Wednesday, October 20th, 2010—Bar 283
Day 283—Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
Paddy Maguire's Ale House
Ding, ding, ding...what’s that unfamiliar sound? Why it’s the donation bell going off for the first time in quite a while. 365 commentator Tiki Bar Susie sent in a more than generous donation for 45 dollars! And this isn’t the first time she’s donated or the second or third time. In fact she’s donated so often I’ve lost track of how many times, but it’s safe to say “a lot.” Thank you so much, Tiki Bar Susie, you’ve really helped to keep me crawling along and I truly appreciate it. And on top of the donations, she’s bought several items from the 365 Bar Store, that “Boris” maintains. Thanks again, Tiki Bar Susie!
And speaking of donations, a friend of mine and this blog sent me 20 bucks cash in the mail a little bit ago and his name is Mark Barra. Mark has a daughter who plays volleyball and she’s in the running to be the the Peoria Journal Star’s Athlete of the Week. And you can help her win this title and it’s easy. All you have to do is go to the website and vote for Lexie Barra. The voting ends at 4pm today, so go vote now. You don’t have to sign up for anything and it just takes a second, here’s the link, click here: Lexi Barra for Athlete of the Week.
Okay, now on to tonight’s bar. Tonight I’m going with a pick from my co-pilot and 365 commentator, Al Rizo. Al recently sent me a list of bars to go to when I get stuck for one and one of them is an Irish bar called Paddy Maguire’s Ale House in Grammercy Park. And unlike so many cookie-cutter Irish bars that dot this town, this one is authentic. The name is no fake, it’s owned by Patrick Maguire who hails from Limerick, Ireland. And, one of the reasons I picked it for tonight is Tiki Bar Susie is a lover of horses and horse racing and Patrick is a former jockey, so it’s perfect. Limerick, Ireland, huh? Let’s see, There once was a barman named Patrick...aw fuck it, let’s just go.
And here we are at Paddy Maguire's Ale House, love the neon.
A wreath-enshrined horse head greets you from atop the bar.
It's dark and sparkly in here, looks like Al picked another winner!
And Phil the friendly bartender is quick with an ice-cold Budweiser, cheers, everyone!
Some of the lit-up bottles and a jockey behind the bar.
There's lots of horse-racing art and memorablia on the walls.
And of course all the horse shoes are raised upward for good luck.
More horse artwork on the walls.
When I left work the Yankees were up 3 to 2. By the time I got to the bar they were down 7 to 3 and eventually lost with a score of Texas 10, Yankees 3. Better luck today, guys.
A shot from the other end of the long wooden bar.
There's a nice pool room in the back. Two tables, no waiting.
And here's three guys who come to the bar with their own cues. From left: Bobby, Jeff and Dave.
There's a church pew on one side of the room to watch the pool games.
And stools line the other wall of the brick-walled room.
Back at the bar, Phil is chatting with these two guys. Let's go see who they are.
It's Jason and Michael posing with Phil. These two guys are regulars at the bar and Jason told me that Paddy's is the neighborhood Cheers-type bar.
One last look out the window and it's time to head home.
I forgot to get a photo of me at the bar, so the obligatory bathroom shot is taken at home. Goodnight, everybody!
Review
Once again I’m running late for work as I’m still working double shifts (as well as last weekend, but who’s complaining, oh, whoops, I am) so here’s a review from New York magazine.
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No cliche is more fortuitous than that of the Irish bar. Happily, drunken benevolence, Guinness taps, and Irish whiskey are in no short supply at straightforward drinking hole Paddy Maguire's. Nor are white Christmas lights, decent classic and current rock on the jukebox, photos of firefighters and jockeys, and doors that are (as the bar makes a point of advertising) imported from the old country. Play pool with the locals in back, cluster in the narrow front with the office workers and occasional tourists, or chat with the usually Celtic and always affable bartenders as you dawdle over a carefully poured duotone Black and Tan. Better yet, take this fine opportunity to taste test the relative merits of Jameson versus Bushmills. If the luck of the Irish is with you, perform the experiment with the peaty, slightly higher-end Jameson 12 and Black Bush for the only $1 more. Stereotypes aren’t always bad. — Kristal Hawkins
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Paddy Maguire's Ale House
237 Third Ave. (Near 20th St.)
212-473-8407
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Another great choice, Al, thanks to you and thanks to Tiki Bar Susie for the donation! Al co-pilot artwork below is by "Boris."
1 Reference
Reader Comments (32)
A real bar owned by a real person. I really like the Christmas lights, year round, and those old swivel wood stools. Phil look's like a friendly guy and now I have to go to my backyard and turn my horseshoe to raise up,,,,had it nailed to a tree raised down for years,,,,,No ladies at the bar this evening? oh well, can't have everything...Thank you Marty,,, love those old irish bars.
All those lights made me wish it was snowing outside and I was in there to warm my tootsies (and liver)! Love the old-school cash register, decorations, lit-up bottles, and nice pool tables. Plus, sounds like they have a good jukebox. All in all, a top-notch place, and one I look forward to visiting! See you soon, Paddy Maguire's! You are a Prince Palatine among men.
In other news, Lexi's THIS CLOSE to taking the lead for Athlete of the Week! Go vote!!
@Al: It was a stag, playoffs night. Thanks for another great suggestion!
