An Evening At: The Boom Boom Room
Hello, Boom Boom Room. After several hours of pre-gaming, we were ready to make our initial trip up the elevator's to Andre Balazs' newest pleasure palace high above the High Line. Good call on our part. The beginning of the evening was a private get together for Andre and his friends and the second part of the night opened up a bit. By the time we rolled in, the initial shit show had thinned out and the Boom Boom Room was going off. Our initial reaction was pure WOW. The space is gorgeous, with a bar anchoring the center of the room and floor to ceiling windows offering patrons stunning views in every direction. While the bar is in center field, the tables ring the venue, giving the guests who occupy the soft, tan couches the opportunity to stare out into the Manhattan night.
A very cool feature are the multiple outdoor nooks and crannies. Besides the massive main terrace in the southwest corner of the 18th floor, the Boom Boom has several doors leading to smaller outdoor spaces in multiple locations, allowing patrons the chance to quickly pop outside for a smoke or to take in the night air. When we first walked outside, we were taken aback by how high in the air we really were. Hint: Very. The Boom Boom towers above the rest of the neighborhood, making places like the Gansevoort roof look like a tenement in comparison.
We made our way back inside and held court for a while, enjoying some of the 3 AM breakfast hors d'oeuvres that started making their way around the room and forcing down one final cocktail. We saw Olivier Zahm enjoying his corner table, warming the place up in advance of last night's Purple Magazine party and some old friends who had come to take part in a special night. By the time 4:00 AM, rolled around, we decided to pack it in. But we weren't going to leave without using one of the much discussed bathrooms. Let's just say that standing that high in the air and being able to see down to the ground does not make it easy to use the bathroom. We'll leave it at that.
Overall, the Boom Boom Room is a game changer in the history of New York City nightlife. We said it. Never has a space offered this level of quality in such a well designed room, smack dab in the middle of the downtown scene. But unless it's programmed correctly, the Boom Boom will quickly move from game changer status to the most amazing and boring hotel bar in New York City. The design and layout are more geared to quiet conversation rather than partying, which isn't a bad thing, but can give the place a reputation as staid. We have heard that Andre does not want his baby to turn into the next Beatrice, but we are sure that he doesn't want the next airport Hilton either. According to a Little Birdy, the Standard has reached out to some free agent heavy hitters to run the Boom Boom's door through these first six months, but no one has signed on as of yet. Whoever they get will have a lot of responsibility, and the chance to work at a venue that is special, and has the chance to be legendary. We're all pulling for that.
DBTH
Reader Comments (34)
Interesting - more excited for this venue than any I can think of offhand for some time. Zahm has been de facto endorsing it via the blog which invariably helps to give it the sort of credibility I imagine Andre would want. Here is hoping.
Thanks for the post. Now I need to get over there!
Dear DBTH,
can you offer any additional details (or at least hints?) on who those free agent heavy hitters being considered as possible door people might be?
cheers,
HM
No hints - but if the Boom Boom got them to run the room, it would be a coup.
Only a few possibilities, and they are not all free agents but people who might be interested in leaving their current gigs.
1.) Bijoux's retired Crew
2.) Binn & 1Oak, it's going downhill, especially with Avenue, 675, Griffin on top of Tenjune showing some serious game in their hood.
3.) Bungalow 8's crew
IT will be a tight- old school- DOWNTOWN - door. NO corny poser people.
NOT tenjune. 1oak, biin, his wack and corny brother at the box, or any of these cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesy model and bottle clubs. The 18th will be something entirely different and chic. sophisticated if you will. NOT TRASH (ie all the above mentioned)
@LOL - Agreed. Andre is not running a club, he has the #1 space in the City (country?) and is not turning it over to a joker with an ego. He wants it to be a sophisticated place for drinks that stays open late and has the chance to get wild, not a wild place to be overrun by C list promoters after 12 months. This isn't a $4M renovation of Lotus, its a $300M + hotel high rise that he will own until he sells the chain.
So it could be a good place for the bungalow 8 crew could come in and make it happen at the door. I heard B8 went through some serious renovations, anyone know anything about this?
WELL, I heard that Andre is already on his way out.... he's already sold his stake in the Raleigh (and Chateau Marmont, if I'm correct), and it's being said it's only a matter of time until his $$$ runs low, so his majority in The Standard will be going soon.
Glad to hear this spot is popping. Will def swing by soon.
I think he'd get Andre Saravia.
"This isn't a $4M renovation of Lotus, its a $300M + hotel high rise that he will own until he sells the chain."
Hmm, rilly? I like Andre Balazs, but that's not exactly what I heard:
http://pxthis.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=575
hm... richard wheeler ? heard he's looking for a new post...
francois from bijoux? maybe? aramis zitu alexander?
angelo bianchi of beatrice fame?
@LOL - Agreed. Andre is not running a club, he has the #1 space in the City (country?) and is not turning it over to a joker with an ego. He wants it to be a sophisticated place for drinks that stays open late and has the chance to get wild, not a wild place to be overrun by C list promoters after 12 months. This isn't a $4M renovation of Lotus, its a $300M + hotel high rise that he will own until he sells the chain.
September 14, 2009 at 03:15PM | DBTH
Finally!
Any reason to think the door and crowd would not be analagous to Rose during it's earlier days (not to say it has fallen off terribly, simply by means of comparison)?
