Saturday, December 18th, 2010—Bar—342

Day 342—Friday, December 17th, 2010
McKenna's Pub
The holiday season is here and the donations are flying in to help me make the tail end of this year-long bar crawl. First up is Ernest Blackwelder who sent in a generous donation of ten dollars. His message on the PayPal receipt reads: “Holiday greetings from Central Illinois at thesandwichlife.com!” Thanks Ernest, happy holidays to you and yours! Everyone check out Ernest’s blog here: The Sandwich Life. I love the name of that!

Next up in donation-land is our own commentator, raginrr a.k.a. Ray Rogers. We all know him as the late night commentator who dispenses philosophy at the midnight hour after a drink or ten. I always get a kick out of them and he’s sent in a more than generous donation of 25 dollars with his message reading: “In the spirits of the season...you and GENE have one on me.” Shit for 25 bucks, we’ll have more than one, raginrr! Thanks for the generous donation, my friend and keep on commentating!

And just about a half an hour ago another donation came in, contributing to this Christmas magic and it’s from Max Schindler who wishes us alla Merry Christmas and said to have on him. Max generously sent in twienty dollars and I thank you for that and for following the 365 blog. Merry Christmas to you, kind sir!

Okay, tonight and all weekend I’ve got a special guest star on the old bar crawl. Gene from the BBC (Baltimore Bar Crawlers) is in town solo for a change. Smoopy and Terry are in rehab busy and they couldn’t come, so Gene came for one last crawl on the 365 tour. He’s really making time since he’s on his own, I recently heard from him and at last count he’s hit 879 bars and has had 1011 drinks already. Plus, he’s picked tonight’s bar, McKenna’s Pub, which is a bar I’ve never been to and it’s only about three blocks from where I live. So let’s go see this place and see if Gene still has a pulse after all those bars and beers!

Here we are at McKenna's, let's get inside, it's freezing out here.

Holy friole, it's jam-packed in here, let's see if we can find a spot at the bar.

Hmm...the back of this guy's head looks familiar...

It's Gene from the BBC with a live donation of a fify dollar bill from himself and Smoopy! Very nice, thanks to Gene and Smoopy and now let the bar crawl begin!

Gene saved me a seat at the bar and here's the view from my stool.

They had two very pretty bartenders on duty, but sadly, neither would let me take their photo. So here's a generic bartender photo I found on Google. I have to admit I felt a little defeated after not having scored a bartender shot, but I decided to move on.

Sean was seated next to me and was drinking a Pabst and happily posed for the 365 camera.

Tables line the walls opposite the bar. As you can see, it's filled to capacity in here.

Some of the drafts available at the bar.

Here's the lovely Meghan who squeezed in between Sean and I for a drink.

And here's Sean's friend Austin who happily smiled for the 365 camera.

A picture on the wall decked out for the holiday season.

There's a lounge area in the back with couches and comfortable chairs.

And here's Kelly, Isela and Linda chilling out in the back room. Cheers, ladies.

Meanwhile, back at the bar you can see a sillouhette of the mysterious bartenders who refused to be photographed.

I was grumbling about the bartenders not letting me take a photo, when Gene had the genius idea of going next door to Ipanema and seeing if I could get a bartender shot there. Ipanema was bar # 179 and I remember their bartender's had no problems with photos. Here's Gene in front of the bar.

Holy smokin' moley, check out the bartender on duty in here!

The beautiful bartender's name is Gabriela and she was friendly and was happy to pose for a photo.

In fact she even came out from the bar to pose with Gene and I and Kendall in the back.

And then she was such a good sport, she took a photo of Gene and I and two new friends of the 365 bar crawl, from left: J.C., Kendall, Yours Fooly and Gene. Cheers and goodnight, everybody!

Review
Okay, sadly I have to work this Saturday and I have to work and I’m running late, so I’m going to slack and put up a review of McKenna’s from New York magazine.

