Thursday, June 10th, 2010—Bar 151

Day 151—Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Old Town Bar (Originally headed for Sophie's)
I got an email suggestion for a bar from Ian Roure. He suggested Sophie’s in the East Village and it’s a spot I’ve been meaning to go to, so that’s tonight’s destination.

And now a plug-ola for Ian since he suggested this joint. Ian fronts a great band called The Larch . It’s post-punk power pop with a touch of psychedlia thrown in. They have new album and you can check it out right here: Larix Americana by The Larch. And of course I never would have met Ian, had I not met his lovely wife (she sold me an ad years ago!) Liza Garelik who not only plays keyboards and sings with The Larch, she’s got her own musical group, Liza and the Wonderwheels. Check this amazing band right here: Liza and The Wonderwheels.

Alright, time to get crawling, Ian asked for Sophie’s, so he’s gonna get Sophies. Away we go!

It's a chilly and rainy night tonight and it's going to be rough to catch a cab.

Motherfucker, I've been out here for ten minutes and nothing! I'm not walking all the way to the East Village from here, I'm already tired from my shift at work.

Looks like I have to start the old familiar lonely walk down Fifth Avenue in search of a bar. Cue up the song, boys.

What a shitty night!

And still not a cab in sight. I'll go to Sophie's next week, Ian.

Memories, doo doo doo doo da doo...

Then at 23rd and Fifth it hit me...

Old Town Bar! I've been meaning to stop here on the crawl and tonight's the night!

Esquire magazine named Old Town one of the best bars in America. Not just New York, America!

And here we are, the legendary Old Town Bar. (We celebrated commentator Biff's birthday here last year!)

Bartender Patrick serves up not one...

But two bottles of Bud. I need to shake off the rainy chill from the walk here. Cheers!

There's a full bar here at Old Town.

And it's a cellular free zone! You gotta love it!

The walls are lined with large and comfortable wooden booths.

Old Town photos can be had at their website: Old Town Photos.

There's tables in the back for larger groups to convene and drink at.

Memorabilia and photos hang on the walls.

Patrick buys a round for a group at the bar and gets the party into full gear.

Here's Patrick with his girlfriend Colleen. America's cutest couple!

Denise was seated nearby and we happen to work in the same industry as I do and I had a nice conversation with her.

And since this is bar 151, Patrick and I have two shots of Bacardi 151. Salud and goodnight everybody!

Review
If the Old Town Bar gives you a sense of Deja Vu, you’re probably old enough to remember the original opening sequence of the David Letterman Show when he was on NBC. They picked this iconic NYC bar to film the opening credits footage. From the tin ceilings to the tiled floor to the long and sprawling dark wooden bar, Old Town is a true and blue old school Noo Yawk joint. The large wooden booths and the memorabilia on the walls complete the picture of a perfect NYC tavern. Esquire magazine named it one of the best bars in America, check it out: Esquire’s Best Bars in America (scroll to number 16).

This historic tavern has a full bar with a decent bottled and draft beer selection. They are also a restaurant (a full dining room is available upstairs) and some of the selections include: Steak Salad, Clam Roll, A Liverwurst Sandwich on Rye, Sliced Steak Sandwich and five varieties of burgers, which are their specialty. There’s a working dumbwaiter that delivers the meals to the bar, one of the few in town.

Old Town Bar is a must stop for any bar crawler living or visiting in New York City and it’s a cellular phone free place as well. God bless the Old Town Bar!

Old Town Bar
45 E. 18th St. (Near Park Ave. South)
212-529-6732