sadness

this isn't about a bar. it is about the end of an era. i seem to have misplaced ("lost forever" sounds too harsh but may be more true) my little brown notebook that i wrote things in. things like the bar reviews. and seeing how i am always awfully late in posting the reviews we write, the last few barzine entries now belong to time immortal. and not to the internet. if anybody sees my little brown notebook, let me know. it probably has my name in it somewhere.

#147 Finnegan's Wake

Sunday, January 1, 2006
901 Cole (at Carl), San Francisco

This really was the last one for the day. More pub than bar, and more friendly than fancy, and all I really cared about was the whiskey and the company and both were excellent. They did have a pool table, and a fine bathroom, and the bartender was attentive and poured liberally. Perfect. This is just down the street from where my grandma lived when I was little. She never took me here. I wouldn't be surprised if she stopped in herself now and then though. Oh, but she lived here in her post- AA days. Still, I bet they would have given her a soda. They just seem that nice here. Oh I wish I had more to say about it. Good place, Finnegan's Wake. Yeah.

#146 Red Jack Saloon

Sunday, January 1, 2006
131 Bay Street (at Midway), San Francisco

The last in a long day of new bars (oh wait, no, second to last. sheesh). This one used to be Andre's friend's neighborhood bar, before she moved. Seems like a pretty ideal neighborhood bar, though. She shouldn't have moved. I'll probably like anything called Red Jack. Or maybe I just like San Francisco. There was a dart board and frogger and young fancy people and old grizzled people and everyone got along fine. My drink was strong and tasty and made with Jack Daniels. I don't know how much it cost because I didn't have to pay for a single drink all day. Thank you, 2006.

#145 Sweeties

Sunday, January 1, 2006
475 Francisco (at Mason), San Francisco

This one was kind of a fancyish cozy place with lots of wine. Maybe for a more yuppyish crowd. They had some good armchair thrones to sit on. And lots of nooks for sitting or cuddling or what have you. A pool table too, although I didn't test it out. The bartender knew everyone by name. Seems like a neighborhood bar for a fancy neighborhood. Maybe when I'm thirty I'll feel more comfortable there. For now it's a bit beyond me. That doesn't mean I don't like it; I'd just have to grow into it.

#144 Amnesia

Sunday, January 1, 2006
Valencia and 20th, San Francisco

Lordy, I don't even remember this one. We weren't there long enough to write about it at the time, and now it is all a distant blur. Maybe someday somebody will go there and have something real to say about it.

#143 Delerium

Sunday, January 1, 2006
16th and Valencia, San Francsico

Another bar I was only in for a drink's worth. But it was a good drink with a congenial bartender and a friendly few people there drinking and more people heading in as we left. I was here a few Halloweens ago too. Maybe it's a good holiday bar. I guess I owe it more of a review someday. I was left with good impressions, though.

#142 Casanova Lounge

Sunday, January 1, 2006
Valencia and 16th, San Francisco

I was only here for a little bit. It seemed a little bit fancy for my tastes but maybe not really. The bartender was friendly and knew Andre and rolled his eyes at the repetitive drunk guy. It has a bit of a harem theme going in the decor, and some couches, and some fabric hanging from the ceiling. Yeah, fine.

#141 Black Magic Voodoo Lounge

Sunday, January 1, 2006
Lombard and Van Ness, San Francisco

What a way to start off the new year. This bar is having a pajama party all day long. When I first got here I thought it was odd so many people were in their pajamas. It took me a little while to figure out that I was the odd one for NOT being in my pajamas. The pajama party also involves bloody marys and free food. It's kinda a New Orleans flavored bar so the food is all southern and good. I was scared I would miss out on black eyed peas this new years, but the bar took care of me. Everybody here is friendly and good to me even though I'm not in my pajamas. And I didn't have to buy a single drink for myself. That's my kind of bar.

#140 Henry's Bar

Tuesday, December 27, 2005
12th and Burnside, Portland, OR

(Flora) Attached to a restaurant where Henry Weinhard's beer was originally brewed. The bar is very upscale and trendy. Dark environment, but classy. Lots of guys wearing button-up collared shirts, and girls dressed to impress. Big pool area upstairs. Bathrooms very clean and nice. They have the best fries with gorganzola. Good drinks but pricey. If you come on a Friday night, there might be a line. Best fact: the bouncer knew where Gridley was. The bar is near the Pearl District.

