Downtown has also witnessed an explosion of underground parties, which now pose competition as bars return. I just wish that we’d been seen as a valuable asset.” Eason says the bar has received little aid in clsoing off streets and sidewalks for outdoor tables, as has happened in other areas of the city. “There’s been a lot of quiet down here during the shutdown,” says co-owner Brian McIntire, as general manager James Eason adds, “I look at similar people in WeHo, and they’ve been working really closely with the city, which has been great for them, but it’s been hard to watch. Precinct, one of the most popular DTLA clubs, will reopen for the first time since the start of the pandemic June 17, after months of surviving on community fundraisers. “Especially when you’re in a category of citizens who are slightly marginalized and, especially in some other states, being really horribly treated.”Īnd while many bars have been able to reopen to some degree in recent weeks, taking over parking lots and sidewalks, downtown L.A.’s nightlife scene has struggled to pivot because of limited outdoor options. “One can Zoom and have a cocktail for the rest of their lives now that we all know how it works, but nothing can replace face-to-face,” says Akbar co-owner Scott Craig. Since then, the bar has begun outdoor service with Akbar Al Fresco and has events set throughout June, including a Pride celebration June 13. Silver Lake’s Akbar is a nightlife favorite that was brought back from the edge during the pandemic, after a GoFundMe launched in December raised more than $200,000 to help it stay afloat. “There are some new exciting bars that will be opening.” But, as COVID-19’s threat lessens, several of those shuttered bars have announced plans to reopen in new spaces, and where “before it used to be ‘For Lease’ sign, ‘For Lease’ sign, ‘For Lease’ sign, now you can’t find anything, they’re all taken up,” says Cooley. has been without a lesbian bar in the entire county since Van Nuys’ Oxwood Inn closed in 2017. Flaming Saddles, Gold Coast, Rage and Gym Bar were all victims of the pandemic (plus Studio City’s Oil Can Harry’s), leaving WeHo’s Santa Monica Boulevard strip without some of its signature clubs. When patrons do return to West Hollywood this Pride month, though, it will look quite different from years past. “People want to burn their mask and hear our DJs and start dancing and looking at our go-go girls and go-go guys.
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