Sunday July 11th, 2010—Bar 182

Day 182—Saturday, July 10th, 2010
Knuckles Tiki Bar
Okay, today we’re going to do something a little different. We’re going to a backyard bar in Long Island. John Nichols, a co-worker and friend of mine was telling me about a tiki bar he set up in his backyard in Long Island and he agreed to let me bring the bar crawl there and have a barbecue and some drinks at his bar. I thought this was a great idea and a chance to take the crawl on a little different direction and break things up a little bit. So it’s a travelling day on the bar crawl! All aboard, next stop, Knuckles Tiki Bar in Long Island!

Here we are at the port of call, Penn Station.

The escalator goes down...

And the Long Island Railroad is that-a-way.

Here's the ticket counter.

I've got a little over an hour to kill, hmmm, what to do? Oh I know, why not go to a bar and that way it'll kill any naysayers who complain I'm not going to a "real bar" today. Let's go find one.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH! Run and hide! Let's check upstairs, no way am I drinking at a T.G.I. Fridays.

Jesus Creeping Christ, there's another one upstairs! Help me Mr. Wizard!

Thank you Mr. Wizard! The name's a little corny, but this place looks okay.

Wow, it's a long bar, but there's always got to be some asshole yakking on his cell phone to ruin the mood of the joint. Hi asshole!

And the beautiful bartender served me up an ice cold bottle of Budweiser. I forgot to write her name down, so she'll be forever known as the beautiful bartender who served me up an ice cold bottle of Budweiser.

Okay, time to board the train. Wow, a lot of people, all pushing and shoving, thank fuck I don't have to do this every day.

Goddamn, it took me seven cars to find an empty seat and it's noisy with people yakking to each other and on their cell phones. I hope I never lose my apartment in the city.

And we're off. Obligatory train shot.

And through the magic of the internet, here we are an hour later.

Hello Long Island!

And here's my ride. The first backyard bar crawl is about to begin!

And so it begins! Here's the Knuckles Tiki Bar proprietor and bartender John Nichols greeting me with a can of Budweiser! Looks like the start of a good day and night.

And here's the other patrons of the bar, from left: Tony Chester, John and Charles Karen.

What time is it?

Why it's time for Happy Hour to begin, sounds good to me.

It's a well-stocked bar here at Knuckles Tiki Bar.

Of course there's a dart board.

And some nice neon as well.

Okay, it's official, the tiki bar is open!

And for once I get on the other side of the bar, cheers!

Here's Flo, the tiki god of Knuckles bar, she watched out over us all day and night.

Tony was the grill master of the evening and he did a great job. Everything was delicious!

Check out the chicken, not too shabby, huh?

Here's Tony, Charles and John chilling with beers and drinks at the bar.

It's cheeseburger Saturday night so Tony cleans off the grill to make things right.

Okay, it's officially Cheeseburger Saturday night, a great burger, grilled to perfection by Tony.

Okay, some time has lapsed due to the fact I wanted to hang out and relax and booze it up with eveybody, but now the camera is back out and night has fallen on Knuckles Tiki Bar. Bobby joins the party as Charles pats himself on the back.

Tony and Bobby are thinking, "Doesn't this asshole ever give it a rest?"

John and Tony work on the final course of the barbecue.

Sliced steak. John marinated it with his own recipe and Tony grilled it to perfection, really a taste treat!

And Charles brought the dessert, Entenmann's cakes. You gotta love the Entenmann's!

And now it appears to be closing time at Knuckles Tiki Bar. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Knuckles Tiki bar is a backyard hideaway and paradise all in one. The bar is horseshoe shaped and the owner and  bartender, John Nichols is friendly and fast with a cold beer. The clientele is a friendly mix of John Nichols and the occasional bar crawl that stampedes through on a Saturday night. There’s a full bar available and the beers range from whatever is in the refrigerator and what you bring. There’s a good selection of whiskey and tequila in the cupboard and when the grill gets fired up the food is amazing. Especially if you have Tony Chester on hand to be the grill master.

This was a fun night on the old bar crawl and I want to thank John Nichols for having me out and welcoming me (and all of you) to the Knuckles Tiki Bar. And thanks to Tony Chester, Charles Karen and Bobby for coming along and adding to the party. A good time was had by all! Cheers!


Knuckles Tiki Bar
Long Island
877-544-4088