Saturday, July 3rd, 2010—Bar 174

Day 174—Friday, July 2nd, 2010
Irish Times
Okay, it’s Friday night and as usual I’m really tired and feel pretty burned out. And, yes, I would like some ice with my whine. Anyway, as I’ve constantly moaned about since I started this 365 Bar Crawl, Fridays are impossible to do my usual thing where I go around and talk to people. The bar is crowded, most people are out in groups, so it’s tough to approach them and the biggest thing is by this time of the week I’m really fucking sick of talking to people! I just want to make like Marcel Marceau, drink my three drinks, take some photos and get the hell out of Dodge. Last week I used quotes from Frank Booth, Dennis Hopper’s great, creepy character in the movie “Blue Velvet” for photo captions and I was going to start using different movies every Friday. The only problem was I couldn’t find another character that worked as good as Frank did. And then I realized, what the fuck, just because I don’t talk to people doesn’t mean I can’t write captions. So the captions are back on Friday’s posts, I just won’t know anyone’s names. And they won’t know mine, sometimes that’s a good thing. Oh and we’re going to Irish Times because it’s about a four minute walk from where I work. Set your stopwatches, you’ll see.

See? Here we are. Okay, let's go in and get this over with...err...have a good time.

Hey, look at this! It's not very crowded at all in here! Plenty of seats at the bar.

And Rijo serves me up an ice cold beer before I even sit down. Looks like I can do this Friday in true Bar Crawl fashion. Hooray for me!

I joined a friendly group of people for a drink who were sitting nearby. From left: Steve, Lauren, me and Amanda.

The TV's and lit up booze bottles make for a nice bar setting.

Large, comfortable wooden booths line the walls opposite the bar.

The long and winding bar.

Some of the beers on draft.

The dining area in the front...

And in the back, plenty of seats in here.

And there's an upstairs.

Let's check it out.

A spacious area with a great view.

A bird's-eye-view of the bar, part one...

And part two.

And something I haven't done for awhile, the obligatory bathroom mirror shot. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Okay, this is a good bar in a bit of a no-man’s land in Manhattan. If you’re going to an event at Madison Square Garden or want a quick drink or three before taking your train back to Jersey, you can’t get much closer than this. There’s always a good chance at getting a seat at the long and winding high polished wooden bar. There’s tables in the front and back for dining and drinking and a spacious seating area upstairs. Sports programs are projected from all of the 15 screens scattered throughout the bar.

There’s a decent selection of bottled beer and a very large selection of brews on tap including: Guinness, Steinlager, Palm Amber Ale and Boston Lager. Irish Times has a large selection of food including such Irish staples as: Irish Beef Stew, Shepherd's Pie, Fish And Chips and an Irish Breakfast that has grilled Irish bacon, sausage, pudding, tomato, eggs and served with french fries. They also have three varieties of burgers and a large selection of sandwiches and salads. There’s nightly drink specials and Happy Hour runs Monday through Friday offering six dollar martinis and cosmos, four buck beers and five dollar well drinks and shots.

Stop by on a Friday night, there’s plenty of seats. For now.

Irish Times
254 West 31st St. (Near 8th Ave.)
212-216-9355

Friday, July 2nd, 2010—Bar 173

Day 173—Thursday, July 1st, 2010
The Local Cafe (Originally headed for The Distinguished Wakamba Lounge)
Tonight I wanted to go to a tiki bar. Originally I was thinking about this place, Painkiller, but then I was a little concerned I might not be able to sit at the bar, because it’s small, new and it’s Thursday, a popular night out. It’s not a rule that I have to sit at the bar, but I’ve found I have a better experience if I do. So I’m still going to go here, but I’ll go at the beginning of the week, when it’s a little slower. But while Googling around I think I found a real gem. Get the name of this joint: The Distinguished Wakamba Lounge. I love that name and it looks like it’s trying to be a tiki bar, but is really just a dive bar with some aquatic knick-knacks thrown in for good measure. From the reviews I’ve read, it’s a bar that resembles a ‘70’s era, Taxi Driver period. Who could ask for anything more? You talkin’ to me?

And we're off, down 30th Streeet...

And up 8th Avenue.

And here it is in all its glory: The Distinguished Wakamba Cocktail Lounge. Sadly the owners not only told me I couldn’t take pictures, I got the feeling that my legs would get broken if I stayed there much longer after asking if I could do my 365 thing in there. This is sad for me, because this is a classic NYC bar. It’s a Spanish themed place with tiki touches and the bartenders are Spanish women with short shorts, skimpy tops and little mastery of the English language. Even though I was given my walking papers (I still plan on trynig this place again, though) I suggest you stop by for a beer. It’s one unique bar and a slice of old school New York I hope that never goes away. Okay, on with the crawl.

Okay, time for a lonely walk back down 8th Avenue.

