Bye Bye Passerby

Passerby was one of those bars that made me love New York City. Owned by Gavin Brown of Gavin Brown Enterprises gallery on the southern edge of Greenwich Village , the entire place breathed art, from good to bad. The floor was amazing, an art installation by Piotr Uklanski that lit up like Saturday Night Fever, and also made everyone in there look better than ever in the warm, glowing light. Ugh, the absence of places like this is making me depressed.

Down the street from Phillips de Pury and across the street from Chelsea Market, Passerby was a bar you could hang out in after getting yelled at by your gallery owner all day, down some fairly cheap booze (for the Chelsea/Meatpacking area) and dance your heart out on the world’s smallest dance floor. It was a mix of art world minions, artists, scumbags, models, students from F.I.T., corporate dorks and famous people hiding in the ambient glow- aka what New York should be.

If you’re reading this, can you PLEASE bring the fun back to New York and open another bar like this? Thanks.

What: Site of Passerby Bar

Who: Gavin Brown

Where: 436 West 15th Street, 10011