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Entries in Tropical 128 (1)

Friday
Oct152010

Friday, October 15th, 2010—Bar 278

Day 278—Thursday, October 15th, 2010
Tropical 128

Alright so I’ve decided not to grumble about work here anymore (although today and tonight sucked just as bad as the rest of the week) and just put on my happy bar crawl face and hit the road. I found a place online that sounds like it’s a deliberately cheesy place. It’s called Tropical 128 http://tropical128.com/ and it’s a tropical bar/pool hall. If nothing else, it sounds like it’s sure to be different. Let’s hit the road for some well deserved cocktails.

Okay, here we are, Tropical 128. Time for a nice relaxing, tropical break.

Ahh, Negra Modelo is served here, great! I love this beer!

Just a oouple people at the bar, perfect!

Usually when I tell the bartender what I'm doing, they smile, laugh, sometimes high-five me, because they realize that their bar is going to get some nice publicity for free. Here I told the woman behind the bar and her face went from unsmiling to a scowl. And when I asked her if I could take a picture of her serving me up a beer, it was met with her telling me no in a most unfriendly way. I asked the other bartender and she too said no, but agreed after much persuasion to let me photograph her hand. Months ago I had a bartender who didn't want her photo taken, she told me she was shy, so I did the hand photo, but she was nice about it, and we had a nice conversation at the bar These two served me the beer, then retreated to the far corner of the bar and pretty much ignored me and the other couple of people at the bar. The other people left soon and then it was just me and the two anti-social bartenders. It really felt uncomfortable in there.

One of them begrudgingly took my photo. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that it's a lot of work to write these captions. You have to try to keep people interested and keep the captions brief but zingy. And I have to do it first thing in the morning before I go to work. But if I've had a good time at a bar and the bartender and people were friendly and fun, I'm happy to go the extra mile and do my best at trying to provide good captions to go along with the photos. But if I've had a shitty time and the bartenders were pretty much rude to me and didn't even say, "Thank you," after being tipped for every drink, well...

Blah...

Blah, blah, blah...

I don't even know what the fuck this is, alien eyes?

Blah...

Blah, blah...

They have a nice billiard room, but it's empty on a Thursday night. Gee, I wonder why?

Blah...

Feet...

Suddenly...Saltines! Goodnight, everybody.

Review
What’s sad is this place could be a fun joint. The front bar area is cheesily decorated and there’s a first class pool table area in the back. But if the bar is empty and the bartenders are anti-social, well, I’d rather drink in a deserted doorway, standing in a puddle of piss.

In my travels on this bar crawl, people sometimes ask me what makes a great bar. And I always tell them, it’s not really the bar, but the people inside that make an outstanding bar. And it all starts with the bartenders. They are like the captains of the ship in a bar. They set the mood. I’ve found that if the bartender is friendly, fun and outgoing, then the crowd follows suit. But if they act annoyed to be there and it’s obvious they think they’re above serving you a drink, much less talk to you, well, then there won’t be people in the bar and when it’s just you and two bartenders that are pretty much socially retarded it’s about as much fun as playing Twister with a crew of scab-riddled lepers, with their limbs falling off at every twist and turn.

Now I gotta get to work. Hopefully tonight will be better. This bad luck streak in dancing school can’t last forever. Onwards and upwards!

Tropical 128
128 Elizabeth St. (@Broome St.)
212-925-8219

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Bonus Video

365 commentator and soon to be visitor, Tim Clack sent in this video with this message:

"This is Hollywood's impression of you by Friday....ha ha ha!"

The way things are going, it might just happen! Stay tuned.