NY@Night 1st Edition.qxd 8/21/2006 1:28 PM Page 87 NY@Night 1st Edition.qxd 8/21/2006 1:28 PM Page 88 17 10 At times, the East Village appears to be an authentic bastion of modern Bohemia 2 6 — nourished by a sense of historic 50 14 beatnik tradition and reinvigorated by 90s 11 chic. 3 25 36 45 42 54 Then again, the area can also seem irreverently 15 29 47 1 37 46 pretentious, intimidating and exclusive. But always, the East Village is exciting, shocking and alive. 38 The area first appeared as a distinct neighborhood 35 51 39 9 in the 60s as artists, fleeing skyrocketing West 27 24 Village rents, invaded and set up camp. Their radical political and artistic views immediately set 43 this loosely knit colony apart, professing an in- 19 53 your-face attitude that saturates the neighborhood 34 to this day. Most recently, the area has absorbed large numbers of Latinos, Ukrainians, and gays 30 28 49 20 31 16 48 and lesbians. 12 21 23 41 18 An afternoon stroll through the East Village is 5 55 secondhand shopping at its best, with streets lined 8 44 22 40 with cheap outdoor cafes, music shops and 7 vintage clothing boutiques. Music venues like 56 32 C.B.G.B. and the Mercury Lounge showcase local talent, while political playwrights hold captive 52 33 26 audiences at KGB and Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe. The heart of this area’s scene, though, is Avenue A and 13 its abundance of bars of all shapes, sizes and 4 persuasions. From the drag queen staff at Lucky Cheng’s to the pulsating throngs at Webster Hall, there is something for everyone to experience — at least once. 1 2A 20 Chez es Saada 39 Liquids 2 7B 21 Circa 40 Lucky Cheng s 3 Ace Bar 22 Coney Island High 41 Marion s 4 Acme Underground 23 Continental 42 McSorley s Old Ale 5 Astor Rest aurant & 24 Decibel 43 House 6 Lounge 25 Detour 44 Mekka 7 A venue B Social Club 26 Drinkland 45 NW3 8 B Bar 27 Fez 46 Nevada Smith s 9 Bar None 28 First 47 Niagara 10 Bar XVI 29 Flamingo East 48 Nice Guy Eddie s 11 Baraza 30 Flea Market 49 O p aline 12 Barmacy 31 Gemini Lounge 50 Opium Den 13 Beauty Bar 32 Global 33 51 Orson s 14 Bond Street 33 Great Jones Cafe 52 Pierrot 15 Bouche Bar 34 Indochine 53 Standard 16 Brownies 35 Internet Cafe 54 Temple Bar 17 Burp Castle 36 Izzy Bar 55 Tenth Street Lounge 18 C-Note 37 Korova Milk Bar 56 Vain 88 New York @ Night 19 C.B.G.B. 38 The Library Von NY@Night 1st Edition.qxd 8/21/2006 1:28 PM Page 90 T ype of 2A Acme Underground T ype of Establishment 25 Avenue A @ 2nd Street 9 Great Jones Street Establishment Bar/Lounge (212) 505-2466 Between Broadway & Lafayette Bar/Restaurant Hours (212) 677-6963 Hours Daily 4pm- There’s an interesting sibling rivalry going on Su-Th 4am 11:30a at 2A. The bar downstairs is like the South, With over 150 different types of hot sauces m- Drink Prices steeped in tradition and leery of outsiders. on its menu, it’s safe to say this Cajun 11:30p $ The lounge upstairs is like the North, wel- restaurant is one of the hottest places in m Food coming newcomers, trend-setting and mod- town. Taste bud tingling (or torturing, F-Sa 11:30am- N/A ern. Neighborhood veterans, some of whom depending on how tough you are) concoc- 12:30am Nearest have been coming to 2A for over a decade, tions like Heavenly Habañero, Hogs Breath Drink Prices Subway $$ F to 2nd stay downstairs. They set their watches by Hot Sauce and Dat’l Do It Devil Drops line Food Avenue their favorite bartender’s shift, grab a bar Acme’s wall. Rusted gas station signs make Southern Credit Cards stool and order a pint. Upstairs, candles the bar in the back look like a truck stop only Cajun Cash Only a fat man named Bubba could love. After a abound and the lights, covered with 30s pin- Nearest up girls, are dimmed. Patrons laze on spicy blackened dinner, head downstairs for Subway leather sofas and order drinks from the ser- some spicy alternative rock ‘n’ roll. 6 to Bleecker vice bar. S treet Credit Cards Astor Restaurant & Lounge MC,V,Disc 7B 316 Bowery @ Bleecker Street T ype of (212) 253-8644 Establishment 108 Avenue B @ 7th Street Bar (212) 473-8840 T ype of Start your evening with a Cosmopolitan at Establishment Hours Restaurant/ Daily 12pm- “Remember that scene in The Godfather II the marble bar with tin tiles; splurge into Lounge 4am where the guy