From Second To Third

It was a nice sunny day so I was going to take a stroll down Second Avenue. When I got to Third I spotted a bar and one thing led to another so I never did make it to Second. Tomorrow, for sure.

389) Bar None

This is the place that caught my eye as I was walking along 12th Street towards Second. If is on Third between 12th and 13th and the sign just popped out at me. An old beat-up wooden bar with names and graffiti carved into the front wooden armrest. A black ledge for your foot. Nice dark-wood bar-chairs with padded black seats. Mirror backed glass shelves hold the liquor. A nice selection of beers on draft. Jaegermeister being chilled for shots, I inwardly shudder. A couple of cement sculptures hang on two of the mirrors. The woodwork surrounding the mirrors is quite ornate. Plush sofas by the windows in front and wrap-awound padded booths along the side wall with mirrors above them. Nice old wooden floors. Three TVs, only two were turned on and the two other patrons and the bartender were watching a Clint Eastwood movied. Kind of a funky black-stucco ceiling.

I had a draft Blue Moon.

390) Nevada Smith's

A very dark place that is very big on soccer. It is at 74 Third, almost at 11th. The place is kept dark to better show the games on their seven televisions. Three different games were playing while I was there. Mirror backd tiered shelving behind the bar holds the liquor. Four upturned glass shaded lamps are mounted in the spaces between the mirrors. Dim orangeish track lighting above the bar and five larger glass shaded lights above the rest of the place. There is track lighting above the back wall and a few more lamps similar to the ones behind the bar. They are all fairly dim. Somebody was hanging a huge, mostly blue, Chelsea Football Club, New York Blues banner. This place was packed, unusual for a week-day afternoon.

I had a draft Pilsner Urquell.

391) Uno Chicago Bar and Grill

A decemt sized pizza joint and bar on Third, across the street and down a block from Nevada Smith's, between 10th and 11th. The bar itself is a nice old wooden one with a black ledge for your feet. Nice dark-wood bar-chairs. Glass shelves behind the bar for bottles and glasses. A couple of televisions. Peanuts in bowls on the bar, kind of hit the spot, perhaps a bit too well. I had to have the bartender take them away. The walls have dark-wood paneling up about half-way and then brick above. Some red, white, and black padded booths sit by the front window. Large white shaded lights hang above the bar and overhead fans hang from the ceiling which is patterned tile painted to look like zinc. A lot of tables with brown and tan checks fill up the floor space. Numerous black and white photographs and old advertising grace the walls. A scaled down Statue of Liberty sits in the dining area that is seperated from the bar by wooden and glass dividers. A narrow window with wood framed panes hangs from the ceiling.

I had a draft Uno Amber, not too bad either.

392) St. Marks Ale House

A fairly dark place on St. Marks (8th Street renamed) and just off 3rd. A decent selection of draft beers dispensed from either brass or ceramic fixtures. A nice sized wood bar with a top that looks newer than its base. It does have the traditional brass rail. Wood bar-chairs with black padded seats. Smaller versions of the bar-chairs sit around wooden tables that sit in front of benches lining the wooden walls. A lot of televisions are mounted on the walls along with various black and white photos of old New York. Some sports memorabilia and old advertising posters fill out most of the remaining space. The bathroom doors are graced with large pictures of Marilyn Monroe (women's) and James Dean (men's). The one brick wall has a picture of monks quaffing beer. The ceiling over the bar area is dark tin and there are recessed lights behind the bar.

I had a draft Anchor Steam Beer.

393) San Marcos

Just down St. Marks a bit is this narrow, but very deep place that widens out in the back where there is a pool table. A wavey metallic ceramic topped bar with a blue cement front and a black ledge for your foot. They have a decent selection of draft beers. Black bar-chairs with black seats. Wood paneling behind the bar and a large mirror. A large plaster cactus decorated with green Christmas lights sits on one side of the mirror. A large steer skull hangs in the center of the mirror and three smaller skulls decorated with Indian designs hang above the mirror. The brick wall behind the bar is decorated with Mexican sombrerros, half of an Indian motorcycle gas tank, and ceramic iquanas, cacti, and red peppers. Hanging over the bar are nice lights with tube like glass shades in a variety of colors that kind of bulged in the center.

I had a Brooklyn Lager and, because it was two for one, I managed to get a frozen margarita instead of a second beer.

Knocked of five more today and am up to 393 for the year with 617 left to go. I hope to hit 400 on Friday which will put me on schedule for hitting number 500 on May 14th.