Malecon Crawl

I headed back to the north side of town and picked up where I left off on the malecon the other day. I hit every bar that was open until I got to the end. There were a couple of places that don´t open until later in the evening so I will hit them another day.

242) Zoo

Most of the places along this stretch are newer, bigger places and this one is no exception. It is across from the malecon and has large windows offering a great view. This place tends to be jammed at night with people literally hanging out of the windows. It had a pretty decent crowd at 1:00 P.M. of what looked to be a lot of cruise ship people. I think the bars along here get a lot of them because they are the first big ones you hit on the way into town from where the ships dock.

This place has an animal motif, but more jungle than zoo. Wrap-around jungle murals with large sculptures of an elephant and a rhino charging out at you. There is a black panther in the back and a leopard above the door. The bar is a real nice tanish colored marble topped octogon with faded leopard-skin stools. It has fake elephant tusk lamps on the center service area and a nice glass or plastic wrap-around overhanging light. Tables and stools up front and large booths towards the back. Queen was on the sound system.

I had two Coronas because it was two for one, although they charge you about double the price for that one.

243) Club 69

A small marble bar with a brass rail but no stools. Carved mermaids on each end. This is a corner bar with large windows on both sides giving a very nice view of the malecon and the bay. You can see the cruise ships in the harbor. I see where the number of scheduled cruise ship arrivals is supposed to be 240 something this year up from 188 last year.

The place is kind of narrow but fairly deep with a DJ booth in the back room and 4 TVs behind it where, I would presume, they show music videos. Lots of little tables with chairs and stools and some plush sofas that were mostly in the back. Red stucco walls, blue hanging lights, and a friendly staff.

I had a gin and tonic.

244) Hard Rock Cafe

The newer, and better location. Better because being on the malecon they get a lot more foot traffic. They don´t take advantage of the view and from the back you cannot see outside. It is a great place to pop into to get out of the scenery.

They have a nice large bar and the place is packed with rock memorabilia. My favorites are the large number of posters from the 60s and 70s. They bring back a lot of what memory I have of that era.

I had a gin and tonic.

245) Paradise Burger

Kind of a cheesy name, but a decent enough place. Located on a corner, this is a second floor bar and restaurant with balconies on two sides that give a nice view of the malecon and the bay. Kind of a horseshoe shaped dark wood bar with about 14 stools. A raised stage in the corner for live music at night. Actually, all of the places except for Club 69 have small stages and have live music at night. There was a narrow ledge running around the place that displayed ceramic heads and other assorted knick-knacks, including some pink flamingos in the front. There was a nice ceramic hula dancer on the bar.

I had a Corona

246) Carlos O´Brien´s

This is Senor Frog´s sister bar and is furnished about the same. The only difference is that this one was fairly packed and everyone was hooting it up pretty good. A couple of Mexican break-dancers were putting on a show and were very good. Again, it looked like a big cruise ship crowd. You can tell by the colored wristbands that they all wear. It had a nice tin-topped bar and a large upstairs area.

I had a chlled Jaggermeister to keep with the theme of the place.

247) La Bodequita Del Medio

This was the last bar on the malecon, just about across from the fish market where you can buy fresh fish caught in the morning. The decor was white walls covered with graffiti and pictures of Cubans, none of which I recognized. The hanging lamps have shades that are covered with graffiti as well. There is a large upstairs area as well. They have a nice large, dark-wood bar. I met a couple of people from a cruise ship that were from Las Vegas so we chatted a bit. I have visited Las Vegas numerous times over the years so we talked about how much it has changed and is changing.

I had two rum and cokes because it was two for one. This place served them nicely, however. You got a big slug of rum over the ice-cubes in one glass and a big slug of rum with no ice in another. Then you got a bottle of coke. You can then mix you own, a double of you want or two singles. They will bring you more ice as you need it. A nice touch to the usual two-for-one affairs.

