Mike Whalen, a regular customer in the usually low-key Brooklyn Safehouse at 120 Franklin Street, went away for a weeklong fishing trip, never imaging anything exciting would happen in the bar while he was away. How wrong he was! When he returned he discovered to his dismay that he had missed the most exciting week in the bar’s history. At the beginning of June, celebrities descended on the once serene local watering hole and shook things up.
It seemed just like any other mellow night at the bar until the actor Steve Buscemi walked in and retired to a booth in the back. Buscemi had all the patrons asking,”Is that who I think it is?” and twisting their necks to see him.
For many bars the visit of one celebrity would be enough excitement for the whole year, but an even bigger shock was in store for patrons the very next night. Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones fame strutted into the Safehouse and sat at the very same booth, escorted by his granddaughter. Buscemi’s visit was quickly forgotten. Mick had a quiet drink and left, but apparently this was one time when he actually did get some satisfaction. The seat that held up those two very famous butts has been renamed the Buscemi/Jagger booth, and Stones groupies and Buscemi fans have started planning Greenpoint visits just to sit in the now legendary spot.
Word of the visits has quickly spread not only around Greenpoint, but apparently around the world. Other A-list celebrities have announced through their publicists their intention to visit the bar and sit in the now famous celebrity booth. Queen Elizabeth the Second, Fetty Wap, the Dalai Lama, the entire Kardashian clan, and a list of other celebrities too long to mention here, have all announced their intentions to visit the Safehouse in the near future.
Locals are still welcome to visit the Safehouse, even if you’ve not had your very own Cribs episode. They have a sweet happy hour with four buck beers and free pool—but keep your eyes open. Who knows which celebrity might show up next?
Brooklyn Safehouse | 120 Franklin Street | Greenpoint