It was a very good year for city girls...

December 23, 2006 9:39 AM

Jerry Berns, long time co-owner of the "21 Club" in Manhattan, has passed away at the age of 99. The club started as a speakeasy on 21 W. 52nd St. (wmv), used to be home to the $21 burger (now it costs $27), and was sold in 1985 to a business magnate for $21 million. Berns may have made it a point to pass away on the 21st of December, not to be outdone Pete Kriendler, co-owner of the club, who died on the same day five years ago.
posted by phaedon (18 comments total)

The only thing that irks me is that 1 + 9 + 8 + 5 = 23.
posted by phaedon at 9:40 AM on December 23, 2006

Blackjack!
posted by ericb at 9:46 AM on December 23, 2006

I remember seeing a bottle with Richard Nixon's name on it when I was in that wine cellar about ten years ago. A strange feeling. (And yes, I felt very out of place - because I was.)
posted by zoinks at 10:08 AM on December 23, 2006

Phaedon: Today is the 23rd.

Cue theremin.
posted by hal9k at 10:11 AM on December 23, 2006

Phaedon: Today is the 23rd.

From the FPP's last link: "Jerry Berns, the affable host to New York's rich and famous during a half-century connection with the celebrated 21 Club, died Thursday [December 21, 2006]...Pete Kriendler died five years ago on the same date as Berns - Dec. 21."
posted by ericb at 10:14 AM on December 23, 2006

In The Big Lebowski, The Dude and his friends always play at Lane 23.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, the dub title of episode 23 is "The Little Belowski."
posted by phaedon at 10:38 AM on December 23, 2006

I seem to recall the number 23 featured prominently somehow in each episode of Star Trek:TNG.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:14 AM on December 23, 2006

what were we talking about?
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:15 AM on December 23, 2006

ericb: I was referencing phaedon's commment:
The only thing that irks me is that 1 + 9 + 8 + 5 = 23.
posted by hal9k at 12:01 PM on December 23, 2006

an ode to hal9k
posted by phaedon at 12:08 PM on December 23, 2006 [1 favorite]

More delicious (and very comprehensive) 23 weirdness via everything2.com.
posted by loquacious at 1:20 PM on December 23, 2006

phaedon, nice post. unfortunate folks have taken it in another direction.

That 23 meme is 10 years dead people, which should be obvious since that shitass director's making a movie out of it.
posted by dobbs at 1:36 PM on December 23, 2006

It may have started out further downtown.
posted by Phred182 at 1:40 PM on December 23, 2006

23 meme is 10 years dead people

Only ten years? You're generous.
posted by loquacious at 2:57 PM on December 23, 2006

phaedon: The only thing that irks me is that 1 + 9 + 8 + 5 = 23.

Pure sabacc!
posted by Spike at 4:41 PM on December 23, 2006

phaedon, Thanks for the info. Weird coinkidink about both owners of 21 dying on the 21st.

Tomorrow I'll being going to 21 as usual. It's been a Christmas Eve tradition with an old friend for the last decade or so. The Salvation Army comes, everybody sings Christmas carols and carouses sentimentally. The mayor's often there, which is weird. It's fun to get a bit tiddly, well fed, merry and then go to the midnight service (I'm Buddhist) at the Church of the Heavenly Rest (colloquially called the Church of the Heavenly Dressed because of its designer clad upper East Side parishioners), where there is really wonderful caroling and Christmas music.
posted by nickyskye at 7:22 PM on December 23, 2006

The 23 meme is big in Discordianism.
posted by JMOZ at 8:50 PM on December 23, 2006

Captain Clark welcomes you aboard.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:56 AM on December 24, 2006