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February 4, 2011
Inside the new Freddy’s Bar!
The Brooklyn Paper
You can kick the bar out of the Atlantic Yards footprint, but you can't take the Atlantic Yards fight out of the bar.
It was almost like Freddy’s.
The Prohibition-era tavern that was torn down last year to make room for Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project reopened in a new space in the South Slope on Thursday night, one day before the public grand opening.
Friends of the doomed bar, which lost its battle against the use of eminent domain, flocked to former bartender Donald O’Finn’s new joint near 17th Street — about two miles away from the old haunt, yet seemingly so close.
This version of Freddy’s has the same bar, a lot of the same barflies, and O’Finn’s wacky video loops. He’s now a co-owner.
...Christening the new venue were longtime fans, including Atlantic Yards activist Steve de Seve; and country music legend Andy Friedman, who spent many a night playing in Freddy’s Backroom (and singing a song about the bar’s demise).
“The original was great, but I’m looking forward to coming here and playing a lot,” said Friedman.
The official opening is tonight.
Freddy’s Bar [627 Fifth Ave. between 17th and 18th streets in Park Slope, (718) 768-8131].
Posted by eric at February 4, 2011 10:01 AM