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The doorway of McKenna’s may be just a kitten-heeled stumble from the Meatpacking District’s velvet ropes, but as far as any resemblance to that overrun playground of $300 jeans and $15 cocktails goes, this no-bullshit Irish pub might as well be in Staten Island. Nothing about McKenna's is meant to impress: The flimsy tin bartop, rickety green glass light fixtures, and worn leather booths—coupled with ruthlessly efficient bartenders—are there to get the job done. A grimy pay phone that doubles as the bar's own landline perches in the far corner next to the jukebox, and the spacious outdoor terrace is peopled by drinkers snagging a cig between pints. McKenna's pricing is about as extravagant as its décor: Working stiffs who've sweated out an 11-hour day can take advantage of the unbelievable eight-hour-long happy hour, where the two-for-one drink special means your belt buckle may give out long before your wallet does. — Jocelyn Voo

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And now...weekend work. Eccch to quote Alfred E. Neuman.

McKenna's Pub
250 W. 14th St. (Near Eighth Ave.)
212-255-2889

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Bonus Photo From Jaws

Jaws the cabbie suggested that the commentators should send in a photo of themselves and he started it off with him in his cab. Here's Jaws!

Friday, December 17th, 2010—Bar 341

Day 341—Thursday, December 16th, 2010
Max Fish
First off thanks to Beth Robinette who has sent in a generous donation of 20 dollars here on the home stretch. She found the site through her friend Rick Halberg, so I thank both of you. Beth wanted me to mention the fine website, Atlanta Culinary Tours and whoops, I just did! Check out this site here: Atlanta Culinary Tours. Thanks for the donation, Beth, you’re helping me make it to the bitter end here on the bar crawl.

And speaking of bitter ends, Max Fish is a bar that has been a fixture in the East Village since 1989. I remember going there in the mid ‘90’s when you couldn’t find an ATM anywhere in the East Village. Now sadly, the area is slowly turning into one huge cash machine. The bar is owned by German artist, Ulli Rimkus and sadly her greed-head, dick-snot landlord tripled her rent and is forcing her and the bar out of the neighborhood and a death knell is sounded for another East Village landmark. Ulli said in an interview with Grub Street that she plans on finding a new place and re-opening and keeping it the same as it ever was. I hope she can pull it off, it’s sad it’s closing and I dread to even wonder what will go into that space. Yesterday, Jeremiah Moss advised me to check it out soon, so here we go.

Here we are, over 30 years on the block and then the landlord triples your rent and you're fucked.

Wow, it's after one in the morning and there's still a huge crowd in here.

It's packed at the bar, but there's no turning back now.

I finally made it to the bar and here's Daniel, the funny and friendly bartender who not only posed behind the bar...

He climbed up on the bar...

Almost there...

Baboom! The 365 card is flashed from atop the bar. Daniel told me it's pictures like this that continually get him fired. Luckily Ulli rehires him afterwards.

And he captured a shot of me from up there. Cheers to Daniel, a great bartender!

I managed to squirm into a seat at the bar and here's a shot from my perspective.

Here's a full shot of the bar.

Daniel's chatting with a couple of people at the bar, let's go meet them.

This is Anton who's a photographer and you can check out his work here: Anton Perich. Anton's work has appeared in Interview magazine and he publishes his own magazine, NIGHT magazine.

Andrea is working on a TV program with Anton. She's an actress and an artist and a regular at Max Fish.

Happy birthday Max Fish. Sadly, the last one in this location, thanks to a greedy-ass landlord.

Some festive decorations above the bar.

A nod to the past, a graffiti covered pay phone.

Blue banquettes and polka dot wallpaper line the wall opposite the bar.

Some art and photography on the walls. Max Fish has always supported local artists and shown original work on the walls of the bar.

More photos next to a mod painting on the wall.

The back room has a pool table and a jukebox with an eclectic selection of tunes.

However, the jukebox was off this evening because a DJ was spinning tunes.

Here she's getting the next selection ready. She told me her name and I forgot to write it down. Yes, I've had several drinks by now.

Two turntables and a microphone.

Meanwhile back at the bar the night moves along.

Malik walked in and approached the bar.

And bought shots for the two of us. Thanks and cheers to Malik!

Okay, time to say goodnight to Max Fish.

Max...

Fish. Goodnight, everybody.