#139 Old Market Pub

Tuesday, December 27, 2005
corner of SW Multnomah and SW Garden Home Road, Portland, OR

(Flora) This pub hosts a homey and fun atmosphere-- perfect for families and groups of friends. Full with custom brews, fun shuffleboard, pool, video games, and large screen TVs with sports. Best Beer= Mr. Toad's Wild Red. Best Dessert= Berry Cobbler. Also, PORTLAND was rated in 2005 as one of the top ten cities to hook up in! For all these reasons, this is a great place to go, especially if you live close enough to walk home drunk.

(Lizzy) It's kind of like the Union in Occidental. The Pacific Northwest version, I guess, because it feels more mountain-lodgey. They have exposed rafters. And ample seating. The walls have well-painted murals of old fruit crate labels. There's odd decor all over-- three dashboards mounted on a wall, plants on scales, good neon lights. They re-use coasters-- nice and eco-friendly. They brew their own beer here, and make their own fake ginger ale for my whiskey. I wish I lived in walking distance from here too. Beer= $3.60. Whiskey= $3.95. No tax!!!

#138 Away Cafe

Tuesday, December 20, 2005 6:20 pm
Jet Blue Terminal, JFK

(Lizzy) This is the only place to get a drink before you go through security. We can't go through security yet because you are only allowed to check in four hours before your flight. And Nick had to get here fourteen hours before his flight because this was the only time he could get a ride to the airport because of the subway strike. So really, the MTA ought to be buying our drinks. A whiskey ginger ale and a plain whiskey cost $19. A Bloody Mary and a Bud cost $15.50. Thanks a lot, MTA.
Christmas music and Christmas/island decor. The table behind us has chicken wings. There is football on every TV. In high definition. I wasn't quitre aggressive enough to get a table but luckily there were two stools at the bar. That's lucky because now we can watch the footbal channel.

(Nick) Who'd a thought that JFK would be so crowded five days before Christmas. I've had some good experiences in airport bars before. This is a low point. Maybe it's because we're not inside the gates yet. Stupid MTA. Just kidding, fight the power. There's also tax on our drinks but we will not tip more than $1 per drink, no matter how much it costs. A tip is a tip. A beer here is no harder to pour than it is anywhere else. Peace and Love. Star of Wonder, the country version sung by some high-voiced dickhead. You know how sometimes you're so tired the only way to stay awake is drink. Then you're more awake but have that weird sleep pain behind your eyes. Yeah, I got that,

(Lizzy) Oh my goodness. Second Bloody Mary is worlds beyond the first. It is spicy and flavorful and has twice the vodka as the first. I can tell it was made with love. Lesson:
young girl bartender= lousy bloody mary.
older man bartender= fantastic bloody mary.
oh it is so good

#137 (name unknown as of yet)

Tuesday, December 13, 2005 9 pm
Metropolitan and Graham, Brooklyn

(Lizzy) I can't find the name of the bar. It used to be the Blue Lady Lounge. I like this a lot. Maybe way better, except that isn't fair to say because I never went inside the Blue Lady. But this place makes me happy. Gin and tonic costs only $4.00. And there are plentiful* tables and the lighting is** fine and the bartender is good. The crowd is un-awful, although Kai did get to check "sit next to a table of hipsters" off his America list. And the music has gotten better than it was when we first arrived, when they were playing Jamaican jam music.

(Kai) * rustic, wooden
** provided by warm candles, and, thus, is

Happy hour is from 4-8, with $3 Brooklyn ales. The garden will be very contemporaneous in the summertime. Bathrooms get 10/10 for cleanliness, but 0/10 for personality or graffiti. Bring a sharpie.

#136 Blarney Cove

Friday, December 9, 2005 1:55 am
14th between A and B, Manhattan

(Lizzy) The bar is long and narrow and the bartender is jolly. The music is super loud and EVERYONE is singing along loudy. Like group karaoke. Very congenial in here. Maybe like The Alley in Oakland a little. And the songs are excellent. First Janis Joplin, then the runaway song, then the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory song, then Patsy Cline. Lordy! I wish we lived closer (like around the corner) because this is almost as good as Connolly's, almost. It is all Christmased out but I don't know if that is seasonal or year round. I haven't had a drink yet but Ian says they are cheap-- maybe $4 or $4.50. Now Beach Boys! They have a photo board on the wall for the "Mid-Day Gentleman's Club"-- over 1150 years of birthdays and 3,000,000 memories. I like it here.

