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Someplace to read, write, work alone at night in NYC

laptolain — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:29:54 -0800

Someplace to read, write, relax alone at night in NYC. I'm looking for somewhere to go where I can unwind alone. I live in Maspeth, Queens where it's mostly residential and after 8PM almost everything is closed. Any place in Queens, Manhattan or Brooklyn would be fine, I don't mind long train rides.

The perfect establishment is very dark inside but all the tables have sufficient lighting for reading/writing. There might be music playing or some kind of live band but it's not a club or frat hang out. I like all kinds of jazz so that would be a bonus. The train station should be a reasonable distance since it's getting pretty cold now. It's open till 3AM or later, never very busy and at no point will I be expected to get up and leave for new customers. I don't want to sit at the bar.

Beer, liquor, coffee and food are all fine but none of them are priority over the atmosphere. As cheap as possible is probably second to atmosphere. I'm looking for a place that's the opposite of where people go to get seen.

I found a few older, similar posts but they seemed focused on Manhattan.

Thanks :)

Favorite after-work bar in NYC - Chelsea, Midtown West?

anonymice — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:30:06 -0800

NYC - Chelsea, Midtown West. Looking for a mellow place, 30-something crowd, upscale but not crazy expensive, not too crowded, and not too loud for conversation.

Upscale Sports Bars in NYC

jameslavelle3 — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:19:40 -0800

Looking for a nice place in Manhattan to watch the Duke/Villanova basketball (Sweet 16) game tonight, and maybe grab some dinner at the same time. I'm trying to avoid going to one of the many over-crowded sports bars for something a little bit more upscale, intimate, or at least quiet enough to be conversationally feasible. It looks like the conflicting Missouri game has the CBS TV slot, which makes viewing the game from a smaller venue more uncertain and leads me back to the undesirable raucous of an over-crowded sports bar. Any good idea from the hive? Preference for midtown or east side Manhattan, but anywhere on the island is fine. We are a group of 3 or 4 people, in case that matters

It's not even clear to me what channel (if any) the Duke game would be aired on, or if the only source is snippets from CBS during breaks of the Missouri game.

Help me with my dirty 30.

sneakin — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:38:30 -0800

Plan my 30th birthday in NYC. Dizzying amount of parameters within. For my 30th b-day I'd like to have a pretty special night out in NYC. I already spend a decent amount of time in the City as it is, so I'd like to find some extra dynamite destinations. I am looking for interesting, eclectic, fun places to spend the night and here is what I have in mind for the whole event:

1. Go on a 5ish mile run with a couple friends. Do you have a favorite route?

2. Get pre dinner cocktails.

3. Eat a delicious dinner (Outstanding, interesting, eclectic sushi preferred. Otherwise, exceptional other kinds of restaurants are great, too. Just not Ethiopian).

4. Hang out in a bar after dinner with friends.

My only real restrictions are geography and that things are fairly affordable. On the geography front, I'd like to be in either Manhattan or Astoria, Queens for the whole event.

Moneywise, we're all willing to splurge somewhat, but as a barometer, bars that offers only $15 cocktails and restaurants with main courses upwards of ~$25 ain't happening. At the pre-dinner bar I'd like to be able to sit, relax, and get decent whiskey/bourbon and/or interesting cocktails. The after-dinner bar, as long as a group of 8ish can fit, sit and hear ourselves talk, divey is totally fine, if not preferred.

I realize I'm asking a bunch of things in one question, which may not be kosher. If you have suggestions for any of the four above, that's cool, you don't need to craft my whole b-day package or anything.

Thanks!

NYC - One Night Only?

Oktober — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:57:41 -0800

I'm going to be in NYC this Saturday and I'd like to see as many of my friends as I can. I'm planning on picking a bar, and just letting everyone known I'll be there from, say, 8-11 or somesuch. I need a bar in NYC that's accessible to people coming from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey. Our tastes run on the slightly-geeky side. Think pinball and old arcade games. There will be 10-20 of us, mostly in our late 20s. So far, I've had a few recommendations:

Ace Bar

Barcade
Crocodile Lounge

That said, I haven't really lived in the area in 8 years, so hivemind, any suggestions?

