« 10 years in the making, Newark banking on arena to restore image | Main | Real Estate Round-Up: October 24, 2007 »
October 25, 2007
Best of NY: DIVE
FREDDY'S BAR & BACKROOM
amNY
Dive
Freddy's Bar & Backroom 485 Dean St., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; 718-622-7035This popular dive has a fun, kitschy-creepy decor (imagine Ed Wood opened up a bar) and cheap drinks. Plus, the bartenders are good at buybacks. The main draw of this friendly, neighborhood bar, however, is the back room, which on any given night might feature live music, an alcoholic stitch-and-bitch, a game night, a spelling bee or a blue grass/country showdown. Basically, you never know -- unless, of course, you check out their monthly events calendar online (www.freddysbackroom.com).
NoLandGrab: There's no mention that Freddy's Bar and Backroom is fighting for its existence because, if Bruce Ratner had his way, and according to the official construction schedule, one of the best bars in NYC would already have been demolished to make way for the Atlantic Yards arena and high-rise complex.
Photos on flickr give viewers a glimpse of what's going on at Freddy's these days.
Freddy's has already been recognized by Esquire Magazine* as one of the Best Bars in America.*
For nearly four years, Freddy's has been the unofficial clubhouse for the fight against Ratner's Atlantic Yards megaproject. The bar no longer carries Brooklyn Lager, after the brewery-owner-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken came out in favor of Ratner's plan to replace Freddy's, a loyal customer, with an arena.
The Backroom at Freddy's is a hub of local arts and culture, playing host to live music, art shows, spelling bees and the world-famous cringe reading night.
In a move that's very creepy, even for an overdeveloper, Ratner keeps tabs on the Freddy's block through the surveillance cameras installed over the bar's awning.
Posted by lumi at October 25, 2007 7:17 AM