gets strangled to death at nouveau American/French cuisine sur- Hours Drink Prices the bar and dragged into the back? That rounded by a hip and lively up-and-down- M-Th 6pm- $$ was filmed here,” said Joe who’s been town crowd in the spacious restaurant; then 2am Food coming to 7B for over fifteen years. That saunter downstairs to the intricately tiled F-Su 6pm-4am N/A scene, Crocodile Dundee I and II, and a Turkish bath-lounge, watch some belly Drink Prices Nearest host of other movies have been filmed at dancing and clap your $$$ Subway hands with hip Middle the bar across from Tompkins Square Food L to 1st Park. Opened in 1934, the horseshoe bar Easterners. Owner Murat American/ Avenue hails from an era long lost. Joe, affection- Bugdaycay, has a great French Credit Cards ately known as the ‘Godfather of 7B’, hosts sense of cross-border Nearest All Major Cinema Saturdays — a chance for people humor: his Turkish musi- Subway to get together, drink Bloody Mary’s and cians are from Greece. F to 2nd watch movies all afternoon. Avenue Credit Cards Avenue B Social Club MC,V,AmEx Ace Bar 99 Avenue B 531 East 5th Street Between 6th & 7th Street T ype of Between Avenue A & Avenue B (212) 674-7957 Establishment (212) 979-8476 Bar While the flashy decor of many jazz lounges T ype of Establishment Hours It’s across the street from a nursing center, detracts from the listening experience, the Lounge/ Daily 2pm- candle-lit deep burgundy and oak tones at but the Ace Bar is definitely not a haven for Live Music 4am the hapless. It’s a neighborhood bar with an this East Village hideaway lend themselves Hours Drink Prices unwritten rule: tattoos are appreciated. to absorbing the vibes. The club is a com- Daily 4pm- $$ Rolling Stone magazine honored the rock fortable, neighborhood, no-cover jazz lounge 4am Food bar with best jukebox in New York, with with downtown Avenue B ambiance. Most Drink Prices N/A selections from Frank Sinatra to the Beastie nights, live music performed on the centrally $$ Nearest Boys. More impressive, however, is the located stage spills over the crowd. The Food Subway extensive collection of antique lunch boxes sounds are usually jazz, but often with a N/A F to 2nd Avenue worth $50,000 (the Bee Gees box is a must touch of soul and R&B. There’s room to Nearest see) that welcomes patrons when they walk stretch out downstairs — darker and more Subway Credit Cards F to 2nd All Major in. Sunday brunch features Bloody Mary’s intimate, yet not as polished as the first floor. and complimentary bagels all day for $2.50. Avenue Credit Cards Cash Only 90 New York @ Night East Village 91 NY@Night 1st Edition.qxd 8/21/2006 1:28 PM Page 92 T ype of B Bar Baraza T ype of Establishment 358 Bowery @ 4th Street 133 Avenue C Establishment Bar/Restaurant (212) 475-2220 Between 8th & 9th Street Bar Hours (212) 539-0811 Hours M-F 11:30am- It used to be the Bowery Bar and now it’s Daily 7:30pm- 3am 4am Sa-Su just the B Bar. Though it’s lost some its It used to be a shady bodega that dealt las Drink Prices 10:30a letters, it certainly hasn’t lost any of its atti- drogas, but rest assured the only thing this $$$ m-3am tude. The Frankenstein-like guys at the largely huppie and gringo crowd now come Food Drink Prices door control the requisite velvet rope and to Baraza for is the intoxicating Latin jazz N/A $$$ make sure everyone that enters has a and the great drinks. After having a couple Nearest Food of Caipirinhas, or the equally popular Mojito ‘look.’ The voguing can get a little ridiculous Subway American and the place can be a bit of a meat mar- Cubanos, head to the bathroom and see if L to 1st Bistro ket, but once the Boss and Elite model you’re sober enough to count the number of Avenue Nearest wannabes relax and stop trying to get dis- pennies that cover the wall. Here’s a hint: if Credit Cards Subway you can unglue all of them, you’ll walk out Cash Only 6 to Astor covered, a good time is definitely had by all. Place $375 richer. Credit Cards All Major Bar None 98 3rd Avenue Barmacy Between 12th & 13th Street 536 East 14th Street T ype of T ype of Establishment Establishment (212) 777-None Between Avenue A & Avenue B Bar Bar (212) 228-2240 Miss those great college parties? We’ve Hours Hours M-F 5:30pm- Daily 5pm- found the next best thing.