Saturday, July 3rd, 2010—Bar 174
Day 174—Friday, July 2nd, 2010
Irish Times
Okay, it’s Friday night and as usual I’m really tired and feel pretty burned out. And, yes, I would like some ice with my whine. Anyway, as I’ve constantly moaned about since I started this 365 Bar Crawl, Fridays are impossible to do my usual thing where I go around and talk to people. The bar is crowded, most people are out in groups, so it’s tough to approach them and the biggest thing is by this time of the week I’m really fucking sick of talking to people! I just want to make like Marcel Marceau, drink my three drinks, take some photos and get the hell out of Dodge. Last week I used quotes from Frank Booth, Dennis Hopper’s great, creepy character in the movie “Blue Velvet” for photo captions and I was going to start using different movies every Friday. The only problem was I couldn’t find another character that worked as good as Frank did. And then I realized, what the fuck, just because I don’t talk to people doesn’t mean I can’t write captions. So the captions are back on Friday’s posts, I just won’t know anyone’s names. And they won’t know mine, sometimes that’s a good thing. Oh and we’re going to Irish Times because it’s about a four minute walk from where I work. Set your stopwatches, you’ll see.
See? Here we are. Okay, let's go in and get this over with...err...have a good time.
Hey, look at this! It's not very crowded at all in here! Plenty of seats at the bar.
And Rijo serves me up an ice cold beer before I even sit down. Looks like I can do this Friday in true Bar Crawl fashion. Hooray for me!
I joined a friendly group of people for a drink who were sitting nearby. From left: Steve, Lauren, me and Amanda.
The TV's and lit up booze bottles make for a nice bar setting.
Large, comfortable wooden booths line the walls opposite the bar.
The long and winding bar.
Some of the beers on draft.
The dining area in the front...
And in the back, plenty of seats in here.
And there's an upstairs.
Let's check it out.
A spacious area with a great view.
A bird's-eye-view of the bar, part one...
And part two.
And something I haven't done for awhile, the obligatory bathroom mirror shot. Goodnight, everybody!
Review
Okay, this is a good bar in a bit of a no-man’s land in Manhattan. If you’re going to an event at Madison Square Garden or want a quick drink or three before taking your train back to Jersey, you can’t get much closer than this. There’s always a good chance at getting a seat at the long and winding high polished wooden bar. There’s tables in the front and back for dining and drinking and a spacious seating area upstairs. Sports programs are projected from all of the 15 screens scattered throughout the bar.
There’s a decent selection of bottled beer and a very large selection of brews on tap including: Guinness, Steinlager, Palm Amber Ale and Boston Lager. Irish Times has a large selection of food including such Irish staples as: Irish Beef Stew, Shepherd's Pie, Fish And Chips and an Irish Breakfast that has grilled Irish bacon, sausage, pudding, tomato, eggs and served with french fries. They also have three varieties of burgers and a large selection of sandwiches and salads. There’s nightly drink specials and Happy Hour runs Monday through Friday offering six dollar martinis and cosmos, four buck beers and five dollar well drinks and shots.
Stop by on a Friday night, there’s plenty of seats. For now.
Irish Times
254 West 31st St. (Near 8th Ave.)
212-216-9355
2 References
Reader Comments (28)
Hey 365 Man... ...I have noticed with experience that Friday Nights in NYC during the summer are pretty quite nights, most people run fast to get home and enjoy the longer days or off to the Hamptons where they can pay $10.00 for a PBR!
Adios Amigo
@Pedro: Before this, I never went out on Friday or Saturday nights, let's hope you're right, Amigo!
He's right , but only in the summer time !!
I prefer you doing your Fucking Frank Booth Fridays , since I Love saying Fuck .
Bar looks Cool , when there's not to many people in it , hate crowds & loud noise , like at The Frying Pan Bar @ Pier 64 ( I think it's Pier 64 ) .
When I saw the lit up liquor bottles, I immediately remembered the scene with Jack Nicholson and the spooky bartender in Stanley Kubrick's version of 'The Shining'...and then it hit me...why doesn't Marty track down a bar with a genuine reputation for being haunted for the coming Halloween crawl! You've got plenty of time to research some candidates without wearing yourself out and there's GOT to be at least one or two bars in a city the size of NYC that fit the bill. You could have some real fun with your Halloween installment! Maybe buy some movie quality fake fangs for yourself (about fifteen or twenty bucks at the Johnson Smith mail order company that fit right over your I-teeth) for your photo that night, Just don't wear them in the bar so's the bouncer or a cocktail waitress doesn't drive a wooden swizzle stick through your heart!
@ Jaws , Yes I told him about The Bridge Cafe & I want to go with him there !!!
@Jaws: It made me think of the Lloyd scene too! I'll start looking for a haunted bar.
It looks like a very cool and spacious bar. I'm surprised it wasn't packed, especially on a Friday night.
You are right, Jaws, that was a great scene in The Shining and this Irish TImes does have a likeness to it. I like bars that use lighting on glasses and bottles to set an atmosphere. This place looks really good with the wood, only thing I dont care for too much is so many damn TV sets every 4 inches,,,,why? Bars should be about socializing and not so much about watching tv and sporting events,,,that can ruin a good bar.
@Jhwang: We'll go there soon!
HAHA i guess all creepy minds think alike.. cause I got chills in a shining way.
And went thank god the bartender does not look like Lloyd....
And yes Marty go find haunted bars:)
"Hi, Lloyd. Little slow tonight, isn't it? HAHAHAHA! "
Beautiful place, but I think it would be even more beautiful in 20 yrs, if its still around. Nothing beats old wood.
Kari totally hate to be the perve
nah sooo not gonna say it....well maybe..
nah i'll let one of the guys catch that.
I'm "petrified" to comment on the "old wood".
But didn't Pinocchio have a "Wood Pecker?"
Kari, working on some Women's 365 styles in Black
.
Oh yeah... the bar.
Nice looking stop along the way.
As you were soldiers.
"Boris"
hey what about using quote from will ferell? or micky rouke?
Old Wood is The best Wood , if you rub oil on it ever day !
@Boris,haha u crack me up!.....
@Marty, on the movie scene, fav quote:"Boondock Saints" ('99) from the irish barman who has tourettes syndrome & was visiting the 2 irish brothers in hospital, his quote- "FUCK!!!!-ARSE!!!!" in front of the nuns & kids....classic!
@Marty,good Irish pub t'nite, dunno how authentic the barman Rijo is?? but no matter....
why dont you duck up to Boston & visit the Irish Bar off Boondock Saints? maybe get a quote off the barman?....just food for thought.....:-)
Haha, can't believe I of all people didn't see that one coming. Well I stick by my comment, experience wood usually is better. @JHwang daily oil is definitely needed! Thanks @Boris, didn't mean to cause work :)
@kari and Gidget: Pinnochio didn't return calls about the beating of the old wood comment. I think he's got too many splinters in his hands to dial.
@fitzy: I'm going to spend a day in Boston and will try to find that bar.
@JHwang: Please keep your wood comments to yourself, some of us are trying to drink over here!
Hmmmmnn.... Marty doesn't feel like talking to people ... and right up at the top of the post -- there he is in between two nice snickies, chatting it up ! Nice ! Anyhow ... Irish Times is a good place, nice & big, Magners on draft, and a cool spot to hang out for a bit in the evening when they have the front windows open. A winner in my book !
does look like a great place to hang for awhile...was quite staggered that 365 was not swamped w/ movies to quote on the friday crawl...KOC
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