New York nightlife is back.
Pumps, the East Williamsburg topless bar known for its strong drinks and lack of cover charge, announced it will fully reopen on July 1. The bar will return to its pre-pandemic hours: 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Monday through Friday and 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Saturday.
“The entire staff is super excited and looking forward to the city reopening back to 100 percent,” said Andy, the Brooklyn native who opened Pumps at 1089 Grand St. in 1997.
In previous conversations with Andy, he made it clear that Pumps, a blue-collar joint, is and always will remain separate from the expensive and upscale “Gentlemen’s Clubs” found in Manhattan. The Brooklyn staple has lived for 24 years and survived a global pandemic. Still, over all of that time, little has changed, and Andy plans to keep it that way.
“As far as changes go, Pumps will remain Pumps,” said Andy. “Part of the beauty is, the dancers may change, but the place never changes. As of July 1st, when Pumps reopens, all of our pricing will remain the same.”
This news comes as COVID-19 restrictions continue to be lifted across New York City and the entire state. Last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo did away with mask and social distancing guidelines for vaccinated people and lifted many indoor and outdoor capacity restrictions. And on June 15, when the state hit a 70 percent single-dose vaccination rate for residents over the age of 18, Cuomo lifted almost all of the remaining restrictions.
“Today New York State reached our goal of 70% adult vaccination,” Cuomo Tweeted. “That means we can return to life as we know it. Effective immediately, state-mandated COVID restrictions are lifted across commercial and social settings.”
Top image photo credit: Pumps.
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