I was allowed the unique opportunity to celebrate Disaronno‘s 500th anniversary at rooftop Mr. Purple, try some craft cocktails made from this ancient elixir, as well as learn a little about the brand’s role in history and how it continues to uphold many of its original values today.
I have always been very appreciative of the genre of horror that doesn’t settle for cheap scares and gore, but rather, fear of the unknown— mysterious masks and cults, strange figures and cities, and quiet gatherings that are right on the edge of plausibility.
A dancer, courtesy of Stevan Keane
This is what drew me to accepting an invitation for an event titled A Midsommar Night’s Dream: One Trip of a Party, at The McKittrick Hotel, home of Sleep No More. The look-book boasted images of individuals clad in white robes or floral embellishments, strange deer antlers or hellish bug masks, and even a rendition of the fungal zombies from The Last of Us. A strange party for stranger party-goers? I was in.
Every aspect of the hotel was completely converted into a magical forest, ancient ruin, or deep-city stomping ground.
The decor was fantastic
The first floor was redone to resemble a subterranean rock venue, with a live band and pole dancers adjacent to a well-stocked bar.
The first-floor live band
Attendees had come clad in the most unique outfits imaginable, with antlers and horns making a prominent appearance, large swaths of flowers and embroidery, and several people even adorning their heads with fake animal heads, like ravens and lions. I instantly got the feeling that I was peeking into an event that I did not belong to— some billionaire’s secret guilty pleasure, or a north-European pagan ritual. 
It felt like the crowd would suddenly begin conducting a human sacrifice, and if they did, I would only be half surprised (the half that still remembered that I had been invited to this event, like everyone else here).
The second floor was even more unique. The most prominent feature was a single porcelain bathtub, right in the center of the room. Attendees flocked for the photo opportunity, and I was surprised to see it was functional; a woman got soaked with water as she turned the faucet and a jet of water shot out.
In the bathtub
Otherwise, the floor was decorated with lines of dilapidated brick wall separating the rooms, making it look like I was in an old worn-down courtyard. There was a male dancer wearing a donkey mask shaking his hips on an elevated stage, and an area that allowed attendees to make their own floral wreaths and head covers. Another room had a single ominous baby carriage, illuminated by a deep orange light.
Me, with the baby carriage
Excited to see what the third floor had in store for me, I climbed the stairs.
The third floor was absolutely mental. I walked into a crowded rave, with dozens of people dancing erratically to deep thumping music and constant strobe lights. Even now, I can only recall faint glimpses of that room; simple snapshots only because I was unable to focus on any single thing there for longer than a breath. I slipped into a trance-like state, and I do not even remember how long I spent there. It could have been second, or it could have been an hour.
When I finally left the third floor, I stepped into the exclusive Oz’s Boudoir VIP bar. It overlooked a large club-type setting, with a mix of indie-EDM and classic rock-pop hits blaring over the speakers.
Center stage, courtesy of Stevan Keane
More storage decor…
At the bar, I ordered a fresh cranberry-pineapple vodka, and watched as several people jumped onto a full king-sized bed that was placed right besides the bar.
Oz’s bar, courtesy of Stevan Keane
It felt like something straight from a dream, and I really took a moment to appreciate the craft of those that had put together a place like this; they had gone into the mind and retrieved every small whim or fear that resided on the edge of an individual’s thoughts, and had materialized it.
These people lived regular lives, and worked at regular jobs, but on this night, they could let loose the psychedelic animal within and let it howl.
I greatly enjoyed my experience at The McKittrick, and am excited to see what Sleep No More hits us with next.
Nummos House, a new social capital club, has opened up in New York City.
The Knockturnal checked out the beautiful, Somewhere Nowhere rooftop club last weekend. If you have never been check it out ASAP! The long weekend is still young!
Somewhere Nowhere NYC, a two-level indoor lounge and open-air rooftop pool venue, sits at the top of the Renaissance New York Chelsea Hotel located at 112 W 25th St, on the 38 and 39th floors. The 5,156-square-foot luxury day and nightlife destination is designed to artfully merge progressive sound and lighting technology with garden-inspired decor and magical design to indulge guests in an immersive nightlife experience. The decadence of Somewhere Nowhere’s outdoor lounge and open-air rooftop pool boasts 360 views of Manhattan’s majestic skyline as far as the eye can see.
The cocktail menu changes seasonally and features a mix of classic libations and expertly crafted cocktails that match the venue decor and escapism from the hustle and bustle of the city. On the food side, Somewhere Nowhere offers globally inspired comfort food dishes that are upscale yet approachable for all guests. Available on the After-Work menu to take off the edge, Late Night Food, or Nightlife Menu.
