Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nyc and bars

Rock Band in NYC

shmegegge — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:29:02 -0800

What bars in the NYC area can I go to to play Rock Band? I heard that some bars in NYC host Rock Band nights. Does anyone know where I can go to find out about these?

and since I could just google the answer to this, the real reason I'm asking here is because I'd like anyone who has attended one of these to tell me what they thought of it.

so yes. rock band nights in NYC. where? how? good? bad?

What you call "free AMC access" was invented by guys like me to sell nylons.

zoomorphic — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:59:27 -0800

I am crazy-excited about Mad Men season 3 airing this week. Unfortunately, my friends and I are frugal New Yorkers who don't get extra channels like AMC. Are there any bars in NYC that play Mad Men where we could actually hear the show? Or are there places where we could rent a TV and a room without going broke? Last year I bought all the seasons on iTunes and watched (agape!) on my little laptop, but I'd love to see season 3 episodes a) the night they air, and b) on a larger teevee screen. This is mainly because I want to gather loads of friends together who are equally obsessed, and maybe have a dress-up theme party.

I know that Times Square is playing the first episode this Sunday, but that only takes care of the first episode. Bars often play certain shows if you request them, but the TVs are usually small and in loud areas.

This hope seems a little dim, but I thought I'd invoke the Hive before I resigned myself to my small, lonely laptop screen. If anyone figures out this conundrum, I will take your secret identity to the grave.

Good, inexpensive cocktails in New York City.

ocherdraco — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:11:23 -0800

For my job (and for fun) I often need good places to go out for drinks after work here in New York. Please recommend bars between 14th Street and Midtown that have good, inexpensive (~$10 or below) cocktails and are good for conversations with small groups of people. I'm a particular fan of the sidecar and the whiskey old fashioned, so I'd particularly appreciate recommendations for bars that do those drinks (and drinks like them) well.

I am not looking for beer bars, and I am not looking for places as expensive as the Flatiron Lounge.

Help me pick some awesome Bachelor Party Bars/Lounges in New York City!

PetiePal — Thu, 28 May 2009 07:37:37 -0800

Bachelor Party Help! What are some ideal Bachelor Party outing bars/lounges in New York City? I'm the Best Man for my brother's wedding next month. I'm planning a Bachelor Party and I've never done this before. My brother is a little bit older, (he's 40), so it's not going to be that classic Tom Hanks affair at a strip club etc. The night will be comprised of 2 halves, an everybody dinner out Hoboken then a night out on the town. Right now I'm considering the first place to be the Brass Monkey (http://www.brassmonkeynyc.com/) but I really need at least 2-3 other bars in the City that would be great. Help!

The Big Unit in the Big Apple

bitdamaged — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:00:22 -0800

Where can I watch the Big Unit's debut as an SF Giant in NYC tonight? I'm in the financial district but any decent bar in close to the subway would do.

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?

Need access to secret NYC bars/speakeasy. Please hope me.

filmgeek — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:54:46 -0800

There are hidden and secret bars in NYC (Manhattan) and there are really secret. Some need phone numbers. I need your help. There are a couple of bars in NYC that require you to be hip enough to know someone who knows someone who knows their phone number. I won't even mention some of their names....so it doesn't come up on a search.

Essentially, a modern speakeasy.

I'm an occasional NYC visitor; when I'm there, I'd like to take my friends somewhere special (they're all well behaved 30 somethings). I love the idea that there's a secret door, etc.

Except I'm not in the social NYC scene enough (nor are the friends I have there) to get these phone numbers. Can you please hope me?

yes, emailing me via mefi directly is fine if you're uncomfortable posting the number where it can be searched.

Yup I also already know about this prior post.

Girls don't want to have fun?

Viola — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:30:19 -0800

Why are there so few lesbian bars in the NYC/Brooklyn area when compared to the high number of gay bars? Obviously NYC is no San Francisco or West Hollywood when it comes to bars for gay women. I know about Park Slope outposts like Cattyshack and Ginger's, but when you look at NYC's seemingly countless roster of gay clubs, gay bars, gay beer gardens, gay burger joints, it seems more than incongruous. I realize that lesbians aren't as well-known for the partying lifestyle as their male counterparts, but they can't all be at home fending off lesbian bed-death, right?

NYC booze tube

Hwaet — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:38:14 -0800

I'm looking for real New York area bars that have appeared on current television. Emphasis on "current," otherwise I'd be rummaging through the Sex and the City bin, and on "bar/club." I already have Gossip Girl (so many to choose from, but I went with the thinly-veiled Box) and Mad Men has a scene at PJ Clarke's. Rescue Me films from that tiny "social club" up in Greenpoint. The Office recently featured a nameless, too-spacious Manhattan club (I think it was called Prerogative), but it hardly looked like the real deal. I need other shows, but I'm blanking on current TV that features authentic NYC nightlife that has the natives going, "Hey! I've been there!" 30 Rock? Lipstick Mafia/Cashmere Jungle? How I Met Your Mother? Ugly Betty is set in New York/Queens but is filmed in LA, so I don't know if they referenced and shot any actual venues.