Two straws. One glass. Lots of tequila.

goingonit — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:55:54 -0800

Do you know of anywhere in New York City where they serve margaritas in huge novelty glasses, like where multiple people drink from the same glass? My girlfriend really wants to find a place like this, and Google hasn't helped (neither has walking around). Any ideas? Thanks!

Looking for a no-cover place to dance in NYC.

®@ — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:26:05 -0800

Looking for a good place to dance (with no cover) in NYC. My friend is coming down for the weekend and wants to go dancing in the city. Most clubs I've run across charge a cover, and I have no desire to blow $10-$20 on a random club that may or may not suck.

Anyone know good places with cover-free dancing in Manhattan?

Should I just crash a wedding, or is there somewhere else I can dance like that?

pithy comment — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 08:11:43 -0800

I'd like to take my sweetheart dancing tonight in NYC. Not hip-hop or grinding, but something almost like a wedding reception - good classics for dancing, maybe some swing, maybe some rock and roll, maybe some country, maybe the twist - I definitely want to twirl her across the dance floor. We're not expert dancers we just want to go have some fun, and cheap-to-free is good too. We're coming from Astoria but anywhere in the city works for me. Pre-dancing dinner suggestions would be nice too. I read these posts but they don't quite fit what I'm looking for. Swing 46 seems too expensive and touristy (is my guess), plus I don't want just swing.

Quiet places to work and drink in New York

godawful — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 13:44:08 -0800

New Yorkers: where are the best coffee shops, cafes, bars for a spot of work or a quiet read? Help me get the most out of my me-time, or at least minimize the pain of having to work out of office hours.

Desirables:

Friendly staff
Decent regulars
Not too cramped
Laptop friendly
A quiet atmosphere conducive to concentration

I quite like the sorts of places that have esoteric books on the wall and a bit of history in the decor. My own recommendations would be Vbar on Sullivan Street, and 71 Irving. Both of them are excellent establishments, but I'd love to hear about other great places for quiet Saturday afternoons and weekday evenings.

Many thanks in advance.

Da da da da da....do do do do do (dueling pianos in the big apple)

clgregor — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 00:10:46 -0800

Is there a good bar with dueling pianos in New York City? I'm up in NYC for the weekend (staying in queens) but can get pretty much anywhere by subway. I hoping to go out tomorrow night for my birthday to a bar with Dueling Pianos. We're having trouble finding any listings online.

Times Square bars?

smackfu — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 16:04:00 -0800

Can anyone suggest a good Irish pub close to Times Square in NYC? Also, how about the best bar in general in that area? (Please nothing with "planet" or "zone" in the name.) Why in Times Square of all places? Because that new Nokia Theater is there and I'm looking for someplace to go before or after a show. A few blocks walk is fine (and probably preferred).

Looking for a certain sort of nightclub in NYC

ThePinkSuperhero — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 19:35:50 -0800

I'm getting a group together on Friday night to go out for my birthday in NYC. But I'm having trouble figuring out where to go. I have a dream idea in my head. Help me figure out if it actually exists. In my dreams, we go to a laid-back club, where there is room for dancing to cheesy pop music from the 70s-90s, but also room for sitting down or just standing around. There's people, but it's not totally packed. No cover. The closer to the NYU area, the better. Does such a place exist? The group is mixed sex, mixed sexual orientation, and anything goes. Please help me have a fun birthday celebration, because my actual birthday has been very boring.

Bar in NYC

quibx — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 06:40:31 -0800

I am looking for a bar in NYC within walking distance of this location. It should serve pub food (burgers, etc...) and should accomidate a small group of friends looking to catch up on old times without having to yell over the music.

Bullish on NYC

ThePinkSuperhero — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 07:52:00 -0800

I want to go to a bar in NYC that has a mechanical bull. Is there such a place?

Changing Jurisdictions

crush-onastick — Fri, 16 Jul 2004 09:26:22 -0800

for the lawyers:

i'm three years from admission on motion in NY (which bar membership has been recommended to me by several folks for various reasons). i may or may not be moving back to WashDC in two years (reciprocity with DC and admisson on motion to VA are not at issue). should i sit for the NY bar or wait out the reciprocity?

what advice for/experiences with changing jurisdictions do/have y'all had?

Quiet bar in NYC

grumblebee — Wed, 02 Jun 2004 08:37:26 -0800

Anyone know of a nice, quiet (not seedy) bar in NYC where people can sit and talk and actually hear each other?