Casual nightlife in Manhattan.. (New York, Shirley: buy, live, price)

[jeffcon0]

Ok, I may expose myself a little bit here but I think I can help:

These places are all at least somewhat hipster but are still some of my favorite bars if I'm actually going out and not just staying at a local dive:

1) Union Pool -- Williamsburg is THE hipster destination in NY and Union Pool is THE hipster bar. The big draw here is the outdoor patio so be sure to go when the weather is accomodating. I call it "hipster Caligula" because the hookup factor is through the roof and because when the weather is nice there are great looking people lounging on the multi-tiered outdoor area. It is definlty the see and be seen spot in Williamsburg and is only one block from the Metropolitan/Lorimer L train station.

2) Welcome to Johnson's -- One of my favorite bars in the city when it isn't too crowded. It is in the Lower East Side around Rivington and Essex. This whole area is chockful of fun bars including Piano's, Motor City, the Delancey, and 158. All re great spots but this is my favorite. It is modeled after a 1980's rec room complete with old family photos, nappy couches, and VHS player. It is filthy, it stinks, the pool table will annoy you to death but it is still great. Dirt cheap PBRs, bathroooms with kicked in doors, and many lovely young ladies and dudes (I'm not looking for dudes
, but where there are girls the guys tend to follow). This whole area is great. HUGE bar area. Just take a cab to Rivington and Essex and walk around (especially east) and you ill see tons of people. Just follow them in somehwere. Covers are virtually non-existent in the area.

3) Lit -- Lit is one of the ultimate NYC hipster hookup bars. It's on 2nd Ave. and 5th street. When you walk in you will see a fairly dead upstairs. Don't let it fool you. Go downstairs to the dungeon-like basement and there is a huge, sweaty mass of people but it isn't clubby. Great 80's music and everything they play will make you go "OH I love this song". This bar is an awesome time and right near a ton of other East Village bars on 2nd ave.

There are obviously a ton of other bars but any of the ones I listed above are in very popular areas so even if they are not right up your alley you can follow a crowd to another bar. Just be aware that they are hipster bars so if I am gettting your definition wrong and you are really looking for a loungy, more high-end place you should look somewhere else.

In my pre-steady girlfriend days (less than a year ago) I went out constantly so if these sound like the types of places you are looking for or if you have some more specific questions just let me know.

[keith talent]

Originally Posted by jeffcon0

3) Lit -- Lit is one of the ultimate NYC hipster hookup bars. It's on 2nd Ave. and 5th street. When you walk in you will see a fairly dead upstairs. Don't let it fool you. Go downstairs to the dungeon-like basement and there is a huge, sweaty mass of people but it isn't clubby. Great 80's music and everything they play will make you go "OH I love this song".

OK, it's been awhile ... but, this vaguely reminds me of another old classic that was on that block back in the early 80s, called Nightbirds. This was midblock on the east side of the avenue.

It was a black-walled sorta place, same feel of jukebox, except that it WAS the 80s and you'd hear "Crimson & Clover" and "If You Come to SF ... " was run by an ex-Hong Kong cop who used to draw the curtains and keep it going till 6 a.m. Be too funny if this was in the same bldg ... gotta ask. Hookups were known to happen there, too ... though me and my friends were just fooked-up cab drivers then.

[mead]

Originally Posted by keith talent

Just remember, though, it gets kinda miserable on Fri-Sat nights. Forget about finding a barstool then, or getting a drink in less than 10 mins! The real people go out earlier in the week, Sundays too.

Those people are what I like to call 'alcoholics.'

[jeffcon0]

Originally Posted by keith talent

OK, it's been awhile ... but, this vaguely reminds me of another old classic that was on that block back in the early 80s, called Nightbirds. This was midblock on the east side of the avenue.

It was a black-walled sorta place, same feel of jukebox, except that it WAS the 80s and you'd hear "Crimson & Clover" and "If You Come to SF ... " was run by an ex-Hong Kong cop who used to draw the curtains and keep it going till 6 a.m. Be too funny if this was in the same bldg ... gotta ask. Hookups were known to happen there, too ... though me and my friends were just fooked-up cab drivers then.

Lit is on the west side of the avenue but the places ound remarkably similar.

