Basically, Andre Balzas and Co. decided that they didn't want to deal with a bunch of leather-clad gays walking up and down the street in front of their hotel, because, well, it'd inconvenience their business. And after Robert Valin, executive director of the West Village Leather and Bear Street Fair, got "unanimous approval" from the neighborhood's community board, the city decided to shut it down, anyway. Via The Villager:

...The Mayor's Office recently informed them that W. 13th St. was "not an option," because the Standard Hotel doesn't want the festival there...Valin said the Standard doesn't feel the flagellation-friendly fest "fits the image of the hotel"; yet the leather group isn't passing judgment on, and in fact supports, the hotel's policy of "having sex in the windows - which is cool, which is fine with me, which I think is great," Valin said. Meanwhile, the Mayor's Office is treating the leather event quite roughly - some might even say, sadistically. "They're putting us on streets that are totally invisible," Valin complained, "but this is about visibility for the leather community."

Talk about putting the Balz in Balzas: The Standard's been doing nothing but riding the wave of publicity of their "let it all hang out" publicity of their guests flashing New York. And here we thought New York was getting gritty again. Wrong.

Meanwhile, if you do want to get freaky in the Meatpacking District, you can always shell out for a room: they start at $320, and end at the integrity of a once fun city whose culture wasn't being undermined by corporate interests. The Meatpacking District remains unchanged.

See you in hell.

[via Cityfile; photo by Nikola Tamindzic/Home of the Vain]

Certain retail real estate brokers working on behalf of Florent's landlord, the Gottleib Family (who own a great deal of the West Village and the Meatpacking District), are quietly shopping the Florent space at 69 Gansevoort Street. More than one restaurant owner has been contacted with the offer: ground floor, second floor, backyard and roof garden, for between $150 and $300 a square foot. (Sidebar: there's a roof garden and second floor?)

Update: A commenter points out that perhaps the building is not controlled by the Gottleib's. Rather it's owned by the descendants of R&L, a coffee shop that first occupied the space. Possible, this, but let's be clear: there is a broker shopping the property for whomever the current owner is.

"Hello? Who is this? It's six in the morning."

"Sorry, molestiemouth, am I waking you up?"

"Well, no. I'm actually on the way to the gym and having breakfast."

"Jim is such a d class name... but hey, I'm eating too."

"Nice. Nothing starts my day like a protein bar."

"And nothing ends mine like moules frites at Florent."

"Ends yours? Dude, it's Wednesday morning."

"Which means I've been getting cracky at the Jackie Factory. You know, Johnny and Chi Chi's party down in the Meatpacking District? Anyway, we were all having a blast. The dress code was 'Klingon Women,' but I just went in a classic code futuro-leather thing I had sitting around. We all left and were whooping it up in the streets with this awesome trannie Iswalda who's always checking the door at Jackie, but won't come in because she doesn't want to lose any business. Eventually someone was all like, 'Is anybody hungry?' and we all laughed for five minutes and then paused, and then someone (I think it was Flotilla) was, like, 'Yeah,' so we all laughed another five minutes as we paraded over to Florent."

"In the Meatpacking District. Yeah, I've been there."

"No way. You've actually heard of something that I love? And you've been there? You sure we're talking about the same place? The little bit of awesome over on Gansevoort between Washington and Greenwich? Sort of makes a triangle with Mother and Mineshaft down there?"

"Well, I've never heard of Mother or Mineshaft, but, yeah, I've been to Florent, just not recently. That neighborhood is just so..."

"I know, I know. Edgy. But you have to get past that smell of putrid blood that permeates your skull. And keep in mind that the prostitutes are actually kind of fun if you give them a chance. Basically you have to live a little, spermycheeks. Think about it. It's sort of a perfect destination after a night out. Suddenly you're in this dead quiet area away from all the hype, away from 'the scene.'"

"You're not understanding me. It's just that the people there..."

"The people? Well, let me take a look around. Ha. HA! There's Patricia and Rebecca Field. There's that new writer with the crazy nose and his bitch model girlfriend. Oh, and there's that new designer. What's his name... Perry Ellis just fired him?"

"Marc Jacobs?"

"Exactly!"

"I don't have a problem with any of them. It's just that the place can be overrun with kids..."

"Oh, I can understand. Richie Rich and Kenny Kenny and that wacky James St. James— double-named menaces all. But I haven't seen any of them eat there in ages. Hell, I haven't even seen them eat in ages. Even if they do show up, the staff keeps them under control. The waiters and hostesses and counter guys—I love them all. Don't worry, Darinka will keep you safe. Writers and actors and artists and drag-queens and whomever the hell else Florent sees fit enough to serve up the right food with the right 'tude."