(Sarah) $2.00= 7 songs. $1.00= 2. Christmas party 12/16. "all day and all night." Amazingly strange poster: "The Play About the Baby."

#135 The Magician

Rivington and Essex
Friday, December 9, 2005 11:00pm

This bar is across the street from Welcome to the Johnsons and is way less stimulating but good in its own way. It is slightly better lit and there is less stuff on the walls and it is easier to talk to people. The name comes from a clock that says "The Magician" in neon. Apparently the owner collects neon clocks. I like it in here pretty well. It might be an odd place to come alone but it is a good place to be when you have friends here. There are no actual magicians, but the disappointment of that wears off pretty quickly.

#134 Girl from Ipanema

West 14th and 8th
Wednesday, November 2, 2005

(Aimee) Barzine-- which Lizzy is over.
Okay, so we just went to a "party" which more closely resembled a terrible club situation. So we left, hoping to drown our sorrows for having made a journey for no reason. We stepped into "Ipanema Bar" since we agreed it looked "good and divey." There were like four really buff Latino dudes and bartendresses who look like they aspire to be on Budweiser ads... and music to match. Commercials promise "College Night-- ladies get in free." Bad. And $7 drinks. I got a fucking Jim Beam on the rocks before realizing that I could have ordered Cutty Sark for the same price. Nick got a strong Dewars and Coke.
Laaaaaame. Especially since Lizzy and I decided that we got charged based on our appearance... and we were sort of dressed up.

(Lizzy) P.S. at least we're sexy.

#133 Happy Endings

Broome between Forsythe and Eldridge
(didn't write a date. august, i guess)

(Lizzy) Free Sparks and Afternoon Delight. We had to tiptoe through a longrunning poetry reading upstairs to come down to the Sparks bar. There were some strange well lit sculptures in the hallway after the entrance. The menu says cocktails cost $10. This bar is super silly I guess but I'm never going to say anything against a bar that gives me free Sparks.

(Aimee) also, (this is aimee) i have been there with lizzy and nick and cathy other times cause my friend max dj-ed there this fall/winter and there was free vodka (real strong drinks!!) from 10-11. i like max, but apparently he's too cool for happy endings now. but the night, thursday, that he dj-ed, was called, awesomely, "Don't Change. Don't Ever Change." how awesome is that?!smooooch.

now we'll try again

look what happens when we don't post anything for six months... we make eighteen new friends with interests like cheap auto insurance and wedding tent decoration and cobalt end mill. life is good. the general goal is to start putting stuff on the internet again. we've been keeping it up in my little notebook, but the typing process is just so hard. we'll give it the old college try though. you can ignore the comment section if you want. unless you're into cobalt end mill and such.

#132 Clem's

Grand and Roebling, Brooklyn
Sunday, August 14, 2005 4:45 pm

We came here because Larry Lawrence was closed but we thought the barbecue here would be an acceptable substitute. It just isn't the same, though. The food is free so I ought not complain, but the Bloody Marys aren't free like at old Larry's. Here they are $7. Ouch. It is fine I guess and thanks for the hamburger but it just makes me miss Larry Lawrence all the more.

#131 Boxers

West 4th at Sixth Avenue, New York
Saturday, August 13, 2005 1:15 am

#130 Greenwich Brewing Company

Sixth Avenue and 1oth, New York
Saturday, August 13, 2005 12:30 am

Man this place is sneakily expensive. I didn't even need a drink but I thought "eh, I guess I may as well get something." And then that something (a whiskey sour) cost $7.50. Sure it's a brewery so maybe I'm not supposed to get a liquor drink but $7.50 is still awfully outrageous. Also the bartender didn't even bother giving us our 50 cent change so we inadvertently gave him a $2.50 tip. Undeserved. Ugh. Nick says "this is what we get for trying new bars" and I hate to think that way but tonight it seems true. And Tom says "this is what we get for staying within a four block radius" and that is entirely true, always.

(Claire) Yeah... I wasn't feeling that wine bar or whatever it was. But this one isn't much better. Just as pricey, not as trying to be euro and charming. Meh... in my head I'm at camp. NYC weather is god-awful!