Finishing up my malecon crawl I took the local bus (4 pesos) back to the south side of town and headed home.

Tomorrow I will hit the quarter-way mark but for now I have 247 down and 753 left to go.

Another Slow Day

The friends that were here with me left yesterday so there was a lot of packing and saying good-bye. On top of that the wife is feeling poorly, a lot of flu-like something or another going around, so after they left I didn't much feel like going out and leaving her to suffer by herself. My feelings on that may change if she isn't better tonight, however.

241) El Pirata

This was the only bar I hit and it was kind of a wimp-out. It is located right across the street from our building, between us and the beach. It is primarily an outside eating area and the pirate ship shaped bar is primarily the service bar and small kitchen where they make tacos and hamburgers. There are, however, four or five bar-stools on the bay-side of the structure so I sat on one of them and had a beer. Any port in a storm. I had hoped to save this one for a rainy day but, seeing as how it hardly ever rains down here this time of year I used it up.

I had a Corona.

I hope to do better tomorrow, we shall see. Fewer distractions with my friends gone and the wife pretty much bed-ridden. Another friend coming in on Saturday, but he will be more of a partner-in-crime, I suspect.

Creeping ever closer to the, as yet, elusive quarter-way mark with 759 left to go.

Weak Start To The Week

A couple of buddies and I got off to an early start and headed to one of those canopy tours. It was really a lot of fun. After about a half-hour ride in the back of an open sided truck you reach your destination at a beutiful spot right by a nice little river. At least it is little this time of year, it gets much larger during the rainy season. The tour itself consists of climbing via pathways to launching platforms where you use pulleys to traverse gorges, forests, and the river on guidewires. There are 13 of these stations and the longest ride is about a quarter of a mile long. Great fun and I would highly recommend it. It is supposedly second best only to the canopy tour in Costa Rico.

239) Canopy Tour Bar

At the end of the tour you land, literally, at a little open air bar under a large palapa. It has a concrete floor, a few tables and chairs, a wood and rope railing, and a lovely view of the river. The top of the bar was a nice dark wood called parota. There were a half dozen leather padded barstools so it was a comfortable place to sit and have a drink well waiting for the trip back to town.

I had a couple of Pacificos

240) Pancho's Last Resort

Wandering a short ways was this place, also on the river and with great views. It had a green stone bar with wooden stools. There were a few tables for eating and they had neat metal chairs with ornate metal-work backs to them in the shape of cacti. Sitting on the bar were four terrariums. Three of them had large tarantulas and one had a very tiny snake. The manager of the place wondered over while I was having my drink and asked me if I liked spiders. He had taken the largest one, named Dr. Kervokian, out of its cage and had it in his hand. Spiders don't frighten me so he seemed a bit disappointed that I didn't jump when I saw it. The are native to the area and during mating season they wonder down from the mountains to the river and you can pick them up off of the highway. He said they live about 10 years in the wild and up to 15 years in captivity. Forget getting a cat, these are much easier to care for and just about as affectionate. Rounding out the menangerie, the guy that owns the Canopy Tour Bar came over with an eight-foot long Burmese Python named Monty draped around him.

I had a margarita and we caught the bus back to town.

Didn't do much in the afternoon except hang out and get ready for dinner. We went to a very nice place on the island called the River Cafe. It has a very large service-bar with three stools at one end so when I have a drink there I will certainly count it. There were five of us at dinner though so no room for us all. After dinner we went home for a gin and tonic and called it an early night. My friends are all leaving tomorrow so we may not be hitting many then either. Two of them have an 8:00 P.M. departure so I might hit a couple of them after they leave.

Closing in on a quarter of the way done, only 760 left to go.

