That’s weird. Bar 13, which has been at the corner of University and 13th for more than 20 years, has been reborn as Cheers NYC, which is a non-alcoholic bar. Mocktails only. Go figure. Seems it’s true the kids are drinking less these days.
Here’s a fascinating history of our very close neighbor.
Have a browse through Idlewild Books, on West 19th St. just west of 5th Ave. on the south side of the street. This travel specialist arranges all its books, no matter what kind they are–fiction, essay, guide–by location, so that E.B. White’s “Here Is New York” is right next to “Fodor’s New York.” It’s a novel idea that makes for great browsing. This is one of the city’s most pleasant independent bookstores. Good luck to them.
On October 26, the owners of the upcoming Reyna restaurant, which is taking over the Le Midi space on 13th St., held an introductory Zoom call. Attendance was sparse, but it was interesting to hear their plans and to have the chance to voice concerns pre-emptively.
The restaurant will likely be open until 11 on weekdays and midnight on weekends. It is meant to be an upscale drinking/dining experience, not a noisy bar. They will also be using the Karaoke Cave space as a site for “French Karaoke” as well as sort of a holding space for people who may be waiting for a table (a problem Le Midi certainly never had).
They also plan to build a street-side dining shed, most of which will occupy the space now being used by Corkbuzz.
In general, they seemed quite eager to hear about any issues that nervous neighbors like us might have ahead of time, rather than deal with our anger later. They hope to open in the March/April time frame.
You can get an idea of what Reyna will be like by visiting the Web site for their two locations in Toronto: www.barreyna.com
If you have any questions, you can contact them directly:
Nicki at nicki@barreyna.com
Etienne at 646-421-4242.
Check out Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, a new shop on 11th between University and Broadway that’s devoted to all things baseball.
It’s been a while, but our site is up and running again, and we hope to make it fun and informative.
Soon to arrive on East 13th. St. in the former Blick Art Space is HGL Art. Here’s how they explain themselves:
“HGL ART provides support for parents/guardians by having children explore the World Art School through a fully immersive bilingual art curriculum focusing on the arts, dance, and music. The program is designed to alleviate the stress of finding courses or activities that provide both safety and a strong foundation for education and creativity. We know that every parent and child’s breaks and schedule vary which is why we offer semesterly admission for the courses and accompanied sessions for the weekend activities to accommodate whatever format works best.”
