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So this is the sight I came home to this evening…
This is the same bar in my building that recently reopened after having been closed for years… the same bar that caught on fire in the middle of the night and sent all of us outside clutching our most treasured possessions. And the same bar that promised they would be serving tapas and be a “family style” place. Bullshit. It’s a cheap drinks bar and they reopened (again) this week, after doing repairs from the fire.
Well, I’m not having it. Don’t get me wrong. I used to love the “hum of humanity” sound from all the tapas bars on my old street, and even found it comforting. Listening to people chatting and enjoying good food and conversation. But those bars all closed by midnight and the bar owners made sure they cleaned the outside areas. Trust me, the sound of young hipster types drinking to excess is not pleasant, and the mess they leave behind is appalling.
This bar owner also has the sleazy after-hours bar just down the street, which is so tiny that everyone ends up taking their drinks outside, mostly under my bedroom window – from 6 to 9am! – which is irksome beyond belief. It’s not been too unbearable up till now as I’ve had the double-glazed windows closed. But basically, I’ve had enough. I’ve spoken to the bar owner and clearly nothing is going to be done as all he seems to be able to say in his defense is that he has a licence.
I happen to know that he does not have a licence to make noise all night and disturb the neighbours so I am starting to organise the neighbourhood to sign a petition and take it to city hall. Enough!
casa azahar 
I salute you and I hope you actually get support from neighbors.
One of the reasons I hate the whole human race, most days, is the attitude people have towards their fellows who just want peace and quiet. (Apparently, if you don’t like the sounds of drunk people partying and puking and boom-boom bass-boosted music intruding into the space you pay to occupy, at all hours, you just need to “get a life.” )
I have actually called police about noisy parties and had the police officer suggest that I should cut the assholes some slack because it’s somebody’s birthday.
I hope you have better luck. It’s someone’s birthday every day, but we all need a night’s sleep and a day’s tranquility.
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We used to get the same thing in New York after a bar nominally owned by Tito Puentes opened right across the street. I doubt very much he was anything more than a name on the sign and I doubt he knew the sort of “music” they were playing in there. Of course, because people knew that it was named after Tito Puentes, it drew huge crowds who hoped that they would spot him at “his” bar. Basically, it sold crappy food and catered to loud partiers. Whenever it was someone’s birthday or anniversary, the wait staff would haul out huge bongo drums at whatever hour they pleased and would start hammering them in a vaguely “Salsa” tempo and holler “Happy Birthday to you!”, even at 2 am. We’d call the place and the management would “promise” to tell the staff not to make noise after 11…. and it would happen over and over.
The patrons of the restaurant next door (open until 4 on Friday and Saturday night) who would sit out and listen to their car stereos while waiting for their take-out food, and who would apologise and turn their music down if you pointed out that they were disturbing you. The patrons across the street were universally rude and obnoxious. One particular night, there was a woman sprawling all over a car parked outside Tito Puentes’ and setting off the car alarm. I went over and asked if she cold refrain from setting the alarm of and she started yelling at me (while doing that head/finger waggle thing that certain people do) “Don’ you be tellin’ me whadda do, Biatch”. Turned out it wasn’t her car or the car of anyone she knew. After about 20 minutes, her friends showed up and she left.
The place closed down apparently. Unfortunately, not until AFTER we moved. Even though they closed earlier than the place next door, they were MUCH louder and more annoying.
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Good luck sweetie! I really hope you’ll get him to close!
Love,
Caroline
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Well, I’m not trying to close him down, just get him to abide by The Law. Most bars can stay open til 3am but they can’t have people outside. As for his after-hours bar, I’m quite sure he doesn’t have a licence for it, and as there is only room for about five people inside it is clearly intended that everyone would go outside to drink. NOT legal.
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Good luck!
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Well, I knew there was going to be a noise problem when I took the place because there are a whole whack of student-cheap-beer bars around the corner. But the real noise problem has turned out to be the sleazy after-hours bar, and now, this new bar in my building.
If it were actually a tapas bar and closed at a reasonable hour then I would have no problem with it at all. Anyhow, I happen to know that all bars with terraces are required to close up by 1am, or at least move their clientelle inside.
Have already spoken to my next door neighbour, whose balconies are directly above this new bar. They hate it but said they wanted to try talking to the owner first, then if that didn’t work they would be happy to sign a petition.
Paso a paso…
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All too often people just let these things ride, getting more and more miserable. You’ll possibly find a lot of your neighbours will jump at the chance to sign and let you get on with it. You go, girl!
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Might be an idea to take a video of it too, showing the time clearly.
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Good luck – one person’s “enjoyment” can so easliy be someone else’s nuisance noise. I know this only too well.
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My nearest neighbour has an outside light which he left on all night. It kept me awake. I complained. He switched it off. But then he forgot, and left it on again. This went on for 15 years. Sometimes it would be left on all day too, for days at a time.
One night something happened to the light and the police knocked on my door at midnight asking if I had seen anything. Of course I hadn’t. He replaced the light with another one. It was almost identical. That was 6 months ago, and thankfully he has remembered to switch it off every night so far, before midnight. Just shows what patience cannot achieve.
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Good luck with the petition, az. I hope you’ll find your neighbours supportive.
TRiG.
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