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)
@Brooksy: Thanks for voting and that recipe of girls in bikinis and beer sounds good to me! Send in a photo of that sometime!
Shit I'm running late today and missed the vote, nice to see you proclaim Lexi the winner! And speaking of winner's, this bar is great! Love all the Christmas lights and knick-knacks everywhere. A great neighborhood joint! Nice!
damn damn damn...motherfucker....is this the same paddy mcguire's that started 99?...when an irish hooligan screwed your day?...must be a different place ...got my vote in ...early...brett had a lead...nobody else was close...don't know what to say don;t know what to do thanks to al, susie and 365 i'm glad i'm glad i'm glad...KOC
rr
@raginrr: Goddamn, you're right! I competely forgot about that. That's where the bartender ignored me! Ha ha ha! Good call!
fuk!..well i'm with Barfly, .....got caught up at work & missed the vote, sorry Lexi, ya would've had my vote mate, no worries....
& irish pubs are pretty bloody good, gotta go to this one...."sheez tha ducks guts Max!!!!" (Mad Max quote meaning fukin' unreal!!!)
@fitzy: She came in a close second, but she won here! We all win at 365!
I've been to Paddy's a few times ... a very pleasurable place ! I like all the tv's !!!
Go Yankees ! ... at least they won tonight and gave me one more game to enjoy !
Can't wait for the Breeders Cup ! ... best day/s of horse racing all year ! It's like 10 Kentucky Derby's in the same day :)
Party !!!!!!!
@GENE: GO YANKEES!
yep I'm late here for the vote too... But TO LEXI the winner at 365 bars!! We all win at 365 bars! the same way we all win in Toulouse (same pronunciation than to loose)
cool typical irish bar