Crown Heights landmark and Brooklyn’s oldest gay bar, Starlite Lounge, may be forced to close its doors after the sale of the building it has rented since the 1960s. Located on the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Bergen Street, Starlite, which may also be the city’s first black-owned gay bar, could be evicted as the new owner wants the building to be delivered empty. Gothamist had this to say:

The Starlite Lounge has been a Crown Heights fixture since the 1960s, serving gays and non-gays. In recent years, the venue has become a destination for neighborhood folks looking for a casual daytime hangout, as well as revelers who frequent the dance parties and karaoke nights, according to [Starlite manager Tim] Leviticus.

A comment on the Gothamist’s post took the words right out of my mouth:

where are all the downlow bros suppose to go

Exactly! They definitely won’t be showing up at Sugarland any time soon. But I digress. A poster on the Brooklynian message boards wrote that the landmark has three months left, while another mentioned that those concerned can sign a petition at the bar (1084 Bergen Street) or send a letter of support to thestarlite@gmail.com. I’ll certainly be visiting this piece of history this week.

I’ve been living in Brooklyn for just over five months now - first in Ditmas Park, now in Crown Heights. The transition from cozy Brown University in Providence to New York hasn’t always been easy. I still have a lot to learn. But I have learned one important lesson since arriving in June: New Yorkers are an open book. Carrie Bradshaw was right about them: New Yorkers are always looking for a new apartment, a new job, or a new boyfriend. (I’m looking for the latter two.)