Tuesday, October 5th, 2010—Bar 268

Day 268—Monday, October 4th, 2010
O'Lunney's Times Square Pub
Okay, tonight I’m going to a bar that invited me to bring the crawl to it. Waaaay back when I went to Bar number 19, which was the Ginger Man, I met Tiffany and Griffin who were seated next to me. Griffin told me he tended bar at O’Lunney’s Times Square Pub and I told him I’d stop by sometime. Then time and bars moved on and I forgot about this. Well, Griffin’s on my email list and the other week I pestered the shit out of everyone on that list by sending out an email to them about this blog sent out an update about the blog to my list. Griffin sent me an email and invited me to O’Lunney’s. Very nice of him and it makes tonight’s destination a snap. It’s off to O’Lunney’s we go!

Summer's over and it's a rainy, chilly night in Manhattan. Oh well, just 15 more blocks to go.

And through the magic of the internet, here we are at O'Lunney's Pub. Let's go check it out.

Wow, crowded for a Monday night, let's go find Griffin.

And, once again through the fast-forward of the internet, we not only find Griffin, but are served up a perfectly-poured pint of Guinness. In addition to being a fine bartender, Griffin is a comedic actor and writer and part of the comedy group, Stuff Films. Check out their website here: Stuff Films and their YouTube channel here: Stuff Films on YouTube.

Grifffin topped it off with a shamrock, which can only lead to...

The traditional wearin' of the Guinness. Too rah loo rah loo rah.

Damien was another friendly barkeep on duty.

Here's the center of the bar with the hand-carved logo above. The entire bar is hand carved and very impressive.

There's long wooden tables and stools in the center of the bar to gather round.

And candle-lit dining tables line the outer brick walls.

Seated at the center of the bar were the lovely Sarah and Brooke. And guess what? They're in town from Sydney, Australia! I keep running into Australians on this bar crawl and that's nothing but a good thing.

There's a large selection of draft beers available at the bar and here's some of them.

Mosaic lamps hang overhead and illuminate the bar.

And this hallway leads to the other room...

With an equally enormous wooden bar on this side. Plenty of seats at the bar in this place.

But I'm staying loyal to Griffin's side of the bar and here he is in action.

I got to meet the owner, Hugh O'Lunney and the manager Norman. From left: Owner, Hugh O'Lunney, Yours Fooly, and manager Norman.

Seated next to me at the bar were Derek and Rebecca. They're in town from Sacramento, California and are a really cool couple. We had a nice conversation at the bar.

And then Griffin decided it was time for some shots to be had. He pours...

And we clink and drink. Cheers!

And three parting shots. (Yes, I'm going to run this joke into the ground like everything else I do here. You got a problem with that?) Goodnight, everybody!

Review
O’Lunney’s is a massive, sprawling, Irish bar in the heart of Times Square. The bar itself is a giant horseshoe, dark wooden bar that snakes around both rooms. You’re almost always likely to find a seat at this place. The bar is a family-owned business run by the friendly owner Hugh O’Lunney and his daughter, Maureen. The bartenders and staff are a nice and friendly crew and the cliental is a mix of after-work locals and tourists stopping in for a pint of Guinness and some traditional Irish atmosphere and food.

They have a full bar and a good choice of bottled beer and a dozen beers on tap including: Guinness, Harp, New Castle and Killians Red. Just like the bar itself the menu is large with four burgers to choose from, ten varieties of sandwiches and wraps and three types of steaks. Of course there’s a large selection of traditional Irish fare to be had and some of those offered include: Corned Beef And Cabbage, Bangers And Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Corned Beef Hash. There’s a daily dinner special offered every night of the week and a full lunch menu is also available daily. The kitchen is open late till 2am on Sunday’s and Monday’s and till 3am the rest of the week.

