The ground-level shopping arcade inside the Clark Street subway station in Brooklyn Heights is odd enough. That L-shape corridor of small, sad shops, inside what used to be the grand Hotel St. George, just seems from another era. But adding an extra layer of weirdness to it all is the singular Chess Classic Cafe. This is just a little, hole-in-the-wall deli. Nothing special about it. Except it's got that grandiose name. And you can play chess there. There are a couple small table and chair set-ups outside the cafe, which are routinely filled with men bent over their chess games. Anyone can play there. And it doesn't look like you have to buy a lot to do so.
The station has a very odd history for sure... At one point there was an actual entrance to the Club Wild Fire (a strip club!) in the station itself, as well as one on Clark proper.
ReplyDeleteIt was Club Wild Fyre...
ReplyDeleteNot all the shops are sad! Great sushi, a well-stocked bodega and newstand, and a fantastic shoe repair shop. The barber shop is not great, and the sail salon gives me the creeps, but I love the Clark Street Station Shops!
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, there are always guys there playing chess. Love it!