After nearly two months of avoiding the New York nightlife scene, I succumbed this past weekend to a night out on the town. I learned that Upstairs was closed (on a Friday night – odd!) so we subsequently ended up at the Eldridge, heralded as the newest, smallest, best thing since Bungalow 8.

Is it just me or are New York places shrinking?

It’s like opening those Russian dolls which always have a smaller one inside. That’s been my experience with nightlife. Each new locale gets increasingly tinier, as well as increasingly far away from Chelsea.

Having been so out of the loop, I had no idea where we were going and why what seemed like your average LES bar was being so strict at the door. Unsurprisingly this door, which Steve Lewis called "tighter than a Donald Trump pre-nup," is a point of pride. Bottle service is not required, but with the Eldridge offering cocktails from $20 - $40, bottles may seem like a bargain for the first time in your life. Continue