Soho and Tribeca

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Lester Bang's Flat (542 Sixth Avenue)
Lester Bangs was a rock writer who championed the so-called trash aesthetic and bands like the Stooges and New York Dolls half a decade before punk rock finally put his theories into action. He moved to New York in the mid 70s, and lived in this three room apartment on the fifth floor. Bangs died in 1982.

The Knitting Factory (74 Leonard Street)
The Knitting Factory is one of the best-known avant-garde music venues in New York. The club was opened in 1987 as an art gallery/coffee shop, but the shortage of venues for unsigned bands (which was an ongoing problem in New York’s 70s and 80s “alternative” music scene) encouraged the club owners to start booking all kinds of strange musicians, most notably the abrasive jazz terrorist John Zorn.

Mudd Club (77 White Street)
This tiny 70s punk club achieved 3 minutes of fame via a mention in the Talking Heads song Life During Wartime.

Tribeca Grill (375 Greenwich St)
The Grill is (was?) owned by Robert De Niro. His customers often include a light sprinkling of film celebrities. Upstairs from the grill, is the Tribeca Film Centre, a production company jointly owned by De Niro

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