Plan of Travel Attack: Week 1.

My third weekend just passed and I have been trying my best to do as much as possible but my wallet, beaten and broken, can't take it anymore. Looking at all the available options that I can abuse money on, I think I have done pretty well in the last few days. Packing in as much bang for my buck as possible. Also I have stopped converting everything into Rands and going "that's so cheap". This is an illusion, and it's not cheap and I should stop being retarded.

I started with the bars immediately in the vicinity around the apartment building. Along with Charlie, the landlord, who once was the second largest bar owner in New York City. I have been given access to individuals and respect at bars I do not deserve. It is a thrill though to walk into a bar with a man that receives his favorite drink before he has even sat down.

Ryan Maguires (Financial District)

The best thing about this bar is the authentic Irish staff. They could all be paid actors with shocking Irish accents but they seem legit. Every bartender I have met is Irish and even though it doesn't make the service- which is fantastic- or the drinks any better. It is FREAKING AWESOME. There is nothing quite like watching a tipsy American lose a wit war with an Irish bartender and not even realize it. Case in point: an older gentleman arguing about his bill was told "how can I believe a man with a combover, clearly you are lying to yourself, so what is stopping you from lying to me?" Silent giggles erupted all over the place. There are also a good bunch of regulars that make walking into the bar feel like you are returning someplace instead of visiting.


Liam's (Financial District)

This bar is slightly darker than the rest, with a pool table downstairs and excellent chili fries. I was recommended the chili fries by regular at another bar and ordered them and they were good - its not like I just praise just any food that has been put in my mouth. The bar has gone with the more traditional route of putting pretty ladies behind the bar and spoil me rotten loses geniuneship because of it. The beer flows easy and I can see myself having a great time here.

Open Door Gastropub. (Financial District)

This bar is really modern with a yuppie feel and would be great for a date night. Booths run the length of the long bar and the staff are professional and got to know my name even though I had only been there once before. Not because I was a crazy customer but because the service is great. I never ordered any food but gasto pub implies they serve it so there is that as well.

Julius Bar (Greenwich Village)

The oldest gay bar in NYC. A non imposing bar with a fair share of regulars and a bartender that is part of New York lore, it is definitely a bar worth visiting for a quick stop on a bar crawl. There is an open kitchen area across the bar where you can order traditional NY cuisine - burgers and hot dogs - for really reasonable prices.

The Stonewall Inn (Greenwich Village)

The bar where it all arguably began and home to the Stonewall Riots of the 70's, which set off the modern gay rights movement. I met Tree, a bartender who was on hand in 1969 during the riots and has worked there ever since - that is his name, if he picked it up on a long weekend I could not tell you - and he is an encyclopedia of New York history. I spent the afternoon just listening to his stories of old NY. I was really lucky and plan on having a few more long afternoons listening to this bartender share his thoughts and memories. The stonewall plays to an older generation now but because of its history is a meeting place for young people new to the city.

Marie's Crisis (Greenwich Village)

This was the most fun I have had in a very long time. The venue consists of an open area around a piano. The piano man plays requests or medleys and all the patrons just sing along. It is like group karaoke. Solo singers also take the chance of pleasing the crowd and I take my hat off to the men and women who can sing in front of a room packed with people on all levels of sobriety. The drinks are cheap and strong, STRONG, I watched with a slack jaw as the bartender filled my glass with two quarters Jack Daniels and a splash of coke after I had asked for a double.

Candle Bar (Upper West Side)

Maybe it is because I went there on a Sunday night but this place is a dive, doesn't mean I did not have fun. The patrons are extremely friendly and we got into some uproariuously funny conversations and a few hectic arguments with a variety of people. The clientele varied greatly from a 72 year old native american man to a recent Havard graduate. This bar felt like a place out of the tourist loop and I saw New York for New Yorkers the first time. The drawback was my bill tab had no relation to recent history and I will not be returning.

Snafu (Upper East side) 

I popped in here the first time making my way home. A literal hole in the wall with so much more to offer, it is a suit stronghold .Since I have been back twice with work colleagues and had a blast. The bar gets very busy into the evening and finding somewhere to converse is a problem but with $3 dollar beers and $5 dollar whiskey shots is fantastic because it is a stone's throw away from all the upper east side hotels and sights. Ten minutes from Time Square it is central and a great choice for a weekday get together.

Bodies - The Exhibition (Financial District) 

The exhibition is literally down the road from me and having seen it publicized in many forms - it was even featured on CSI: Las Vegas - I really wanted to go. Make sure you look for a coupon online because at $30 it is pricey. The exhibition is very well laid out and comes from a medical point of view exploring each of the body's philosophical mechanisms at a time. The actual bodies are a combination of grotesque reality and artistic beauty and you get more out of seeing the dead displayed this way than you learn about the reproductive system. There is a hushed respect within the exhibition and I would recommend to anybody that wants to explore the reality of death and doesn't work in the medical industry.