A Good Sunday

I thought today might be rather slow, being Sunday and all, but it turned out to be not a bad day at all. I headed across the river to the north-side of town again and the first place that I stopped into was:

231) La Casa de los Omelets

The English translation for this is The Omelete House, but it sounds so much cooler in Spanish. It is actually a second story bar with a balcony on two sides. One side looks out on Calle Juarez and the malecon and bay, the other looks out on the "street" with the entrance, Calle Independencia. This street is actually a one-block long pedestrian walkway that ends at the entrance to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the large church in the center of town. The church tower is featured prominently in most postcards of Puerto Vallarta and in many of the paintings of the downtown area as well.

The bar itself is accessed by going up a winding wooden staircase. It is just a small bar with 4 stools. There are a couple of overhead fans to keep the place somewhat cool and a couple of blue globe lights on the wall. Hanging over the bar are three lamps with blue glass shades and two of the three lamps really had light-bulbs in them. The walls were white plaster with some exposed brick in patches.

I had a Corona.

232) La Gruta

This is another second story bar with an entrance on Calle Corona. You go up a winding cement staircase to get to this one. It is a fairly small place with a balcony on two sides, one of which overlooks the malecon and bay. It is right across the street from a sculpture named "The Ladder." The sculpture shows what could be a mother standing on the ground and two small children on the ladder looking out to sea, perhaps for their father who is out fishing. There is a rectangular bar with seating on three sides. The place has light yellow walls and a light blue ceiling and the tables have bright yellow and blue tablecloths. Soccer was on the television. Because the entrance is on the side-street one guy's job seems to be primarily to holler at the people passing below and offering "two for one beers, happy hour all day." This guy will also give you a discount on either a fishing trip or a day of golf if you agree to attend a timeshare presentation.

I had a Corona and did not get an offer of a second one for free.

233) Viejo Vallarta

Another bar on the second floor. These bars are older and are an interesting change from some of the larger, newer ones right on street level. I will be hitting some of those in a few days so you can read about them then. This place had a great view of the malecon and bay, as all of the bars on this stretch do, and is right across the street from a sculpture of a boy riding a seahorse. It is right by the old lighthouse and almost next-door to Mickey's No Name.

The bar had an ornate brick and stone front with a nice dark-wood top. The walls were finished in a dark-red wash with murals of the revolution and Zapata. There were a couple of old Jack Daniels posters on the wall by the pool table. On the beams of the ceiling were what I took to be revolutionary slogans in Spanish. There was a small raised stage so I assume this place could rock at night when the live music shows up. I felt strangely comfortable here.

I had a margarita.

234) Cantina de Vallarta

This place is on street level across from the malecon. It is also across the street and down a bit form Mickey's No Name. The place is plastered with old Mexican movie posters, old wrestling posters (I just love big men in tights and masks), bullfight posters and a lot of bull-fight programs. The ceiling is covered with large paintings of cards from some kind of game that I am unfamiliar with. The bartender said it was something like bingo, but he couldn't really explain it to me.

The place is kind of deep and narrow and the bar is all the way in the back. At the front are a couple of large windows looking out on the bay. In the front of the bar were a lot of those paper doily things hanging from the ceiling.

I had a margarita and, because it really was two for one here, I had a second as well.

235) La Gloria ye Infierno

I headed back across the river and not far from the Gigante supermarket is this small, cinder-block building on the corner of Constitucion and Francisco L. Mader. I looked all over but could not see a name and it didn't look like the kind of place I should be asking people. In fact, it didn't look like the kind of place I should be in. No overt hostility, but I certainly felt that I was somehow intruding.

An update. Although there is still no name visible the bartender at Machis Bar B. Q. (number 304) told me I should try a place called La Gloria ye Infierno on Constitucion. It turned out this was the place. I went in and showed the bartender the name the bartender had written down for me and he acknowledged that I was in the place. Mystery solved.

I had a Pacifico

236) Burros Bar

On the way back home I passed by this place and, ignoring the sign that says "Enter If You Dare," I entered. It is actually a pretty nice little place and has been around as long as I have been coming to Puerto Vallarta. The large papermache burro head that advertised the place has been removed though. It was kind of a classic photo-opportunity and I have many pictures of myself and friends standing by it.

