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CV's clientele and decor, respectively. PIx by Puja Patel.

​I was admittedly disappointed when I heard that 105 Riv was mysteriously closing down for "renovations" a few months ago--the bar had become a favorite during my early days in NYC. That doesn't make very much sense, considering how broke I was from my big move to the big city, but I didn't know much about the Lower East Side and was generally content to go wherever my favorite DJs were. Soon, my typical Wednesday night consisted of a swing by Pianos (for Sammy Bananas & Skinny Friedman's hip-hop night) and a pit stop at Happy Endings (Ninjasonik's dance party) before ending up at Cosmo Baker & Eli Escobar's "BANG!" party at none other than 105 Riv. It was one of those places with a décor more pretentious than the patrons (which is meant to be a compliment), foreign bartenders willing to make your drink a little too stiff, and a commendable roster of DJs in an incredibly intimate setting. The last time I visited was when DJ AM played at BANG!--I spent six hours there that night, mostly dancing and thinking about how amazingly talented and so-fucking-cool the guy was.

My point here is that, as of Thursday, 105 Riv is back. Well, kind of.

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