From eating cookies on prom night, to flirting in Manhattan meat markets?

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:26:20 -0800

After a complete transformation, I need to practice flirting, in New York. I'm in my early 20s and I recently lost a lot of weight. I was not a fabulous fat girl, so I've never really been picked up, hit on, or flirted with, and now I'm not sure how to respond to any of the above -- let alone reciprocate. I mean, I've read plenty online, I'm socially competent, I have plenty of friends (girls and guys), I'm told I'm funny and fun, and I don't think I'm going to embarrass myself. I hope. I do have some recently acquired physical experience thanks to a good friend, and although that's not complete, the real problem is that missing out on all the years of normal teenager-development stuff means I need practice flirting, basically. I'm not even sure how to look approachable. I am also really, really criminally bad about not being able to turn down anyone who's interested in me.

I'm going to be in New York in a few weeks. I think it's the right place to start -- I'm familiar and comfortable with the city, but because it's not home base for me, I'm not going to run into the same people again, and I'm not going to worry about whether flirting will turn into more. I can just relax and practice low-stakes flirting.

I'd really like an idea of somewhere to go, where it's likely guys will try to flirt with me. If I were looking for a serious relationship, I would just do stuff I enjoy while being open to meeting people, or maybe I'd make an effort to go to readings or talks or other intellectual stuff. But my goal here is not just likeliness of awesome guys, but also frequency of flirt attempts. However, more intelligent crowds would still be great -- I don't want a total B&T meat market vibe. Somewhere everyone's looking for a one-night stand wouldn't be as right as somewhere people are openly looking for something that could be more. I have business during the day, so after-work bars (or whatever) would be great, but I'll be there over at least one weekend so that's fine too.

Also, although I might be pretty cute now, I'm still not a stunning model wearing high fashion, so I'm not going to get entrance to that kind of scene. I'm not good at judging myself, so all I can do is say that with a fair picture of me in a sweatshirt, Hot Or Not rates me about 7.5. (No, I won't be wearing a sweatshirt out -- more likely a fitted sweater with jeans or a skirt.)

Bonus complication: Because of my previous addictive behaviors with food, I don't drink. I have no problem going to bars or being around people who are drinking, but if drinking is the only thing to do, or if everyone there is going to be really drunk, that's not as much fun. Plus if guys have beer goggles on, I can't believe they're into the actual me.

Basically, I'm looking for a few different things. In no order:
1) advice/experiences of people who have gone from ugly ducklings to semi-swans around this age
2) advice in general about how to flirt, how to attract interest, etc.
3) recommendations from New Yorkers about what specific places would be right to go to

Thanks, everyone!

Where to find great beer in NYC

nowonmai — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:21:37 -0800

What brewpubs are there in NYC? What bars have good selections of beers brewed by local breweries? Apologies for yet another NYCBarFilter question, but I have found that this is not easily Googleable due to the wealth of out-of-date information out there on the internet. Apparently 'brewpub' is not a sensible business model in NYC and these places don't stay open long.
Anyway, I have a friend visiting from overseas, and he'd like to sample some high quality local beers. Are there any brewpubs currently in business? What bars are good places to drink local beers (I know there are plenty of good breweries on Long Island, but really 'local' could extend to the whole continent, I guess).
Location: East Village, LES, Williamsburg, or near obligatory tourist landmarks would fit in best with our other plans, but tell me everything that's accessible by subway. Bonus points for the place not being crammed full of hollering nincompoops even on a weekend evening, and for available seating. Further bonus points for unusual stouts, porters and dark ales.
(Yes I know I live in NYC and should damn well be able to answer this myself, but I spend most of my time tolerating mass market beer in places where I like the music).

Where to watch the Detroit Lions in NYC/BK?

gettingpaidforthis — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:30:07 -0800

Do you know any [insert NFL team here]-centric bars in NYC/BK? Specifically, I'm looking for a Detroit Lions bar. I mean a bar where the Lions game will always be on the biggest TV, with the sound way up. Usually only the biggest out-of-market teams have such safe havens in NYC (Red Sox, Cowboys, et. al.), unless a particular bar's owner happens to be a die-hard fan. Typically, I find the Lions on the smallest TV in the joint, and I have to try to separate the action on screen from the Jets/Giants audio feed being pumped into the bar, which gives me some mild form of vertigo.

