of their old haunts, including Moby and former Scissor Sisters drummer Patrick "Paddy Boom" Seacor. Even a publication as staid as the Journal paid an homage.
"I've had some crazy dirty ass triple-X-rated things happen down there that I can't repeat... That bar and that basement were quintessential downtown?funky and gritty with a lot of character... It wasn't the party mall it is today." ?Former Scissor Sisters drummer Patrick "Paddy Boom" Seacor via NYDN
"In 1989, our neighbors were all artists and musicians?it was perfect... It changed when we started to see all our neighbors disappearing." ?Owner Ulli Rimkus via WSJ
"That all changed in the 2000s?the tipping point for much of the city. Ludlow and the area around it catapulted into supermodel central with a major luxury building boom. Hotel and condo towers ripped into the air. The chain stores came. The frat bars. The noise. The evictions and demolitions. The rents went through the roof. ... Like the Bowery, Bleecker, the Meatpacking District, everything along the High Line, and many other areas, Ludlow Street is being decimated by an unstoppable force, massive and moving at warp speed, created not by struggling artists, but by politicians and developers." ?Jeremiah's Vanishing New York
"The popular skater bar is now just another vacant real estate opportunity for some carpetbagger gambling on the hotel next door. Our morning-after stupor won't make us vomit, but this closure certainly does." ?Bowery Boogie
· Maxed Out: Lower East Side Staple Shutters [WSJ]
· The Final Night at Max Fish on Ludlow [Bowery Boogie]
· Max Fish & Ludlow: Vanished [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]
· Stars like Moby mourn as beloved Ludlow St. bar Max Fish moves across the river to Brooklyn [NYDN]
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