Disco » Discotheques and Clubs of the 1970s/80s » Better Days

Better Days

West 49th Street between 8th & 9th Ave, New York, NY

Owners:
???

DJs:
Tee Scott

Better Days was a late night spot in a ground level space that resembled a large restaurant or bar (think Beefsteak Charlies type). This was a very early club with a crude sound system and slip cue mixing techniques that later progressed.

Despite its early roots it had a hot vibe and a clientèle that ran that gamut from black and Hispanic gays to transvestites and prostitutes to whites and couples ... hey it was Times Square in the 1970s... and plenty of hard core dance junkies. You could see people rolling out of the club at 7 am.
Despite its rough image, once inside you were made welcome. Music was a mix of R&B, Motown, and early disco.

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Posted by:
SGNY
on May 01, 08 | 4:53 am



Reader Comments on Better Days

 

Oh, do I remember this place. It was a wild place, with unbelievable characters. It is a shame that places like that don't exist anymore. I remember checking out some hot looking girls, then seeing the Adam's Apple. Opps! How about the loud Velvet Hats that were inside there. More velvet hats per foot then anywhere else in the world. The music was pretty good, very soul oriented. Got any pictures?
 
Posted May 02, 08 | 11:59 am by vyniljunkie

Hard core partying!
 
Posted May 16, 08 | 11:53 am by Helen

BETTER DAYs. no glammer no lights.. the best music in nyc. dance, dance, dance, 100% sweat box.
 
Posted Aug 15, 08 | 3:32 pm by Gerald L. johnson

I remember the unisex bathrooms. Those were the days.
 
Posted Oct 16, 08 | 5:14 pm by Cheryl

I LIVED IN THE BELVEDERE HOTEL NEXT DOOR WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE WITH A FRIEND (IN THE PENTHOUSE HE HAD THE MONEY AND THE LEASE) THAT MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE LATE 1960s or EARLY 1970s. IN THE 1990s I STAYED IN THE HOTEL AND IT WAS about 120 a NIGHT. BETTER DAYS HAD GONE OR WAS GOING. THEN, RECENTLY (2008) I WAS IN NEW YORK AND THEY WANTED JUST UNDER $400 to STAY IN THE HOTEL! I GUESS TIMES HAVE CHANGED!
 
Posted Dec 23, 08 | 2:08 pm by Luc Dyrkacz

The best days of my life were spent in this club. It was open 5 days a week, from 10pm to 4am. I got there at 10:30pm every nite and stayed till closing. The music was insane..gospel-infused disco and R&B. Tramine Hawkins and Dar Braxton, Cornel Abrams, C&C Music Factory with Martha Wash, Thelma Houston, Diana Ross, Grace Jones...ohhhhh yeaaahhhh
 
Posted Jun 02, 09 | 9:23 am by Slim

btw, this club was on 49th street (off 8th ave)
 
Posted Jun 02, 09 | 9:29 am by Slim

Wow...Better Days - my first gay and sort of underground, grimy feeling club - I was hooked! I was all of about 17 and remember leaning against the oversized speakers and feeling the music go through me. I'd arrive at perhaps midnight and soon learned quickly to bring shades. I was there the night Better Days closed...and cried.
 
Posted Jul 25, 09 | 9:14 pm by Rain



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