Tuesday, October 12th, 2010—Bar 275
Day 275—Monday, October 11th, 2010
Nancy Whiskey Pub
Okay, first off, let me whine a little bit. As I’ve said before, I don’t blog about my job because I don’t feel like getting dooced in this shitty economy of ours, but I will let you in on one fact: I’m working the dayshift for two weeks. And I fucking HATE the dayshift. I hate morning, I hate the sunshine, I hate morning people and I don’t drink coffee. I’ve worked a nightshift job since 1986 and working the dayshift really fucks with my system. Plus if there’s a lot of work, I have to work the nightshift also. So I could be putting in some twelve hour plus days. So be prepared for some rough bar-crawling ahead!
Okay, enough whining and on with the crawl. About a month ago, jco who’s a commentator over at the fine Half Empty Glass blog, run and written by Fat Al and his blogging buddy, anonymous271 suggested I check out the Nancy Whiskey Pub in my travels and I made a note to check it out. Well last week, my bar-crawling co-pilot, 365 commentator Al Rizo suggested the same place, and as we all know Al’s never picked a bad spot. So it’s off to the Nancy Whiskey Pub to drown my daytime workshift sorrows.
And we're here, time for beer!
Wow, looks great in here! A fine suggestion from jco and Al.
And it just gets better as the lovely, fun and friendly bartender Kat serves up a beer.
The bar recently made the cover of the Village Voice as one of the top 10 dive bars in Manhattan. Rumor has it that they used models for the cover. Now you know these broads have never paid for a drink, much less poured one! Come on Village Voice, you've got a fine bartender like Kat behind the bar and you use models for the cover? For shame, for shame!
Lawrence and Matt were enjoying some brews at the end of the bar. Lawrence tends bar at Peter McManus Cafe, which was the 17th bar on this bar crawl.
And of course there's a tin ceiling above.
Colored lights and a string of glowing pumpkins add to the festive spirit of the bar.
A shot of the center of the bar.
This sign made me think of Johnny Rotten's autobiography.
The front window has a nice view of Sixth Avenue.
A long-shot of the wooden bar.
Here's Lauren and Sarah who were hanging out by the front window.
Kat plays her tambourine as the jukebox wails "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones.
The Nancy Whiskey Pub houses New York's only shuffleboard table.
Here's Larry getting blinded by my flash as he takes a shot at the table.
The bar proudly hangs a 9/11 Flag in the corner. The Nancy Whiskey Pub was one of two bars that stayed open directly after September 11th. And they stayed open round the clock for weeks, feeding and pouring drinks for cops and firefighters on the job.
Here's a painting featuring every regular in the bar by artist Robert Cenedella. Check out more of Robert Cenedella's work here: Robert Cenedella Gallery.
And speaking of regulars, here's Erick, one of the shuffleboard enthusiasts at the bar.
And here's Erick and his son featured in Robert Cenedella's "regulars" painting.
Here's a shot from the opposite end of the bar.
I was going to leave, seeing as I have to get up early in the morning, but it was raining like crazy...
So what the hell, let's have another beer and I'll be sorry in the morning. Goodnight, everybody!
Review
The Nancy Whiskey pub has been a popular neighborhood watering hole since 1967. As they say on their website, they were here before it was Tribeca. The bar has a cozy, inviting atmosphere with friendly bartenders and local patrons. The Village Voice may have declared it one of Manhattan’s top ten dive bars, but owner, Billy Wall will humbly tell you it’s just a “gin joint.” In addition to being a fine and inexpensive drinking establishment, the Nancy Whiskey Pub is home to Manhattan’s only bank shuffleboard table. The game gets a lot of action during week and on Saturday and Sunday nights they have tournament play going on.
The bar is well stocked and there’s a half a dozen beers on draft and eight selections of bottled beer including: Amstel, Corona, Heineken and Magner’s Cider. Happy hour runs from 4pm to 7pm, Monday through Thursday with Bud and Bud Lite pints and bottles going for $2.50 a pop. Monday through Thursday you can also get ten buck pitchers of Bud, Bud Lite and St. Pauli Girl from 5pm to closing.
Some of the pub grub on the menu includes: Burgers, chicken wings, a chicken cutlet sandwich and fried shrimp and chicken baskets. Saturday afternoon’s from noon to five there’s Nancy’s College Football Special which offer two one-half-pound burgers deluxe along with a picher of Bud or Bud Lite for fifteen bucks. Sunday’s feature’s an NFL Sunday Brunch from noon to 4pm.
Nancy Whiskey Pub
1 Lispenard St. (@West Broadway)
212-226-9943
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Bonus Photo!
The other day when I posted the Circa Tabac post, Gidget made a comment about when she was a cigarette girl. I asked her to send in a picture and here she is (on the right, cute as a smoking button! Thanks for sending that in Gidget! And if you haven’t heard her show on Woody Radio, you’re missing out on great music and a lot of fun. Gidget’s the coolest DJ in the world and you need to check out her show. It’s simple and free, just go to the Woody Radio site and check out her schedule. Click here and check out Gidget’s schedule: Woody Radio.
46 References
Reader Comments (31)
Nancy Whiskey! One of the all-time greats. You know it's a great place when the crowd is obviously all regulars but they never make you feel 'irregular'. Every time I'm in there I wish I lived on the block so I could lease a bar stool, maybe get my mail delivered there. Also, this bar was the site of my first date with the lady who is now my wife, so I'm getting a little verklempt thinking about the joint. Nice post, Marty.