O'Lunney's Times Square Pub
145 W 45th St. (Between Sixth and Seventh Ave.)
212-840-6688

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010—Bar 192

Day 192—Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Upstairs Bar (2nd Floor of the Hotel @ Times Square)
First off, I want to thank Sandeep Chouskey who gave me a shout-out in his new blog called, Sleepless In New York. He just started the blog and you can check it out here: Sleepless in New York. Thanks Sandeep and good luck with your blog.

Okay, my camera is all charged up and hopefully won’t fail me tonight. Last night at the Holiday, David who was sitting next to me told me about a little, somewhat unknown bar in Times Square. He said it’s a tiny bar, but very cool. It’s located on the 2nd floor at the Hotel @ Times Square hotel. I found a review on it and it looks like a cool little place . So that’s tonight’s destination, camera don’t fail me now.

Okay, here's the hotel, let's find the bar.

Signpost: Upstairs Bar is one floor away.

Here we are.

I'm not even in the door and I like it already.

It looks super-friendly in here and there's a seat at the bar waiting to be snagged.

Seconds after the snagging, super-cute and friendly bartender Kira serves up an ice-cold Corona.

Here's my little area at the bar where I'm perched.

Kira's two lovely friends were seated next to me, here they are with Kira. From left: Kira, Emily and Ellice.

Barry and Shawn were seated on the other side of me. This place was like drinking in a fun little dorm room.

And speaking of drinking, cheers!

Here's Kira at work.

A Red Stag machine, I've never seen one of these, a first on the bar crawl.

One of the walls is covered with tiny little pictures of the tiny little bar.

Here's a list of some of the cocktails and specialty shots available at the bar.

James and Wil were visiting from Sydney, Australia. Two nice guys, who continue to bond the 365 Bar Crawl to my mates in Australia.

Here's the cozy back room of the bar, let's see who these guys are.

It's Ken and Bill who are friends from way back in their college days.

Here's Frank, the hospitable owner of the bar posing with Kira.

Frank's a great host and minutes after he arrived he was pouring out shots for the house.

Kira, Frank, Ellice and Emily toast a shot together.

As do this group who's gathered at the tables behind the bar.

They're in town from North Dakota and they are (from left:) Matthew, Michelle, Tara, Mark, Rochel and Leigh. And the jerkoff pointing at them like an idiot is me.

And now it's time for my shot. Thanks to Kira, Frank and everybody at the bar for a great time on the old crawl. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Sometimes old expressions ring true. In this case that expression would be that good things come in small packages. The Upstairs Bar calls itself “The Biggest Little Bar” and they don’t lie. The Upstairs Bar is certainly are a David, battling some of the city’s Goliath gastropubs, behemoth bars and towering taverns and in my opinion, they beat them all. Climb up the black marble stairs in this boutique hotel and you’ll discover a tiny, little gem of a bar. The bar itself is a small L-shaped bar that can seat five people. There’s tables behind it and a cozy room in the back with a booth and a couple more tables. Kira the bartender is one of the friendliest bartenders in town and if you’re there when Frank the owner is there, the odds are the house will get a free shot. This place is located on the second floor in this hotel in Times Square, but it feels more like you’re drinking in the basement of someone’s house when you were in high school and there parents were away. The crowd changes every half an hour due to the hotel cliental, so there’s an ever-changing mix of people to talk to, and this place seems to magically put everyone in a good mood.

The happy hour here runs from 5pm to 7pm, but you can score three buck drafts and five dollar glasses of wine from the time it opens which is 5pm to closing time which varies, but usually is around one in the morning. There’s no food available, but considering the mood and atmosphere, I’m sure they would have no problem with you bringing in takeout. Just be prepared to share, it’s that kind of place. Stop by Upstairs, it’s got a downstairs attitude and a great bar in an area of town that desperately needs one.

Upstairs Bar
Hotel @ Times Square
59 W 46th St. (Between 5th and 6th St.)
2nd Floor
212-719-2300 (ext. 1419)