I saw this bar on my way to the Distinguished Wakamba Cocktail Lounge (God, I love typing that name!) and put it in my back pocket in case the Distinguished Wakamba Cocktail Lounge (LOVE typing that name!) didn't work out. It didn't and here we are.

They just called last call at the downstairs bar, but i'm told that there's a rooftop bar that stays open later. So let's go, up on the roof!

Wow, a nice little rooftop oasis.

And a cute bartender at the helm. Vicki serves up an ice cold beer.

There's a good crowd here enjoying the nice weather and the view.

Tables line the rooftop patio perimeter for a drink and a view of the city.

Which is exactly what Erin and Amanda were doing.

This quartet were enjoying beers and happily posed for the 365 camera. From left: Fernando, Natalia, Liliana and Mark.

Meanwhile back at the bar...

I met Mark, Ollie and Andy who are soccer coaches in town from the U,K. Cheers, guys!

This waitress didn't want her name revealed, so we'll call her the Anonymous Waitress.

Jordan and Jeanette were seated next to me and wished me the best on the bar crawl. A really nice couple!

Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Local Cafe is a hidden gem near Penn Station. The downstairs bar is nice enough with a small bar and communal tables but the big surprise is the upstairs rooftop bar that is open during the spring and summer. It’s a horseshoe bar with a nice view of Penn Station and the surrounding streets and office buildings. The crowd is a mix of tourists and commuters and it’s a big after work draw for those in the know.

They have a full bar with a good selection of draft and bottled beer. They also offer up signature specialty cocktails such as: Dragon Punch which is Bacardi Dragon Berry, Barcardi Select Sour, Orange Juice, Grenadine and Passion Fruit Puree, Garden Breeze which consists of Grey Goose Orange, Pineapple and Cranberry and 3 Sheets which is a mixture of Hendricks Gin, St. Germain, Fresh Lime Juice and Club Soda. There’s food available too incuding: Eight varieties of burgers, hot dogs, boneless wings, calamari and a Local Pu Pu Platter with Red Hot Boneless Wings, Chile Salt Calamari, Ketchup Meatloaf Meatballs, Mini Grilled Cheese and Potato Pancakes.

Stop by and enjoy this bar with a view.

The Local Cafe
1 Penn Plaza (near Eighth Ave.)
212-629-7070

Thursday, July 1st, 2010—Bar 172

Day 172—Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
The Patriot (Originally headed for Ward III)
Tonight is something I’m going to start doing more often and that is go to a bar that’s recommended by a bartender. The other night when I was at Lilly O’Brien’s, Brian (the Will Ferrell look-alike) suggested I try out a bar in the neighborhood called Ward III. He gave it high praise and said it was one of his favorite spots. Brian was a real pro of a bartender and I trust his instincts, so it’s off to Ward III we go.

There's no cabs tonight. This sucks.

Okay, ten minutes later I'm still waiting. What the fuck?

Finally one showed up. Alright, we're on the way!

And here we are at Ward III, there's no sign, just this marker on the door. I like that!

And apparently so do a lot of other people. It's packed in here and it's after midnight! There's no seats at the bar and I don't like the way this guy is looking at me, so we'll try this bar on another night. It does look nice in here.

And so begins another lonely walk in search of a bar for tonight.

HATE the 7-11! Shop at local bodegas, people!

Well, well, well, what have we here?

I like the attitude!

This is Johnny, the door man and bouncer. I think I'll behave for the evening.

There's seats at the bar, okay, we're in business.

And the lovely Margarita serves up an ice cold can of Pabst. Now we're talking!

Nice shots of Marilyn on the wall.

And a cool vintage Pabst neon sign lights up the back room of the bar.

Emily and Paul were enjoying drinks at the bar and were supportive of the 365 Bar Crawl. Cheers to them!

There's tables opposite the bar to sit and enjoy cheap booze and the party-hearty ambience.

Jessica was the other cute bartender on duty.

The bar is long and perfect for...

Dancing! Margarita performs an impromptu dance for the patrons.

Okay, one for the road. Peace and carrots and goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Patriot is part dive bar and part country bar in the heart of Tribeca. The all female bartender staff have endearing attitude as well as cleavage and it’s a spacious, two story bar. Downstairs there’s a long bar and tables opposite and booths up front. A jukebox features varied artists such as Buck Owens, Warren Zevon, Lorretta Lynn, Bob Dylan and Tammy Wynette. Put some tunes on the jukebox and don’t be surprised when the bartender on duty jumps up on the bar and starts dancing the night away. Just watch out for your drink.

If your wallet is feeling thin, this is the place to go. There’s Pabst cans available for three bucks and pitchers for eight dollars. Burgers can be had for just a little over a buck. The upstairs has another bar and a pool table and is a little less noisy. Drinks are just as cheap though and a free shot is looming in your future after a drink or three.

The Patriot
110 Chambers St. (near Church St.)
212-748-1162