A great bar here,,,thank you Marty, you did it again. This bar could easily be a top ten. The people make a bar and this one seem's to have a lot of characters. Kate look's really cool. Pumpkin lights are great,,,and its dark in there,,,what more could you ask. Any Bar that stayed open post 911 and supplied an outlet for those tired police officers and firefighters is a great bar. That picture outside raining with the drops on the lens is also a top ten picture.
.Putting up ur post early confused me as to what day is today .
Cool Bar !!!
Did you see the hail last night ? Shit I was almost in it going home , & it was hitting my windows hard , got scared it was going to break my window .
TO : 275
@Ned Sparks: How cool that this was your first date bar! Glad to bring back good memories!
@Al: Thanks once again for another winning suggestion and for being the co-pilot on the crawl!
Classic New York bar! Another beautiful bartender and I loved your Village Voice commentary. Why use models when the real thing is behind the bar (the beautiful Kat!) Loved the lights and the suffleboard table. Great photos. And the extra treat is seeing Gidget as a cigarette girl! Great photo, Gidget!
Looks great, but it's definitely not New York's only bar shuffleboard... I was at Fat Cat in the West Village recently and they have many of them.
Awesome bar! Love the lighting and that painting of the regulars is classic (hey, Erick, I like your pin!) Hooray to the Nancy Whiskey Pub for taking care of the City's Finest and cheers to Kat, who is clearly one of the best bartenders in the world! Shuffleboard's great, tin ceiling - check, Halloween decorations - yay! But even if it didn't have any of these things, I'd still drink there. Because any place that says their house wine is Jagermeister is alright by me.
Thanks for that link to the VV Dive Bars article. I'm proud to say I've been to most of 'em, including the Whiskey. The one which somehow escaped my radar for all these years in the Reynold's cafe. I'll have to get up there someday, it's now on my list. Thanks!
@Ken K. I was amazed they skipped over the Mars Bar in the VV roundup.
Man, that place looks awesome. I'm going to have to make JCo take me there.
Great post as always Marty. And, I really wouldn't have put much money on a wager that Johnny Lydon could write.
@Fat Al: He "wrote" it with two other writers, Translation: He told them stories and they turned it into a book.
Cigars...cigaretts...tipparillos...Way to go Gidget, you look great in that uniform! OOOH, glowing pumpkins! With that painting, and If you are a regular, every body definitely knows your face if not your name!
My condolences on the Day Shift.
"At least"... nevermind.
Great Bar!
Love that "Regulars" Painting.
Your Co-Pilot and others have done some great "Steering".
So we get the "Early Crowd" for a week or two.
Better than dealing with Closing Time.
Hang in there Daddio.
@"Boris:" The problem is I also have to work the night shift, or at least part of it. Yesterday was the first of many twelve hour days in a row. I'm going to be one cranky motherfucker by Friday!
Wow Marty, the Nancy Whiskey Pub is a super-cool place. I would love to visit there next time I am in town. How very cool and I love the lighting and decor.
By the way I read Johnny Rotten's autobiography about ten years ago. Interesting book but not nearly as great as the "A GUY WALKS INTO 365 BARS" memoir is going to be. I can't wait to read it and really get a peek at what went on behind the scenes of this fabulous bar crawl.
Cheers Everyone!! ~
@Tiki Bar Susie: Thanks! And cheers to you! Maybe next year I'll collaborate with Johnny for a new project called, "Two Guys Walk Into 365 Rotten Bars."
@365; Say, if you can handle the plane fare, I've got a couple of rotten bars for you...you've read about them! Red necks, white socks and low-normal I.Q.'s wherever you look...and I'm not kidding!
I just saw the GAYEST ad on TV for Sting performing ALL his greatest hits with the Sydney Symphony
orchestra....it's 7:30 am and that to me is a bad start to the day...(and apologies to any people from the gay community that I may have upset with my comment...)
Gotta love the Jack'o Lanterns. Halloween is cool. It's a pity we don't really celebrate it down here. I always make an effort to carve out a pumpkin to put on display at work..wherever that may be.
What is Shuffle board. I wanna play!
@Gidget: How old is that photo? I'm guessing circa 1986? Total Cindy Lauper get up.
I tried tuning into Woody Radio. No luck with the audio. Do I need certain software to listen to on line radio? Do you guys support Independent bands?
Fuck I hate Sting.
@Fitzy: How's things mate? What's the news on Old Bazza?
Ozzy Gold!
@Tim Clack: Here's an explanation:
http://www.zieglerworld.com/shuffleboard-history.htm
You'll have to stop by the Nancy and give it a go when you're here. And I hate Sting-a-ling-a-ding-dong too.
@365: Thanks for the link. It didn't tell me much about how to play but it looks like a cross between pool and air hockey where the aim is to pocket the other teams puck...
It was raining. You had no other choice to have another beer. I'd take the hangover over damp clothes.
@Tim Clack: Sadly it never stopped raining, so I had damp clothes and a hangover this morning. But I felt no pain last night and that's all that counts. Until the fucking alarm clock goes off!
@Jaws: If I had the dough, I would definitely go!