Partying at the Nexus of the Universe

A few weeks ago, bcbeat reported on children’s songwriter Laurie Berkner and her song Doodlebugs, which featured characters with names like Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer. Well, it appears that Seinfeld's Fab Four has left yet another mark on pop culture.

Venturing down to Manhattan’s Lower East Side recently, we happened by a club called the Nexus Lounge, located on 1st Street and 1st Avenue.

Fans of Seinfeld will recall that Kramer, venturing far from his uptown safety zone during the landmark sitcom’s final season, was lost on the Lower East Side. Frantically, he phoned Jerry. "I'm on First and First. How can the same street intersect with itself?" Kramer wondered. “I must be at the nexus of the universe!"

The Nexus is located beneath an Irish pub that’s named, fittingly, One & One. Owner Terry Dunne, who opened Nexus this past New Year’s Eve (OK, we don’t get out much), says the name does indeed hail from the show. "The telephone kiosk that Kramer made the call from is right outside our door," says the Irishman. "The name was a no-brainer."

Dunne says he does private parties for up to 100 people at the Nexus, include birthdays, stag nights and bachelorettes—though no Seinfeld-themed parties yet. "It’s an idea," he says.

By Michael Malone