(Tom) Let's go somewhere else...

#129 French Bistro something

#128 Blaggards

35th between 7th and 8th, New York
Friday, August 12, 2005 4:45 pm

This pub is not interesting. The only thing interesting about it is that it is right across the street from my work, and it is air conditioned. Those are good things. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. Bass costs $5 and I didn't even get a drink so I don't know how much standard whiskey costs. The music seems to be long boring jams. The decor is vaguely Irish, but I think calling it that is an insult to my people. The crowd here is just usual boring after work folk. Not nearly as fashionable as one might hope, seeing that we are just off Fashion Avenue. Hmm. At least it has the convenience factor going for it.

#127 Lunasa

First Avenue at 7th Street, New York
Friday, August 5, 2005 7:15 pm

(Lizzy) Guinness $6. Cheapest red wine = Montepuciano = $6. We would probably never come drink here unless we needed their bathroom.

(Aimee) We needed their bathroom. We will leave here without having bought a drink. It's not aesthetically bad, and they're playing REM's "Man on the Moon," which is fairly effective, I guess. We will proceed to walk around Soho and maybe get food. Sorry Lunasa.

#126 Proof

Third Avenue between 19th and 20th
Friday, August 5, 2005 6:40 pm

We came here because my work has free happy hour from 6-7 today. I'm not sure if I would be here otherwise. But boy are free drinks a good draw. The ground floor of the bar is vaguely sporty and I feel like downstairs is probably a dance club but I haven't gone down to investigate. They have a bunch of screens showing sports (baseball, right now).

(The writing in the next paragraph was so illegible I didn't recognize it as my own.)
Asked the curly haired waitress how much drinks cost. For happy hour, $5. Happy hour= 5-9. After happy hour-- maybe $7-9? She isn't sure because this is her first night working. Cute.

#125 Iggy's

Ludlow between Rivington and Stanton, New York
Wednesday, August 3, 2005 5:15 pm

This is a bar down the street from the Cake Shop. Mostly I just came here to use the bathroom and wipe the sweat from my brow. But the bar itself seems like a good one. The bartender is good and friendly. And the bar is very unassuming, and I like that. Margaritas were $4 for happy hour. Yeah! Strong, too. Maybe I'll come here again someday. No reason not to.

#124 Connolly's

47th between 5th and Madison, New York
Saturday, July 30, 2005 7:35 pm

Kick out the jams, motherfuckers! I wish this was the real Connolly's. The one with the decanters and the two fifty drinks. I'll bet drinks cost more here. And there's no photo hunt. This is a nicer bar. A pub and restaurant. So far they are playing all U2. The T.V. shows trick golfing.
Our nachos are HUGE and the shepherd's pie is perfect.
This is a way better choice than TGIFridays. This would be an excellent alternative if ever Yodo's is closed or done with happy hour. There are four Connolly's in town. This one is Party Headquarters. Seriously. Says so on the menu.
Yeah, nachos and margaritas at the Irish pub. We know how to live. I like the bartender. Behind the bar they have a bunch of cop patches from around the country. A small tribute to the cop bar rin Oakland, probably. There's also a big framed picture of JFK. I am happy here. A bit classier than usual, but sometimes you have to splurge. Margaritas were $7. Oy.

We saw MC5 and the Sun Ra Arkestra in the park today. What a day.

#123 Bar 13

13th Street at University, New York
Sunday, July 24th, 2005 11:55 pm

The best part of this one is the rooftop terrace. It's maybe only three or four floors tall, but a roof is a roof. The furniture is all plastic up there. Once I went there right after it rained but we just brushed the water off and it was fine. We were wet anyway then. This time it was dry but night and we were there for a show, not a terrace. Fine place for a show. What I was not impressed with, at time previous, was that it advertises "two for one" happy hour, but they do that token thing, so you can't just go in there with someone and split the cost and each have one drink. So it isn't necessarily as cheap as it ought to be, for a happy hour, but such are things. The happy hour crowd was very after-worky, loosened ties and evening makeup and laughing about the boss and stuff. The night crowd is far more rocking, as befits the occassion. Yeah, this place isn't half bad. Just not a worthwhile happy hour.

