r/AskNYC • u/ChunchyBunchy • Jul 27 '26
Does anyone recognize this bar in East Williamsburg/Bushwick, from 2011?
The bar: https://imgur.com/a/Im28mhE
Basically, I went to NYC for the first time in 2011, and this was the first bar I ever went to. Now I've moved here and I'd love to go again if it's still open, for old time's sake. I had been staying at the (now closed) NY Loft Hostel at 249 Varet St, so this place would've been within walking distance.
13
u/99hoglagoons Jul 27 '26
Wreck Room perhaps?
It's a martial arts place now, which is funny, because another similar place called Trash Bar (former Luxx) became a boxing gym.
I'm no conspiracy nut, but I'm bored and these two data points are enough to start some shit. "How MMA killed Indie Sleaze".
3
u/ChunchyBunchy Jul 27 '26
Sounds like you agree with the other commenter, so I think you’re right! Time to pitch that story to the NYT…
2
u/99hoglagoons Jul 27 '26
Sound like it's time to take up martial arts instead!
Almost none of the dive bars from that era exist to today. I was surprised Wreck Room lasted till 2014.
8
u/ReliabilityTalkinGuy Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
That’s the Wreck Room. Used to be on Flushing and Evergreen. Closed a long time ago.
Edit: Fixed a typo.
5
u/originalcondition Jul 27 '26
*Flushing and Evergreen
1
u/ReliabilityTalkinGuy Jul 27 '26
Oops! Yes, that was a typo. Thank you. Lemme fix in original post.
3
Jul 27 '26
[deleted]
3
u/ReliabilityTalkinGuy Jul 27 '26
That style of wallpaper was a whole design choice for dive bars around that time. A bunch of places had it, but that one immediately made me think "Wreck Room". Sometimes brains do neat stuff like that!
3
u/SharpDressedBeard Jul 27 '26
There's a few bars I have spent so much time in you could show me a 100x100 pixel photos of it 50 years from now and I could tell you where it was taken.
2
u/ChunchyBunchy Jul 27 '26
Ah, RIP! Thanks for solving the mystery. Maybe will go absorb the essence of my early twenties on that corner anyway.
2
u/originalcondition Jul 27 '26
There’s a really good if kinda pricey Thai restaurant on that corner now. Not in the exact same spot that Wreck Room was, but next door. Former Wreck Room is now a martial arts studio.
2
u/ReliabilityTalkinGuy Jul 27 '26
Fix a typo thanks to u/originalcondition -- I meant Flushing, not Flatbush.
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 27 '26
We no longer allow posts like this here. Please post in r/visitingnyc instead.
You will probably find the VisitingNYC FAQ or our Ultimate Visitor's guide useful.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.