Still in the City – NYC Take Two

 

Our adventures in the Big Apple continued after we made our last post, so let’s catch you up on the rest of the story! There are just too many great spots not to keep sharing with you.

We spent most of our week in lower Manhattan but ventured one evening to Chelsea (See previous post) and another evening up to Times Square. We’ll pick up there.

Bar Centrale – Located in an unmarked brownstone along “Restaurant Row” near the theater district, this was a true gem. We had tried to reserve tables the last two times we visited NYC without success. This time, we took a chance and walked over from Times Square and got in!  The Manhattan was one of the best presentations of the cocktail we’ve seen and the food was excellent. Very classy and worth the wait! Apparently, this is a popular spot after the theaters let out, especially for VIPs.

Dear Irving – We took another chance on this one after we went “uptown” and lucked into Bar Centrale. Dear Irving is tucked away in the Gramercy district. You go behind the curtain to find lots of dark wood, mirrors, candles … and fantastic cocktails! We enjoyed sitting at the bar and watching the experts work.

 Backroom – It’s hard to imagine talking about NYC speakeasies and not coming here. This is one of the original operating speakeasies from Prohibition, and it’s still going. True to the theme, it’s not marked, other than the “toy company” sign on the gate, and down a dark alley to a door where you ring the buzzer. Inside, the décor is classic 1920s and the cocktails are served in teacups, just like Prohibition. They have jazz dancing on Mondays, but we didn’t make that.  Maybe next time!

Little Branch – This speakeasy on a corner in the West Village has some of the best jazz in the city Sunday - Thursday with no cover. We visited last fall and returned for the drinks and jazz. We even managed to snag a table toward the end of the set.

As we mentioned in our last post, we also made time to try out some local establishments and classic pubs that we couldn’t resist.

White Horse Tavern – This is not a speakeasy, but a cool old tavern where writers used to hang out in the West Village. We visited during Happy Hour, and it seems every young professional in the village was at the bar. We scored a table and soaked it all in. 

McSorley’s – How can we not include this classic beer hall that hasn’t changed much in 100 years? We sat by the coal stove to warm up and had our beer and cheese … light and dark beer only, the way it has always been!

Whiskey Ward – A neighborhood bar below Houston with a huge selection of bourbon and whiskey. It was very crowded but we got a table by the window and enjoyed our drinks. Scott was surprised to get a pour of Elmer T. Lee for $16 … the best price we’ve seen anywhere for it!

Jadis - Gets the award for one of the only “twofers” on this trip … we liked it so much we went back twice in the same week! It’s a classic European wine bar with a great happy hour between the East and West Village.

Goodnight Sonny – Speaking of great Happy Hours, this one was another repeat from our last trip in September. Conveniently located in the East Village, they have great specials on drinks and a fantastic east coast oyster sampler platter for Happy Hour. The vibe is laid back and perfect after a work day.

Jackdaw – This one was on our list previously, and we are glad we made it this time! Great Old Fashioned cocktails and guacamole for a reasonable price at Happy Hour.  Another fantastic location in the East Village. 

Just so you don’t get the wrong idea about us (gasp 🙈), we did more than just drink for the entire week, to be sure! 

We highly recommend Free Tours by Foot. We took two of their tours on this trip and have used them before. The guide, Lori, was personable, organized and an excellent storyteller. Any of the tours with Lori are going to be worth the time and anything you pay.

We are also history nerds, so no surprise that we took a tour of the St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, including the catacombs beneath. This was a wonderful experience and a great way to learn about the old Five Points neighborhood and the Irish ghetto. Also not far from our hotel, we visited the New Museum. While it’s four stories high, the museum is an easy walk-through of exhibits highlighting contemporary art. We went on Thursday night when it was “pay as you wish.”

Both times we went “uptown” we had a reason. First, we went to the Summit One Vanderbilt. We’ve done most of the other observation decks like the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock and One World Trade. But this one is another level, literally. The experience we booked included art installations, a glass bottom observation window, a cocktail at the top and a ride even higher on the glass elevator. The views of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and upper Manhattan were incredible at night.  The second time out of our neighborhood we went to the Stranger Things experience just off Times Square. For fans of the show, this was absolutely worth it!

And finally, a shout out to some of the other small businesses we visited later in the weekend, including Taverna di Bacco, an authentic Italian restaurant near our hotel, and El Sombrero, where we got some of the best margaritas around late on a Saturday night. Can’t wait to try the food next time.

What’s even more exciting – there are new speakeasies popping up in the city every day, so we have plenty to visit the next time around!