Saturday, August 7th, 2010—Bar 209
Day 209—Friday, August 6th, 2010
Blarney Cove
Alright, day two of the early bar crawl. It’s just a little after noon and I just posted yesterday’s bar crawl and I’m heading out in the cruel, cruel sunshine for today’s stop before my parents come over for a drink before dinner. Since it’s so sunny, I thought I’d go to one of Manhattan’s darker, dive bars. If you come to Manhattan there’s two bars you have to visit if you’re a true dive bar fan. One is the Mars Bar, which I went to on Easter Sunday and the other is the Blarney Cove, which is today’s stop. This place is a legendary joint on the Lower East Side and I pray I can get some pictures in there. I’ve drank in the Blarney Cove and it doesn’t seem like a camera friendly bar, so let’s go see what happens.
Baaahh, sunshine! It's too fucking bright out here!
Through squinted eyes, I spy a hot dog cart.
A dog and some mustard. The breakfast of bar-crawling champions.
Here's Avenue A, we're almost there.
It looks like it's closed, but I think they don't uncover the front window until the sun goes down.
Here it is in all its darkened glory. As soon as the bartender saw my camera, he told me to put it away. But I took a few shots on the sly, I had to include this joint on the bar crawl. Sometimes you have to break the rules a little. The flash was turned off, so I really wasn't bothering anyone in here.
The sun may be bright outside, but it's nice and dark in the Blarney Cove.
A beer, a shot and today's paper, pretty much all one needs to while away some time in the Blarney Cove.
This guy was enjoying some peanuts with his drinks.
Here's a shot of the Formica bar. Some of the regulars are a little shaky in here, but I doubt that much booze has been spilled. They're serious drinkers in here.
After shooting this self-portrait I was busted by the bartender. He told me in no-uncertain terms to put it away. So I put it in my bag and ordered another Budweiser. I wish I could've gotten more shots, but I hope you enjoyed this brief glimpse of a true New York dark dive bar. There aren't many like it left in the city and I truly enjoyed this stop on the old bar crawl.
And later on it was Happy Hour with my parents at Chez Wombacher on 16th street. I showed them yesterday's comments and they got a kick out of them and said to say, "Cheers" to everyone.
Goodnight, everybody!
Review
The Blarney Cove is one of the last true dive bars in the East Village. The front window is usually shuttered in the daytime and it’s a dark, slim shotgun bar. The bar itself is a long Formica-topped fixture that serves as a holding fixture for the pickled and sloshed masses that are the regulars here. The vibe is not unfriendly, but strangers are viewed with a questionable eye. The first thing the seasoned bartender asked me after I ordered a beer was, “Where do you work?” I’m sure it was a way to see if I was a local guy or not. After I spat out that I worked on 30th Street between 6th and 7th near the Garden I was deemed okay, until he caught a glimpse of my camera and then told me to put it away. They don’t like cameras in here.
What they do like is a beer and a shot and the Yankees. The jukebox is popular in here as well and you’ll here everything from the Drifters to Frank Sinatra to the Beatles to a Spanish song that you’ll have no idea who the artist is. There’s two peanut machines in the back and the booze flows freely in here from 8am to 4am. And some of these snozzled regulars look like when the lights go out, they just pass out on their stools till the dim lights come back on at eight in the morning and have a pint and a shot for breakfast. The Blarney Cove is a true dive bar and a nice blast of the past on 14th street in the East Village.
Blarney Cove
510 E. 14th St. (Near Ave. A)
212-473-9284
26 Comments
Reader Comments (26)
Blarney Cove is the kind of bar where I could while away an afternoon. Small, dark and handsome. Just like Enrique Iglesias. I kind of understand the 'tude about the pics, although it would make more sense if the offendee were actually there. As it stands, my guess is no one who WAS actually there is going to ever notice that their pics were posted, as their faces are obscured and Marty was streetsmart enough to not hand out his cards in there. Point is, no harm no foul on the patrons, and good news for the bar, as this post will undoubtedly bring drinkers through the door who beforehand may never have known the bar even existed. In this age of chainfoolery and gentrification of New York, these classic bars should be happy to take all the help they can get. As for the bartender, I like his brazenness and I like the way he keeps his bar, but even if he WAS just talking to hear the sound of his voice, I kind of doubt it was pretty. Doesn't seem like that kind of joint. Anyhoo, that's just Dennis Miller's opinion. He could be wrong.
Always midnight...quite cool!
Cheers Mr. and Mrs. Wombacher!!
Marty, The good news is that if the journalism job disapears, you still can become a paparazzi !!! LOL
I never undertood why people don't want their photo taken... for which reasons? they don't like their physical appareance? or they don't want people knowing where they go?? or they're scared to be seen with a mistress? a guy already married? kissing a kangaroo? pitch in the nipples of a nun??? LOL my dad's girlfriend is like this, I should ask her and I might get an answer...
But thanks Funky Drunk Ganesha! I really don't care if someone take a photo of me! even worst, if someone get a pic of me puking my beer in a bar, I would offer a drink!!