"Well, I have to admit Florent Morellet is the Mayor of the Meat Market. He's a doll. Everybody adores him. He's a giant among men."

"Well, maybe if he's wearing heels. But, hey, sisterfriend, my moules frites just got here. Have fun with your blue-collar trade, 'Jim.' Talk soon!"

[A]pproximately 10 in the Meatpacking District... no longer take reservations from the Hotel Gansevoort. Keith McNally, owner of the restaurant Pastis, started the boycott in response to the hotel's recently erected billboard frame, which stretches eight stories high on Hudson St. and will hold ads measuring 1,200 and 670 square feet.

The ban has been joined by neighborhood mainstay and all-around genius Florent Morellet, and it doesn't seem like there'll be peace any time soon. "This is a multi-front war," said the strangely sexy Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation "We're not letting up on any front."

What with yesterday's Post puffer for McNally, it seems like the boycott brigade has the local media well in hand. Your move, Michael Achenbaum.

Billboard food fight in Market gets hot [Villager]
Rush hours [NYP]
Earlier: McNally v. Gansevoort: Salt I Talks Planned

Two interesting quotes from the inside:

• "I think you may benefit if you don't have any Gansevoort patrons"—the owner of The Park and The Waverly Inn [that'd be either Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson], suggesting that a boycott will be GOOD for their businesses. McNally confirmed that the boycott has had zero effect on business so far, although people have mentioned it when they come in the restaurant.
  
• "You're fucking with my livelihood, are you sure you want to do this? I will take it to the grave"—Gansevoort owner William Achenbaum, during a heated, expletive-filled phone call shortly after news of the conflict broke, according to the owner of 5 Ninth [presumably Joel Michel]. Apparently during the call he claimed to have done more for the community than anyone. That got some incredulous laughter from the group.

  There will be further meetings. This is far from over.

Earlier: Hotel Gansevoort's Billboard Destroying Natural Beauty of Meatpacking District
Keith McNally: At War With The Gansevoort Hotel

Be sure to ask for a room facing New Jersey. Otherwise your view of the Village will be blocked by the giant 8-story billboard they have erected.

If you are planning a stay at the Gansevoort, be forewarned: the hotel has erected an 8-story (yes, eight stories, the height of the entire hotel) double billboard perpendicular to the building which is what every guest facing east (that's half the guests) will see out of their windows, instead of the beautiful city. (Those facing west get to see New Jersey. Enjoy.) It is giant, it is ugly, and you will think you are in TImes Square. Oh, and you also get to see it (and have the view blocked) from both the rooftop bar and the outdoor bar on the street level. IT'S THAT BIG. See photo.

Their "hip" is "hype" They tout the cool meatpacking area while they put up two HUGE illuminated bill boards and turn the nabe into Times Square..You'll see these LOVELY BILL BOARDS outside your hotel room windows. New York has plenty of other hotel choices. The neighborhood is enraged about the ARROGANCE OF THE GANSEVOORT HOTEL.

If you're hip, you won't go there.

Hotel Gansevoort [Trip Advisor]
Earlier: Keith McNally: At War With The Gansevoort Hotel

The Gansevoort put up a fugly billboard that McNally and the some of the meatheat district business owners are not taking kindly to. Haven't seen it for myself, but apparently it's awful, and if you think the Jersey trash is bad there now [We do! -Ed.], wait until you can see that fucker across the Hudson, not to mention the abominations that could go up in its wake. So McNally is having his reservationists say the following when the Gansevoort concierges - all totally sycophantic asshats, by the way - call Pastis: "I'm sorry, but we've been instructed not to take reservations from your hotel in protest against the billboard on Hudson Street."

[Photo: Eat This New York]

Update: Via Curbed, an image of the billboard in question:

Icons of the Meatpacking District @ Theory [Photos]

Officially Sanitized: 401 West 14th Street [Curbed]
Fables of the Deconstruction, Markt Edition [Eater]

Earlier: Markt for Death

Whitney's Expansion Plans Are Shifting South, to the Meatpacking District [NYT via Curbed]

Although landlords may be hoping that West Eighth Street's fortunes turn around quickly, Mr. Lagnese is taking a more long-run view. The transformation of the meatpacking district, a once-gritty Manhattan industrial neighborhood that is now flush with hip restaurants, did not happen overnight, he said.

"Nothing was there," Mr. Lagnese said. "Now you go there at night, and it's a wonderland."

The Street of Shoes Waits for the Right Kind of Restaurants [NYT]

The landlords are little bald men with small penises who live in Greenwich. We're never going to leave, and they're never going to come in my restaurant.

Hot Seat: Mario Batali [TONY via Eater]
[Photo: Getty Images]

A New Vision for the Meatpacking District [Streetsblog]