@Biff and everyone: Vote for Lexi! Let's turn this thing around for her! GO LEXI!
Marty will search high and low
For the best taverns 'round, don't you know
From the Village to Harlem
Nothing will stop him
365 Bars in a row!
TA-DA!
Its neck and neck,,,Lexie and Brett,,,dead heat,,,coming down the stretch,,,Oh what a perfect bar for this vote, right?
@Al: How right you are, everyone vote! GO LEXI!
@Biff: Ha ha ha! You still gots it, Bifferoonie! TA_DA!
I voted! Which is the closest I've come to showing any interest in athletics in years. C'mon barflys let's put the youngster over the top.
Ha!
I love it!
thanks Al for the suggestion.
I want you Marty to go and steal me the lawn jockey and the church pew!
NOW
HA
now everyone go vote for Lexie as of right now some other kid is ahead of her...that is not cool!
@Gidget: Let me see what I can pew...I mean do!
@Ned Sparks: Thanks for the vote!
@Everyone: If you have a facebook page or a Twitter account, could you put the link up and ask for votes, now I'm obsessed with her winning and my night will be shattered if she loses! VOTE LEXI!
I voted for Lexi twice but I think my vote only counted once as the vote count did not increase. Go Good Girl Lexi!!
Marty, you are so very welcome, I am honored to participate. Thank you for choosing a bar with such an interesting and amazing horse racing motif. I LOVE the horse racing memorabilia and that beautiful horse above the entrance sign. How incredibly awesome it is that Patrick was a jockey back in Ireland. I LOVE IT!!!
Yay for Paddy Maguire's Ale House!!
Also with the Breeders Cup World Thoroughbred Championships coming up in a couple of weeks:
http://bcwc2010.com/
I wanted to offer a horse racing handicapping tip and that is, when betting races that are running on the turf (grass) course always bet on the Irish horse. Horses bred in Ireland will have an (IRE) next to their name. So on November 5 and 6, 2010 get to your local Off Track Betting facility or better yet a real track or even better yet Churchill Downs where the races are taking place and put your money on the Irish bred horses running in the turf races.
Superfecta here we come!!!!
@Tiki Bar Susie: It was my pleasure to go to a horse-racing themed bar in your honor! Thanks again for the donation. You can only vote once from the same computer, because it reads the IP address. And thanks for the handicapping tip, I need to get to an OTB ASAP!
@Everybody: Okay, right now she's 28 votes behind, will you people tell everyone you know to vote? Let's get a winner here!
Good luck Lexie! Posted on Facebook, sometimes its a cool place :)
Green and wood, always a great combo. Love the well worn wooden bar. And stools with backs, always a plus for me! Looks like a great friendly place that you could waste away a lot of time in.
@kari: Thanks for the post and the vote, she's still over 20 votes behind, spread the word!
It's 1:35 in the afternoon in Minnesota and I just voted for Lexi...she's still a close second...still time to vote people! LET'S GO!!! That horses head on the wall made me think of Bluto and Flounder's big horse heart attack scene from Animal House...bwahahahahahaaa! Now I wish I had some quality Irish whiskey...to put in some coffee...a whole pot of it...and a can of reddi-whip to top it off. Its cold outside and I'm definitely in the mood for it!
@Jaws: Thanks for the vote! She's still down over 20 votes, send out emails to everyone you know! The clock is ticking!
Phil the bartender looks like a nice man. I really like the little sparkly lights at this bar. The ambiance looks friendly. Great post!
@Fitzy and Brooksy: C'mon lads. VOTE!!!
My vote is in for Lexi. Too bad you can't vote twice...
@Marty: Holy shit, brother! Did you have a late one last night? Either you got really pissed or smoked a big fat doob. Those are some red eyes in the bathroom mirror, mate. I shouldn't talk. I've been drunk for the past 7 days.
I'm usually not a big fan of Irish bars but this one is classic. The horses head looks kinda comical and the dark wood coupled with the christmas lights is very cool. I especially like the mini doors under bar in the brick wall room. They're for the jockeys.
I take my own cue to play in the clubs. The house cues are usually buckled and bent.
TO Lexi!
@ 365; Tim's right Marty...your eyes look even redder than in that cartoon I did of you...at least you still have a mirror image in this photo, quick...put in a call for Dr. Van Helsing...IT MAY NOT BE TOO LATE!!!
@365: How's the weather in NY? It's starting to warm up down here so I guess it's starting to get a bit chilli in the Apple....
@Tim Clack and Jaws: The red eye is from the camera. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
@Tim Clack: I just checked the 10 day weather and supposedly it's going to be going down to the mid 40's at night. If I were you I'd bring a jacket and some sweaters. Before you know it we'll be hoisting a few in person in the Big Apple!
@Everyone: Thanks for voting for Lexi, I think she got second place, but I declare her the winner here at 365 Bars. TO LEXI!
Just voted for Lexi - hopefully I got it in on time.
Enjoy your colder weather New Yorkers. In Adelaide, South Australia it's going to be 28 degrees (celcuis) today, and at the moment, there's not a cloud in the sky. Summer is coming and that can only mean - girls in bikinis, beer, girls in bikinis, beer and a couple of girls in bikini's with a beer! Sensational!!!!
Although the 42 degree days that we sometimes get here are a little hard to handle.