#122 Max Fisch

Ludlow and something, New York
Sunday July 24 11:10 pm

like when a clown dies

The dots on the wall are driving everyone bonkers. And everyone is sexually fustrated except me, because my drink came in a glass. How long must I hurt for you? One girl's true love story . Oh and a stretchy faced Julio Iglesias. It's a little bit circusy in here but not to the point it could be. I was told this was the hipsterest Lower East Side bar around but it isn't as bad as I'd expected. We thought we saw Kirsten Dunst but under very close scrutiny it was just a lookalike. Gin and tonic = $4. Gin is the happy liquor. Need it. They have Red Bull in little medicine bottles to mix with vodka. I've never seen that before but the Swedish boy knew what it was. I thought it looked like cod oil or something. There are parasols hanging from the ceiling. Bartender = nice. This bar could have been worse.

#121 Mad 28

Madison and 28th, New York
Friday, July 8, 2005 9:50 pm

#120 Kabin

Second Ave. between 5th and 6th
Friday, July 8, 6:45 pm

#119 Tommy's Tavern

Manhattan and Freeman, Brooklyn
Thursday, July 7, 2005

#118 Black Swann Tavern

Tivoli, New York
Wednesday, July 6, 2005 10:30 pm

Weird. We were in the forest looking at the biggest grove of fireflies I have ever imagined, and then we went into this bar and it felt like we had passed through a portal into Kips on Two-for-Tuesdays. It was strikingly confusing. Where did all these wholesome drunk youths come from? It was a big mystery for a while, until finally I talked to some local young man, who told me that all those kids were camp counselors out for the night after the kids went to bed. And that made sense (although it opened up another mystery, namely: who is left to take care of the children???). They did seem very camp-counselory, and I would know. We were happy to just let them do their thing, though. I don't remember how much the drink was but I'm going to guess $5. Every Wednesday they have live jazz music and the night we were there, there was a drummer who Nick had seen play when he came to visit New York many years ago. So there's that. There is one other bar in town, called Santa Fe. The camp kids refer to it as "the Fe." I heard them. I liked sitting outside here. The fireflies were still the highlight, of course.

#117 Crash Mansion

Friday, July 1, 2005 9:45 pm
199 Bowery between Spring and Rivington, New York

Promotional party for the Wedding Crashers. I'm not sure if they picked this place to host it because it has "crash" in the name, or if they changed the name of the bar for this night, or if it is just a coincidence. They've had other movie promotions here and none of the other movies had Crash in their names (except maybe that movie "Crash." I don't know if they had a party for that here or not but that would make the most sense). From 9-10 they are giving away free vodka drinks, as many as you can ask for with a straight face. Aimee and I stuck with two at a time, each. Worked well. This bar is in the basement and feels a little like a rock grotto. No, that's just because there is a stone wall behind the bar. I don't know what it feels like, then. I guess it's just a regular club. People here look a little bit more dancey than us. There aren't many people yet though. Maybe the dancing starts later. Right now they are playing radio hits on the loudspeaker and there is a band setting up. Aimee and I got four passes to the movie each. I'd say this was a success. I asked how much drinks cost normally and they said $9. I guess it's best not to come here unless they are giving away free drinks and free movie tickets, in which case it is well worth it.

#116 Kings County

Seigel and Bogart, Brooklyn

Damn, I swear we wrote this one up already. I think we wrote it on a napkin, though, instead of in the real book, so I guess it has been lost to the ravages of time. I'll try to do it from memory, and then maybe add to it the next time we go.

So this bar is right around the corner from our house, and it has no sign, as is the style of the times, just a little crown over a door on the side of a warehouse. I've lived here for five months and I never even noticed it. Inside it was really really good though. It was very dark and quiet and unassuming. Seems like a perfect neighborhood hangout. Everyone there was young and hip, which makes sense considering the area, but everybody was keeping to themselves and nobody was trying to be cool. And that's nice. There was a young guy wih glasses reading the paper at the bar, and a few couples talking quietly, and a few people at the far corner of the bar watching a baseball game on TV. I think they have art shows there sometimes. The theme for the art when we went there seemed to be female anatomy, although I could be wrong about that one. Also, I think I remember they had a lot of nice chandeliers there. The rest of my memory is pretty fuzzy about it. I forget the price or quality of the drinks, but neither was strikingly offensive. Also, they had some sort of happy hour, and I think it ended at 8. We were there too late for it, and we thought "we'll have to remember when the happy hour is, for next time." So much for that. Anyway, I liked it there. It seemed like an ideal place to stop in for a drink on your way home from work. If you live around here, at least. It might be nice even if it wasn't so conveniently located, but it definitely gets big points for that.

