Wednesday, July 7th, 2010—Bar 178

Day 178—Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Antarctica
Okay, so we’re in the middle of a blazing heat wave here in the Baked...err...I mean Big Apple. It broke 100 degrees today and I think it’s going to do the same tomorrow. So what better place to go to when it’s hot than Antarctica? Okay, I wish I had the dough (see PayPal button to the right) to go to Antarctica (see PayPal button to the right) but it’s hard enough scraping together cab fare home from some of these places (see PayPal button to the right.) (Okay, the subliminal begging portion of this post is over.)

There’s a bar on the corner of Spring and Hudson in Soho called Antarctica, so of course I have to go there tonight to try and beat this heat. Will it live up to its chilling name? Let’s go see.

Wow, the cabbie actually has his air conditioner cranking full-blast! This is a good sign!

And here we are, Antarctica. I hope it lives up to its name, because it feels like the Sahara desert on this side of the door.

They have benches outside, but no one's going to sit in them on a hot night like tonight.

Aaahh, I'm hit with a blast of air conditioning as I walk in. And due to the fact that we're coming off of a three day weekend and the heat means a slow night at most bars including this one. Which is fine with me, I feel like just chilling out, literally.

And here to help the chilling process with an ice-cold drink is the lovely and friendly bartender, Kim.

It's so hot, I opted out for a beer and got one of their giganzo mixed drinks instead. A 16 ounce vodka and OJ for six bucks, not bad! Cheers!
However if you are in a beer mood, there's a good selection to be had here, check it out.

There's leather-lined banquettes opposite the bar for comfortable seating.

If your name is on this magic board, you drink for free! Sadly the name was Satoko and not Marty. And yes, there was a Satoko that came in that night, according to Kim. She had four pints of Guinness on the house.

Dave and Sean were holding down the end of the bar and having some drinks to beat the heat.

Some of the draft beers available at Antarctica.

There's a pool table in the back.

And a list of rules to follow on the wall. They take their pool playing seriously here! I like number 10 the best.

Ed and Lisa were perched at the bar and loved the 365 bar crawl idea. They said they'd tell a million and ten people. Okay, I'm counting on you!

The best seat in the house, with a nice view of Hudson Street.

The well-worn bar at Antarctica.

And now the bad news, I have to leave and go face the heat again.

But the good news is my tiny little window unit is still cranking out chilled air. Aaahhh! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Antarctica is a bar that lives up to its name in the middle of a heat wave in the Soho section of downtown Manhattan. It was an oasis of cool air and cheap booze and an all around good time. All the ingredients of a top-notch neighborhood bar are here: long wooden bar, friendly bartender, spacious area with tables and banquettes for seating, good jukebox and a pool table. And they take their pool playing seriously here. Rules are posted on the walls and team award plaques are hung nearby. The vibe is friendly and casual and the drinks are priced for a recession-friendly good time.

There’s a large selection of ice-cold (hey it’s Antarctica, what do you expect?) bottled beers available and some of the draft choices include: Stella Artois, Guinness, Brooklyn Lager and Samuel Adams. Mixed drinks are served in 16 ounce pint glasses and are available for between five to seven bucks a pop. Domestic pitchers of beer can be had for 10 bucks apiece and imported pitchers go for fifteen a pitcher.

Every night is “Name Night” at Antarctica. If your name matches the name on the board, you drink for free from 5pm to 11pm, Monday through Friday and 7pm to 1am on Saturday nights. You can check to see the month’s names at their website (listed below.)

Antarctica
287 Hudson St. (@Spring St.)
212-736-1575