[neodorian]

Originally Posted by Elvira Black

There's a place called Arlene Grocery (if it's still there) where you can see live bands and there's no cover or minimum (or at least there wasn't; haven't been in awhile.) Lots of young people; tons of bars in that area.

Last time I was in the city I went there and they have rock and roll karaoke where you can sing and the house band will back you. Fun times.

Also it seems that every time I am in Manhattan just to hang out and be a lame tourist for the weekend I never have trouble finding places to drink cheap. Just 2 years ago I was in some random rock bar at the edge of the Village. Got a bit tipsy so I forget the name now. It was yet another bar where the address was the name. Anyway, it was fun. $2 PBR and other hipster fare as well as pints of better beer. The bartenders were were cute and drinking on the job. One of them started dancing on the bar. The also let people illegally smoke in the bar after midnight. Surprisingly not as trashy as it sounds.

Last time I was down we saw a show at the Blender theater and then ended up at some random fishing-themed bar (not sure what was up with that). I spent no more than I would in DC and less than a lot of places.

If you are down with regular bars and don't care to hit up swanky night clubs they are around. Even chumps like us from out of town found them just by walking around

[TunaBoy]

Theres the W hotel bar in midtown...no cover and drinks are about $15. Drinks are expensive anywhere u go. Or you can always go to a bodega, brown bag it, sit on a stoop and people watch, and then stumble into the venue

[dixiecupdrinking]

Some of the replies in this thread are as outrageous as they are old. However, for the sake of creating an accurate record, I feel the need to add something here.

First: I go out a fair amount in Manhattan and in Brooklyn. I NEVER pay cover charges. I have NEVER paid $15 for a drink. I also don't go to depressing Irish bars. I can't believe this bogus junk people threw around in this thread.

Several places that have been mentioned are really good options -- Union Pool, Botanica, the Lounges both Crocodile and Alligator (one on E. 14th, one in Brooklyn). I like Drop Off Service on Avenue A. Continental on 3rd Avenue and St. Marks is cheap, divey, cheap, fun and cheap. Bar 119, near Union Square, is kinda neat. These places are all full of cool but not overwhelmingly hip twenty-somethings. Just about every corner in Williamsburg also has a place fitting this bill, of varying quality. I had a good time at Royal Oak once or twice, though I felt old enough to be the father of some kids in there (and I'm.. 23).

South Brooklyn is where my real haunts are. 4th Avenue Pub is possibly my favorite place in the whole world. (Bar or otherwise.) Cherry Tree and Pacific Standard are a stumble away and also fun. 5th Avenue has Great Lakes, Commonwealth, Buttermilk, Union Hall, Loki, The Gate, Royale, and about a dozen others I'm forgetting, some of which I love and some that I do something more like tolerate; Bar 4 on 7th Avenue's cool. Smith Street's got a couple of spots. Granted these are all places that aren't big "destination" spots for most, but they're packed on the weekends, comfortable, completely without pretense, and way cooler than some Irish pub in Gramercy.

I'm sure no one is reading this or cares anymore, but should anyone stumble upon this thread in search of a fun bar with good music in New York where you can get in for free wearing jeans... rest assured, there is hope yet. Leave your hair gel and Gucci shoes at home.

[DjRey]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

Here in NYC I've been to hipster spots and yuppie spots.

Both boring. Extremely boring.

Very LA. Very image conscious. But hey if that's your thing.

Plenty of places like this in the village, and billyburg.

Man..I totally agree. I just got back from Manhattan visiting and i felt the same way in alot of the hipster and yuppie spots. I found some bars in the cut in BK, and up by Columbia University that were cool though(mixed crowd). Too bad I was to lit to remember the names though..LOL.

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by DjRey

Man..I totally agree. I just got back from the Manhattan visiting and i felt the same way in alot of the hipster and yuppie spots. I found some bars in the cut in BK and Queens that were cool though(mixed crowd). Too bad I was to lit to remember the names though..LOL.

Astoria has some great spots to hang, have a drink, party.

[DjRey]

Originally Posted by Miles

Astoria has some great spots to hang, have a drink, party.

Thanks Miles. I'll be back next month. I'm gonna check out Astoria next time.