#115 Anytime

Thursday, June 23, 2005 8:15 pm
93 North 6th, Brooklyn

(Lizzy) The famed dollar happy hour. I thought it sounded too good to be true but I guess not. I don't know why it isn;t more crowded with prices like these. This bar is pretty stylish looking. It's more a restaurant than a bar. And more a food-delivery hub (24 hours, hence the name) than a bar. Still, there is a bar here, and the deal can't be beat, almost. $1 for Finlandia vodka, Bacardi rum, Ballentine's scotch, PBR, and Heineken pints. Hmm. Mixed drinks seem VERY weak to me here. But you can get liquor on the rocks in a good sized glass and that seems like the way to go. The music is good here and the bartender smiles and in general this seems like a pretty good happy hour. 5:30-9 pm daily (although on the Sunday before Memorial Day, drinks were $3. Claire will back me up on that. It might get a little pricier on the weekends). Oh, but you can't sit at a table unless you are ordering food. The bar is fine though.

(Aimee) Yeah, I don't think this bar is very cool, but the price is! Lizzy pretty much covered it. Cheap!

(Sen) I don't know how they can get away with not charging more than $1 for drinks. It's amazing. Possibly more so than the Alligator. See, this is why I love Brooklyn. And it's not because I'm belligerent. The crowd is prety nice and diverse, and the songs and music are good. A mixture of the Rapture, Bee-Gees, and Fleetwood Mac. I mean, come on. I can't believe these well drinks are $3 normally. Oh my goodness.

#114 Daddy's

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 1:30 am
Graham and Frost, Brooklyn

SUMMER BEGINS

I like his bar because the walls have alternating panels of pressed tin and wooden slats. They also have Christmas lights and a small and unobtrusive deer head. It's very dark in here but that's okay. Whiskey ginger was $5 and average. We were told drinks here would come with free veggie dogs but turns out the veggie dogs cost $2 extra. And took forever to come. Where is the Alligator Lounge when we need it?

(Aimee tells me later that Daddy's supposedly has the best jukebox in town, as reported by people she knows and not just vice magazine. I'm not sure how much that sways me. I seem to remember George Kaye's winning that title in Oakland, and I was never all that impressed by the music there. Still, maybe I'll give the Daddy's jukebox another go).

#113 Gypsy Wolf Cantina

Saturday, June 11, 2005 9:40 pm
Woodstock, New York

(Lizzy) Woodstock, huh. Technically, we're camping. But we wanted to see what a Woodstock bar was like. This one is like a Mexican cantina. Or New Mexican, Raina thinks. The waitress doesn't know where the name came from, but there are colorful wolf masks all over. And chili pepper lights and skeletons and wolf paintings. You know, a cantina. Their specialty is frozen margaritas, lime or mango. We went with mango and we are pleased. $6.50 each, which is a lot, but you aren't allowed to argue in the country. Woodstock is all about peace and love, remember. This bar closes at 10. The bartender drew us a map to show us what Woodstock bars to go to next. Joyous Lake is the dance club down the road, and The Crest is the bar behind the schoolhouse where the scene is. The Woodstock scene. In here it is mostly groups of youngish people. I love this place.

(Lizzie) CHARLIE SHEEN. Heavy wolf theme, bright colors.

(Flora) Many bright wolf masks and paper mache lizards crawling on the ceiling. Nice.

(Lizzy) Also Raina totally hit on the bartender without meaning to (supposedly). She thought passing him a love poem written on a napkin was just being friendly.

#112 Bar 169

Thursday, June 2, 2005 10:45 pm
East Broadway at Essex, New York

I think the experience here made everyone a little bitter. Not necessarily a bad place. But it cost seven whole dollars just to get in for the show, and everyone in this bar is just here to see Necking anyway. We could easily have seen them play at home without having to pay the $7. Plus I don't even think Jason and Nick saw much of that money. Grrr. The bar itself isn't too bad. It has funny paintings and a fish tank. I heard drinks were expensive so I didn't get one. The store around the corner has Sparks for only $1.25 though. Best deal of the night. Even the photo hunt here is weird. And the insensitive screen cost us our victory. They do have a pool table here, at least. Eh, maybe this bar would be fine for a bar. It sucks as a place to see a show, though.

