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Did NYC's culture shift this year? The openings, closings, uncertain futures in 2024.
By
Emily Nadal
Published Dec 30, 2024
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Photo credit: Daniel Krieger
By
Emily Nadal
Published Dec 30, 2024
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In a city as vibrant as New York, restaurants, bars, stores, exhibits arrive constantly – and also disappear just as quickly. This year, we covered several enchanting new openings, big cultural closings and a few places wrestling with the in-between.
Here’s a look back at how New York City’s cultural landscape changed in 2024.
What opened
- Ha’s Đặc Biệt spent six years as one of the city’s most popular roving pop-ups. This year, the Vietnamese eatery finally opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant on the Lower East Side.
- After years of drama, disputes, lawsuits and bankruptcy, celebrity chef Chloe Coscarelli brought her vegan restaurant By Chloe back to Greenwich Village.
- Lundy’s, an iconic seafood restaurant in Brooklyn, also made a comeback after 17 years “with the same menu and the same concept on a different waterfront.”
- A Depop reseller who made headlines early in the pandemic for her success on the shopping platform opened a shop called iGirl in the East Village.
- Eli Escobar, an NYC nightlife legend, started a new venture this year with his own nightclub, Gabriela, in North Williamsburg.
- Beloved Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung opened a New York City location over the summer after much anticipation from fans.
What closed
The Subway Inn at its current 1154 2nd Avenue location on July 6, 2024
- The late-night, self-described “gringo-mex” taco spot San Loco closed its Stanton Street location on the Lower East Side after 22 years of business.
- Popular Greenpoint metal bar Saint Vitus closed for good in August after officials initially shut the venue down in February.
- Boris & Horton, a beloved dog-friendly cafe, shut down all three of their locations in New York City this year.
- An art exhibit that caused a stir in New York City this year was a mystery show by artist Doug Wheeler at the David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea that had a four-hour wait time.
- Earlier this month, the health department shut down Absolute Bagels on the Upper West Side because of a lengthy list of violations much to the surprise of loyal customers.
- After 87 years in business, Upper East Side bar Subway Inn had its last call on Saturday.
- After 16 years in Carroll Gardens, the much loved Court Street corner bistro Buttermilk Channel is closing at the end of the month.
Uncertain futures
“Portal,” which provides a real-time video link between Manhattan and Dublin, Ireland, is back online with some modifications.
- New Yorkers had a lot of (sometimes inappropriate) fun with the Portal art exhibit in 2024. And while the installation left the city in September, it isn’t gone for good.
- East Village dive bar Lucy’s could be reopening after a rent increase forced the owner to close down in February.
- What’s next for Desert Island, a comic book shop for offbeat, independent and small-press fare, is still unclear as the shop navigates the possibility of losing its long-standing location in Williamsburg.
- +POOL, a floating pool planned for the East River, has been in the works for a decade, and the project’s backers said a smaller test version of the pool will open in summer 2025, despite some setbacks.
- Few places have felt such uncertainty this year as the Elizabeth Street Garden which was facing eviction in October but is now allowed to stay open until at least February 2025 as a legal battle with the city continues to play out.
Tagged
food
culture
new york city
manhattan
brooklyn
restaurants
Emily Nadal
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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