6. The Former CBGB

John Varvatos CBGB-Bowery East Village-NYC New York-Untapped Cities-Lara Elmayan
When Smith and her band began their several-week residency CBGB in 1975, they were newly-assembled and relatively unknown. Before the residency ended, she had signed a contract with Arista Records. The CBGB & OMFUG (“Country Bluegrass Blues & Other Music for Uplifting Gourmandizers”) also hosted shows by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, and Sonic Youth. It went through several changes of ownership and then closed forever in 2006; Patti Smith headlined its final concert.
Now, men’s clothing designer John Varvatos is there. He’s kept the walls intact; they’re still lined with the punk posters, stickers, and graffiti from the building’s vibrant past. “CBGB is a state of mind,” Smith told The New York Times at her final show there.