#111 Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden

Monday, May 30, 2005 7:35 pm
31st Ave and 24th Street, Astoria, Queens

(Lizzy) Best beer garden I've ever been to. Also, Best Bar in Queens, as voted by New York in 2004. The garden is giant, with picnic tables and tall trees and a dance floor and a stage with a real live Bavarian band playing. Embroidered vests and dirndls and everything. I love it here and I don't even like beer. Long Island Ice Teas cost $6. Not bad. I think beers were $12 a pitcher. There is a barbecue pit with huge delicious sausages for $6. Good deal. They also have non-pit food, not much pricier and supposedly really good.

(Claire) Beer was indeed $12 and delicious, although I don't know what kind it was. Sausages were the best I've ever had... very juicy. And I've only liked sausages for a year. If I were in Oakland I'd be at a "bitches only" cereal factory BBQ eating a smoked turkey and drinking PBR. Sausage and mittel european beer is much much better.
By the way, I'm so pleased to be in a barzine "episode" again. So... this bier-garten was so good I had to call my brother and tell him about the leiderhosen, dirndls, and BEER! Reminds me of ye olde Bavaria.

(Dong) The psych out and the trip! Fairies and fluttering dragons everywhere that adorn your picnic table with endless links of kielbasa and buckets of tasy beer. Chinese children running around in circles in front of the stage, wherre a good-time beer-drinking-encouraging band flashes beaded vests and loose-in-the-ass pants. 4 hits of acid! Some old guy has a nice chivas hat. 2 plates of sausage= 2x sausage (kielbasa), sauerkraut, pickles, onions, tomatoes, mustard, and white bread! Plus Aimee got some dumplings with gravy of some sort. Now Thai food. Rules! So rules here! Thanks for rescuing me from PS1! You can have a new art/ beer garden/ Thai explosion in Queens!

(Rafie) EIN BIER UBER ALLES.

#110 Tribeca Grand

Saturday, May 28, 11:59 pm
Sixth Avenue at White, New York

This hardly even counts as a bar. Well, I guess it's a bar, enough. Maybe more of a club. There might be a hotel upstairs (oh, there is). The ground floor is a swanky looking lounge, and downstairs is a stage and a dance floor and another bar, also swanky. I guess this is what I imagined New York bars might be like, at one point in my younger life. Everyone downstairs is dancing. They don't like the way we dance. They're having a lot less fun though. Ooohh and get this: a whisky ginger ale in a little plastic cup is $9!!! If this were a landmark or a revolving restaurant atop a skyscraper, that would be one thing, but this is just inexcusable. I didn't buy one, of course. At least there's no cover charge. There are attendants in the bathrooms and full trays of beauty products to freshen up with. You could roll straight out of bed into this bathroom and come out looking fabulous. I think the key here is to get really drunk cheaply elsewhere and then come here and dance to your heart's content. Yeah.

#109 East River Bar

Monday, May 23, 2005 10:45 pm
South 6th and Berry, Brooklyn

(Cathy)
Lizzy: This band is the same for my soul as wine and a shower.
Aimee: I like the ceiling a lot. It's got pool here. That's important.
Drinks: $5.
Adam: There's a backyard.
The people on Mondays are nice hippies.
Aimee: Hahaha. Hahaha.
All of a sudden, it gets really crowded.

(Lizzy) Tonight is called Mellow Monday. The crowd isn't as hippie-ish as I had dreaded. Everyone is pretty happy. There's lots of couches to sit on so I'm happy too. It's been a long day. The ceiling is very shiny tin. The pattern is fancier than most tin ceilings I've seen. When we first got here it reminded me of the Attic in San Francisco, but now that feeling has faded. It is good for my mood here.

(Aimee) This place is pretty soothing. I like hippies... besides, New York hippies are hardly hippies at all. Drinks aren't super cheap here, but I think the combo of backyard, pseudo-hippies, and pool makes me feel sort of like California. So there, Lizzy who hates the hippies. Oh, Lizzy. Good for you, East River Bar, especially for naming yourself something that could also be in Manhattan.