One of the best things about New York is that bars will continue to pour one ill-advised drink after the next until 4 a.m., enabling its residents to make regrettable decisions long after drinkers in Philly and Boston have already passed out in a shrubbery. But our reign as Most Alcohol Soaked City in America may be coming to an end. First, Bushwick's Community Board 4 is making a push to shutter bars by midnight on Sundays, and now CB 8, which covers Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, is upping the ante, trying to force new applicants to close up shop by midnight on weekdays. THAT'S not America—that's not even BOSTON.
Matthew Kimmett, an owner of the popular though long-suffering Freddy's Bar in Park Slope, hoped to open a new outpost on Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, DNAinfo reported. His plans were promptly foiled when CB 8 said it would only support his bid for a liquor license if he agreed to stop serving by midnight, an untenable arrangement for a bar that relies on the profit of those extra four hours to survive. "We cannot operate within those reduced hours," Kimmett told Community Board 8's SLA advisory committee. "I guess the nicest way to say no would be to withdraw our application."
A representative from Community Board 8 said that in general, the committee is looking to move away from 4 a.m. closing times, thanks to the massive increase in bars blanketing the area in recent years. Freddy's co-owner Donald O'Finn, who was not involved in the Prospect Heights operation, confirmed that Kimmett ultimately did decide to pull the plug on the new bar. He added that while plans for a Freddy's II are in the works, it sure won't be located in Prospect Heights.
"In my opinion, it's ridiculous," he said. "If they're having an issue with a bar, the police or Heath Department needs to make sure that’s not a problem. By law we’re supposed to be able to conduct our business." In the meantime, run, don't walk, to the closest watering hole, and exercise your right to be a drunken spectacle until the wee hours. Everything might be different by the time you wake up.
