Thurdsday
March 15, 2012

One of those strange, restless, DNOs. For starters it's the Ides of March.

We're meeting at the Old Town Bar. I haven't been down here in a dog's age. Man, it sure is crowded! I totally understand how New Yorkers acquire "the attitude:" I used to come to this place when there was no one in here on a Thursday night—Now it's crawling with weasel nuckleheads and their airhead girfriends! Okay, maybe my memory's a bit faulty here, but when the hell did this joint become the chi-chi place to meet? I wend my way toward the bar...

Dan is already at work at the bar. The beer selection here is rather pedestrian, so I settle for a Guinness. We were able to score a couple of feet of frontage at the far end of the prodigious wooden bar. "P" arrived and the second round included a Blue Point Toasted Lager for me. Not bad, but just okay. Given the crowd, there's no chance of grabbing a burger here. And the vibe and crowding is bumming me out...

We trudged down through Union Square, past Andy Warhol's Monument and his "Factory," to City Tavern on 13th Street. The bar was crowded so grabbed a table out front. Dan and I opted for the Speakeasy Prohibition; "P" opted for his old standby: Blue Moon. The night's a bit cool and raw, so it's time to move on...

Next stop was Qdoba Grill for some food to offset the alcohol. Some sort of burrito thingy. At least there was some eye candy in this place, no doubt having just come here from Old Town...

Not willing to leave a good thing alone, we decided to hit one last joint: Forum. What an unfortunate, stupid name! Missing the glory days of the Roman Empire, are we? Are we supposed to show up in togas and laurel wreaths? (Not to mention the seedy suggestion of Penthouse Forum.)

Anyway, I had a Goose Island IPA—probably the best beer I had all night—and I'm not a big IPA fan. This nondescript place is almost empty and it's last call—and it's not even that late. I know when I'm beat. There comes a time when you gotta cash in your chips and call it a night....





Old Town Bar
45 E. 18th St,
New York, NY 10003
oldtownbar.com
(212) 529-6713

North White Plains

The Bar at Old Town Bar

P And(y) Dan

P lost in thought

Speak Easy

Brothers-in-Arms

#1101