Jackson Pollock’s go-to local dive has been priced out of East Hampton

There’s nothing abstract or expressionist about paying rent, but rent was precisely the impetus behind the demise of Wolfie’s Tavern, the East End watering hole that once hosted the likes of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Back in their day, the tavern was called Jungle Pete’s, the New York Times reported, and would become Jungle Johnnie’s, Vinnie’s Place, the Boatswain, the Frigate, the Birches, Harry’s Hideaway and eventually Wolfie’s in 1988. Before shuttering last weekend, it was the only bar in the working- and middle-class neighborhood of Springs. “It’s hard for a local guy to Find A Decent Place where he feels comfortable — someplace where we blend in,” Springs native and taxi driver Harry Stevenson told the Times. “Everything gets very high end and marketed to the ‘Hamptons’ crowd and not to the local crowd.” [NYT] — Cathaleen Chen