Review
There’s no sense in reviewing Max Fish since it’s going to be closed in about eight weeks. Instead I applaud Ulli Rimkus for creating a space where artists and free-thinking people could gather, drink, share ideas and display their works. The cliental has changed somewhat since the bar has opened, but some of the old regulars remain and it stills retains a vibe of the East Village of yesterday. I wish Ulli all the best luck finding a space for the new Max Fish and I raise a glass to the old one. The New York Times reports that on the last night, January 31st, the staff plans on painting the walls in pitch black paint. Paint it black, people, paint it black. Cheers to Ulli Rimkus and Max Fish.

Max Fish
178 Ludlow St. (Near Houston St.)
212-529-3959

Thursday, December 16th, 2010—Bar 340

Day 340—Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
Audrey Lounge (in the St. Giles Tuscany Hotel)
One of my favorite blogs is Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York. It’s a blog that documents how the landscape of New York is changing and how important institutions and places are vanishing. The writing is clever and insightful and it shows how our culture and New York is changing, most times for the worse. In addition, Jeremiah interviews people that are doing things connected with New York City and I was honored that he asked me to do a Q. and A. for the blog. Today it’s up and you can read it here: Marty’s Q. and A. at Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York. Thanks Jeremiah, keep fighting the good fight!

Okay, back to the bar crawl. Well, I’m still a little shell-shocked after being thrown out of Spain’s bar last night. I need to bounce back and I think I know the place to go. The other day I got a direct message on Twitter and here it is.

Hmm...imagine that, a bar that actually appreciates someone roaming the city and documenting bar and tavern culture at every stop. What a concept! So it’s nice to be invited somewhere where my services are appreciated. Plus it’s not far from where I work, so bundle up, it’s as cold as the staff at Spain out there.

It's about 14 blocks from here, so we'll just hoof it on over. It's cold out, but it's not too windy, so it's not that bad out here.

Okay, after about twelve blocks, forget what I said earlier, I'm freezing my ass off over here, where the hell is this place.

Here's the hotel, The St. Giles Tuscany.

And here's the bar, let's get inside and get warmed up.

The bar is small, but I see a seat and the lighting in here is warming me up already.

I didn't feel like drinking a cold beer, so Rebecca, the pretty and friendly bartender mixed me up a specialty cocktail. It's called the Riker's Island. Kind of a scary title for a drink.

And the drink is served.

And it's delicious! I'm officially warmed up at this point.

Here's the back of the bar in all its lit-up magenta glory.

A long shot of the cozy, candle-lit bar.

There's tables in the back of the room overlooking the lobby and a Christmas tree.

There's also a small lounge area back here to enjoy a drink and chill out. What's that on the wall?

Fire! This goes out to Gidget and Jaws, who are currently digging themselves out of their snow covered cities.

A couple of window seats opposite the bar.

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Rebecca poses with Brian and Peter. We had a nice conversation at the bar with topics ranging from music and new bands, to suicide, to Duane Reade, to New York apartment living to what the internet is doing to our society. A fun conversation and a fun night.

Rebecca highly endorses Absolut Brooklyn, which Absolut has made in conjunction with Spike Lee. In fact she's not only the President of the Absolut Brooklyn fan club...

She's also a member. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Audrey Lounge in the St. Giles Tuscany Hotel is a nice, small, cozy magenta hued bar. The bar itself seats about a half a dozen people with tables and chairs to the side and behind it and a candle-lit nook to the side. The bartenders are friendly and the crowd is a mix of people staying at the hotel and neighborhood locals. Music is played at a conversational level and the vibe is chill and friendly. And there's a fireplace on the wall!

There’s a full bar with a selection of about a half a dozen bottled beers and cocktails. They also have a decent selection of bourbon and single malts and Rebecca recommends the Big Apple Martini and The Riker’s Island from the specialty cocktail list. I’m sworn to secrecy about the ingredients of the drinks, so you’ll have to stop in to check them out yourself.

Thanks to the Audrey Lounge for inviting me over. A lovely time was had by all.

Audrey Lounge (in the St. Giles Tuscany Hotel)
120 E 39th (Between Park and Lexington)
212-686-1600

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Bonus Cockroach Art From Jaws

The old "Joe's Apt." show was mentioned in the comments section and here's Jaws' take on cockroaches in NYC!