Stay: The East Village is never going to be mistaken for West Chelsea, and that’s why places like Tribe, Plan B, Niagara, and Abaya, which successfully occupied this space for a while, tend to go over well in these parts. The multicultural crowd that doesn’t do ropes or cover charges will be splitting their time between the aforementioned spots and Stay. A long wall of padded banquettes stretches from front bar to back bar in this rather long space, where house and hip-hop say “dance,” but the vibe and (the city’s archaic cabaret laws) fittingly say “sit…stay…good lounger.” Thanks to funky, geometrically clever furniture and linear minimalism, there’s a bit of a 2001 vibe to this simultaneously futuristic and retro spot—and we mean the movie and the year. |
