Thursday, March 25, 2010

Goodbye Freddy's?


Freddy's is a great dive bar, situated on the corner of Dean St. and 6th Ave in the Atlantic/Flatbush area of Brooklyn. Donald O'Finn, the proprietor, runs the place like a small-town juke joint, with cluttered artwork in every corner and his own edited tv mayhem video installations causing chaos on the screen above the bar. I've always had a good time there, although the last time the music on the juke box was a bit too loud to talk over.

The place has been eminently domained and will eventually be evicted due to Bruce Ratner wanting to turn the corner into luxury housing. Apparently, Bloomberg and Co. think this is what the neighborhood needs and is tearing down block after block since the Atlantic Yards themselves didn't seem like enough space for rich people. There will also be a gigantic basketball stadium for a New Jersey team. Strange days.

No one knows when Freddy's last days will be, so I went on one of the last cold nights of winter to celebrate my fondness for the place with a few friends. Before hand, I stopped by another fave rave in the hood; Re-Pop. This hodge-podge little store is run by great people and is a fun place to pick up decorative furnishings for your apt, but it's also a great place to hang out and meet new folks on their first Fridays, which they host most months.

All in all, it was a good Friday night.

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