Sadly, I doubt the existence of such a silver and honolulu-blue haven, and this will be more useful to more people if you list any bars that cater to a particular fanbase. For example, there's a bar called Reservoir somewhere downtown that gets a comically-rowdy crowd for every Steelers game. I would love to watch the Lions with a similar group of (sad, embittered) die- hards. It's hard enough to choke down 3 hours of Detroit football every Sunday; it's downright masochistic to do it by one's self.

Bonus points if someone can breakdown the following:

Cost (in American $$$) of the NFL Sunday Ticket package

vs.

Cost (in $$$ and calories) of 16 week's worth of pub-priced beer (~4 a game) and appetizers (WINGS).

The worst bars in New York

godawful — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:15:02 -0800

What are the worst bars in New York? This is for a little feature I'm collaborating on with a friend.

What are the dirtiest, smelliest, fakest, dullest, most overpriced, most violent, least interesting, gayest, straightest bars in New York? In other words, interpret worst anyway you like, but let us have your best suggestions for places we should ordinarily never consider drinking in.

Thanks!

NYC Bars Similar To Orchard Bar

TheOnlyCoolTim — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 10:11:05 -0800

NYC bars similar to the closed Orchard Bar. My friends and I used to go there every once in a while, and don't know any similar place now that it's closed. What was in Orchard Bar? Basically, dancing and good, indie-ish music - they would play, say, The Arcade Fire and The Smiths as opposed to the shitty hip hop played in other places we know with dancing. Also, the drinks weren't hideously overpriced.

My friends and I are a group of guys who aren't that into dancing, but we will go out with girls who want to, and except for Orchard we would suffer listening to shitty, irritating music and drinking $7 shitty beer.

The same LES/E. Village area would be good.

Televised European soccer in NYC.

quite unimportant — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 04:15:27 -0800

Looking for a place to watch the UEFA semifinals near Union Square in NYC. I'm meeting a Romanian friend in NYC on April 27th. He's a rabid Steaua Bucureşti fan and can't bear to miss his hometown team play Middlesbrough in the UEFA semifinal match (Thursday 4/27, 3PM). I haven't been to NYC since 2001 and I don't even know where to find a sports bar, let alone one showing a Romanian soccer game. We're staying at the Union Square Inn on 14th between 2nd and 3rd. Any ideas where to go?

Need Suggestion for Bar in Midtown -- Wednesday late HH preferred.

seinfeld — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 07:03:26 -0800

Wanted: A bar in midtown NYC (between MSG and Grand Central preferred) that has good drink specials on Wednesday early evening.. A few college friends who I do not usually get a chance to see are meeting up this afternoon in midtown, and we'd all like to find a place that we havent been to, and that offers decent drink specials between, say, 7-10pm. Any ideas?

Nice bars in Manhattan (Union Square, W. Village)?

mullacc — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 10:36:01 -0800

NYCFilter: Recommendations for nice, semi-"hip" bars/lounges in or around Union Square/Grammercy or W. Village in Manhattan? I've lived in NYC for a few months now and have had a few friends visit me so far. I have trouble finding good bars to take them to. My tendency is to go the simple Irish neighborhood bar and most of my NYC/work friends are into the meating-packing district club scene, neither of which makes everyone happy. I'm looking for a few places to try that are nice and sorta "yuppie" or "hip" while still comfortable and not so crowded that I have to squeeze my fat ass through a wall of people to take a piss.

I live right near Union Square and work in Tribeca, so I'd like to have a few options in and around these areas.

As a reference for what I have in mind...Olives at the W Union Square would be good if it weren't a hotel bar (the downstairs club is too busy/trendy/loud). And a friend took me to a place called either Burton Lounge or Evelyn Lounge on the UWS that I liked. There must be more places like this than I could count, but I am handicapped by horrendous work hours and general anti-socialness.

Thanks!

finding and starting a bar in NYC

xo — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 17:51:22 -0800

NYC bars: seeking a specific recommendation, and [separate question], personal accounts of people who've started/bought one. The recommendation: I'm looking for a bar that would make a good companion to a birthday/movie night following a viewing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So ideally a place that serves milkshakes or chocolate martinis or other candy-like sweets (desserts, rice crispie treats) in addition to straight-up alcohol. A good example would be DT-UT.

The question: a friend is brainstorming about starting a bar in NYC/Brooklyn. Don't worry about how financially feasible it is; he might have money to burn. I'm enjoying discussing it with him and would like to read some accounts of people who have done this. I'm looking for blogs where people discuss their experiences starting/buying bars, or books like Cosmopolitan, A Bartender's Life, where the process (or aspects of it) get expressed in some detail.