Littlefield
Last night, my friend and I caught a comedy show/story reading at Littlefield in Gowanus. The show was incredible. Smart, clever, innovative, and entertaining. The venue, though, lacked. I showed up early to sit at the bar, have a glass of wine, and wait for my friend. I walked in around 6:20 and started getting situated on a bar stool. A woman at the bar asked me if I was performing. I laughed and said, no, just watching. She told me that doors don’t open until 7:30 and I said ok and proceeded to sit down. She kind of cleared her throat and I said, oh, these doors?! and pointed to the front door of the building. Yes, she said. Not even to have a glass of wine?, I said. No, she said. I started to gather my things and head out then realized that I didn’t want to trek too far to hang out for a bit before the show so I turned back and asked if there was anywhere close by where I could grab a drink. The bartender recommended Sheep Station, which was surprisingly lovely. Maybe that for another post. Anyway, a little after 7pm, my friend and I returned to Littlefield to find the front/bar area full of a mess of people, most drinking, with no clear line or organization. All of a sudden the theater doors opened and there was a mad rush for the chairs of which there were not enough to hold everyone. People ended up standing and sitting around the edges. We were lucky to get pretty good seats because we were milling around close to the doors before they opened.
I have been to Littlefield twice before for drinks and it was great. It’s a great space, pretty, clean, good art, etc. I wanted to go to their events and support what I thought was a great venue in the neighborhood. A nice alternative to Bell House. So I got on their email listserve, but until last night, haven’t been able to find an event I was interested in attending. And then they seemed to have had a rough time pulling last night’s event off so I’m wondering if this is why they don’t seem too popular, despite the lack of good alternatives in the area.