The Knockturnal was greeted by Nik, who was amazing and took us right up to the 38th to get our night started. THIS VENUE WAS STUNNING! It literally looked like we were in a fairytale!! OMG!! After being lost for words for about 5 minutes and trying to record the beautiful Instagramable establishment, Nik escorted us into the VIP section where we started the night with a couple of refreshing cocktails. After enjoying a few cocktails and a shot we went to the dance floor to jam out to the music @samblacky and @jacksonenglund were spinning! The rest of the night was filled with great vibes, amazing views of the city, and music that kept us moving and feeling alive!
The Knockturnal also had the pleasure to interview Nathan Leong:
The Knockturnal: Please tell readers about yourself.
Nathan Leong: I’ve always gravitated to the high-energy and fast-paced lifestyle of nightlife and hospitality. As an Asian kid growing up in Puerto Rico, I was able to stand out amongst my classmates. I was the kid who always threw parties and gravitated to a very active social life. When I moved to New York, I was quickly attracted to nightlife and the energy from the atmosphere and began co-producing VIP Table Decks for the main stage at Electric Zoo— the largest electronic music festival in New York. Growing a reputation in the industry and the right contacts to build a live music venue, I launched my hospitality group El Grupo SN with partner Sameer Qureshi to open the tallest nightclub, lounge and rooftop pool with Somewhere Nowhere. We wanted to create a venue that felt like an escape in all aspects from the decor, high tech sound system and location itself which is how the name was created— Somewhere Nowhere, you are somewhere but able to escape to be ‘in the moment’ or nowhere at the same time.
The Knockturnal: What makes Somewhere Nowhere more than a nightclub and music venue?
Nathan Leong: My partner Sameer Qureshi, and I have always said from day one that we are creating a lifestyle brand with Somewhere Nowhere NYC. Our goal is to expand our brand and experiences beyond one physical location and create memorable and intimate experiences within our ecosystem that will be made available in multiple destinations. Under one roof, we’ve expanded to offer events beyond nightlife by introducing Daylife for after-work events and the launch of our rooftop pool and new jazz programming on Wednesdays.
In addition, we’ve bridged the gap between the tech and hospitality communities through the launch of our NFT collection— The Somethings. Our membership-utility based NFT collection will offer royalty rewards, as well as will work towards becoming a household name in the lifestyle and entertainment world as a brand producing exclusive digital and IRL (in real life) experiences and brand activations that will unite our community in multiple cities. We recently launched our in-house creative Web3 studio, SWNW Lab to accomplish this – which currently has over 10,000 registrations for the NFT collection.
With The Somethings NFT project, our hospitality group can invite Somewhere Nowhere NYC’s community to embark on a journey from one physical location to a plethora of new experiences within our ecosystem in multiple cities and destinations.
The Knockturnal: Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nathan Leong: We’ve been fortunate to have the support of the community we’ve built over the years. It has helped make it a smooth road instead of launching Somewhere Nowhere and these new ventures without a base clientele. We have amazing support from everyone. The biggest challenge we’ve faced is growing and scaling while maintaining a level of top execution for events. That’s all part of growing pains and we’ve been fortunate to find top event planners who are stepping up to take on the new challenges as we continue to add new programming and expansions. Scaling your business is always the goal, so learning how to improve as you grow is a new set of exciting challenges that we’re ready to face.
The Knockturnal: What are you and your team most looking forward to in the future?
Nathan Leong: We’re excited to officially launch our NFT collection by SWNW Lab, The Somethings. This is a project that 3D motion graphic designer Matt Burniston and myself have been working on for the last five months. The team is excited for The Somethings NFTs to drop as it adds a new element of gamification to our everyday interaction with our clients. With ‘The Somethings’ we are able to add more experiences for our clientele that expands our ecosystem beyond Somewhere Nowhere NYC – such as token-gated pop-up experiences. The Somethings collection will be dropping this summer to offer customers special membership perks through their NFTs.
Now that it’s Summer and the weather is beautiful again, we have ramped up entertainment for Somewhere Nowhere with day life and afterwork programs being activated on both the nightclub and rooftop pool levels of the venue.
In addition, we’re expanding our El Grupo SN hospitality group this summer 2022 with our newest venue in Long Island City, Gamehaus NY. A multi-room concept as the largest family-friendly venue in New York.
You can follow Nathan Leong on Twitter or Instagram: @nathanleongnyc
Looking to “wiggle” on the dance floor till the am? The Knockturnal has you covered! Check out Wiggle Room in the fun and funky East Village neighborhood.
“Paradeisos” the Greek word for paradise. In New York City it translates to Somewhere Nowhere.
The Standard got spooky!
We attended the grand-opening of TAO Group’s newest NYC venue: FISHBOWL at Dream Midtown with a celebrity-studded crowd. Read all about it!