By the time we rolled in, the initial shit show had thinned out and the Boom Boom Room was going off.
Yeah, cause you are not SHIT show. The place was just waiting for Abby, Steve and the rest of the bloggers to show up for the REAL party to begin.. This site is fun to read, but you are so full of yourself.
Just as a reminder YOU ARE THE SHIT SHOW!!!
Boom Boom Room?? very original, has anyone ever seen Boogie Nights?!?!
boom boom room= hotel rivington= above allen= 230 fifth= empire hotel= hudson terrace= high bar= wackkkkk
yeaa scott~!!!! IT WILL CHANGE NEW YORK CITY NIGHTLIFE FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!
When Rose Bar opened and had the Marc Jacobs after party in Sept 2006, it had the best room I had seen in my life; The Boom Boom Room had, with the exception of having Lindsey Lohan there, (Ian had banned Lohan and Paris in a brilliant PR move) an even better crowd. I was extremely impressed by the room, the people, the views. It was an amazing night; chances of that happening again? slim to none. These launches that occur during fashion week benefit greatly because everyone is in town; I wish Andre well, as he is a class act, and I will enjoy the space while it last; but as Rose Bar showed EVERYONE, nothing in this town has ANY staying power. We are fickle, us New Yorkers (especially those of us that are TRULY New Yorkers; not from some fly over state like Nebraska) and there hasn't been a club/venue that ever lasted more than 2 years without falling off and having loser promoters come in like a vampire squid sucking the life out of a place.
Love you dave c! nearly choked when I read that. The part about blog boy "holding court" was even funnier. Andre is the city's #1 closetcase douche and this place's days are numbered. his crew couldn't run a Wendy's. It can't be super-exclusive AND make money. Simple facts: bungalow never made a dime and Andre needs cash ... FAST. so what's he gonna do? his ego might want b8 ... but his creditors want CASH. just look at the shitshow going on downstairs!!
@ Mike D... You are 1000% right; you can't be super exclusive and make money...
agreed.. they shouldnt be super exclusive, but they should be selective (like studio 54 was) there was a doorman who would hand pick the crowd.. and thats what made it the best club
idiots/nightlife dbags - there will be no bin, or anyone like that running the door or having any involvement. i know first hand that andre from le baron and paul have unofficially been involved and they are not letting that happen. the people in house are smart older new yorkers who know what they are doing.
and just because you are not from NYC doesn't mean youre not a ny'er. if you've lived here for 10 years i think you're just as much as anyone.
cash money- I agree old school NY was more about being unique, bringing something more to the party than bottle service bullshit and look how much i could throw down to get intio this club. Thats why these places nowadays have runs for 8 months to a year before the real crowd has moved on to let the B&T vultures get the last of whats left. Look at the runs all the old school clubs had Tunnel, Studio, Vynl, etc.. years and years! Heres to old NY!! im a 29 year vet to this city.. Adn thats why this parties gonna be good, cause theye looking for a different type of patron.
cash money- if you lived in china for ten years would you then say your are Chinese and not American you genius? Your logic, very typical of interlopers, makes no sense. If you have been here for the last ten years, the only 'decent' club you saw was.... oh that's right, there hasn't been one without bottle service.... (Life closed in 1999)
comparing another nationality to that of being native to another locale is blasphemy.
my family has been in ny for 100 years actually dick head. but you're just an ignorant person so what is the point in arguing with you?
cash money- when one's point is so fragile, he/she must resort to the 2nd grade and begin the name calling. You are a class act, the definition of ignorance is the state in which one lacks knowledge, is unaware of something or chooses to subjectively ignore information & you were very kind to oblige all of us with a very good example of it.
@was there at the beginning; While I agree with many of your points, I don't see how someone who has lived and gone out in NYC for 10 years in any less a New Yorker than someone who has been going out here for 20 (particularly when, as far as nightlife is concerned, the vast majority of people who have been going out in this city haven't been doing so for nearly that long).
The China analogy does not work - on one hand you have ethnicity and on the other you have place of residence. Insofar as ethnicity, sure, I agree, it would be inaccurate to deign oneself Chinese for living there. That is genetics. However, if someone had lived in Shanghai for 10 years (or 20 years, or whatever substantial length assuming the city was now your primary residence and had been for some time), and someone subsequently asked you where you were from whilst traveling, I think someone would be entirely justified in saying Shanghai (or China), as opposed to wherever you were born many years before that.
While I certainly appreciate the disdain toward many of the out of towners (as it is often justified), the whole "I am more NY than thou..." story has become pase.
Uncle Stevie broke the news in his blog that the free agents being mentioned as running the joint are none other than Nur Khan and Paul Sevigny .... that would be a coup if actually true ... and yes, much better choices than a lot of the other nightlife low lifes being lampooned on this thread
Keep up the good work!
saw jamie mulholland and a lot of corporate cain people at avenue & 1oak last night...
@Hmm - Steve never spoke to Nur or Paul about this, so his "news" came as a surprise to them.
new or old the boom boom room is a fresh new place that is a lot of fun, take it easy.....
dont hate the players, hate they game. talk shit about binn and his brother all day/night but a "little birdie" told me that they both make four figures a night and have the a-list on bbm so put them in any room and they will murder it (in a good way haha)
The one running the door for BBR is none other than Stephane who used to run Submercer and before that La Esquina and before that Cielo.