Notorious for its dingy aesthetic and fiercely loyal bar rats, the Mars Bar symbolized the East Village’s punk rock culture. The Mars Bar was home to local artists and creatives, including Albert, who were looking to avoid the Wall Street types who wouldn’t dare step foot in the dark and graffiti-covered bar.

 

Like many other East Village establishments, the Mars Bar succumbed to gentrification in 2011. Before its closing, the Mars Bar pledged to throw a month-long going away blowout, but in an act as ironic as its name, the plans were shut down by The Department of Health.

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