The bar is a horseshoe shaped affair but most people choose to sit at the small tables right on the beach. The bar sits under a large palapa and there is not much in the way of decoration except for a few old license plates hanging on the wall of the small service bar.

I had a Corona.

At this point I headed home and got cleaned up for dinner. The place we ate didn't have a bar but I stopped at a couple on the way home with a buddy of mine.

237) La Pizza Nostra

This place, on Olas Altas has a few tables in front and a few more in the adjacent courtyard. It has pictures of the young Beatles and a young Elvis on the wall as well as a lot of photos of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. Also a few Wizard of Oz posters and some covers of old pulp-fiction magazines. Two of the cover-stories that caught my eye were "The Flying Eyes" and "The Gods Hate Kansas." They sound like they would be good reads.

The bar is a small green cement affair and there is a pool table and a fooseball machine and not much else inside the place.

I had a Corona

238) Cafe Tizoc

Right next-door and in the same complex, I guess you would call it, is Cafe Tizoc. It is a small place with a small bar with a few stools. I honestly don't remember that much about it, but I suspect that is because there wasn't a great deal to distinquish it.

I had a Pacifico and headed home.

Across The River

Today I got across the river for the first time, albeit, briefly. I guess a brief sense of geography would make my travels a bit more understandable. Puerto Vallarta is a decent sized city along the shore of the Banderas Bay. This is a fairly large bay and the city is pretty much on the center of it. Over the years there has been extensive development to the north, all the way to the end of the bay where there is a new Four Season´s Hotel and a PGA golf course. Not as much sprawl to the south because there is a river that, so far, has no bridge for sutomobiles.

Puerto Vallarta itself has a river running through it, the Rio Cuale. In the middle of the river is a decent sized island with one end just about at the point where the river enters the bay. There are two bridges for both pedestrians and automobiles, buses, trucks, etc., that cross the river. Last year they also finished a sizeable pedestrian bridge right on the beach that also has a stairway down to the island. For the adventurous there are also three swinging wooden pedestrian bridges. One connects the north side of town to the island and two connect the island to the south side of town.

In the north side of town along the beach is a wide pedestrian walkway called the malecon. This is a place where there is a lot of pedestrian activity, artists displaying there wares, food vendors, musicians, and more. At the south end of the malecon is a small amphiteter where there is music at night, the occasional wedding, and general party area.

I stay at a place on the south side of the city and that is where all of my bar hopping has taken place so far.

222) Pau Pau

Still on the south side of town is this open air bar right on the beach. It is a fairly large place but not real fancy. There is an elevated DJ stand in the middle so I assume there is a pretty lively crowd in there later in the day. There were about a dozen or so people while I was there and it looks like they have a pretty decent menu. There are a few colored lights hanging from the ceiling which is the fairly typical woven out of straw, or whatever, ones that you see a lot of. Also a disco ball. An interesting wooden carving of a moustached fellow wearing the bottom half of a fish for a hat. A couple of TVs on the side of the DJ stand rounds out the ambience of the place. Oh yes, must not forget the mural of cartoon cats sitting on a brick wall with the caption ºAnother Shitty Day In Paradise.º

I had a Pacifico.

223) Monchis Sport Bar

Well, if having two small televisions make you a sport bar I guess this qualifies. There was a small 5 stool bar overlooking a tiny kitchen in the back of this small and narrow establishment. A large mirror on the left side of the bar kept it from being two claustrophobic. This place was located just up a couple of blocks, going away from the bay, of course, from Pau Pau and two doors down from El Toritto´s and across the street from Senor Frogs. The walls were decorated with more pictures of Zapata and happy customers with a couple of framed minature bullfight posters. Between Nonchis and El Toritto were two bars that don´t open until late, Bar Amigos and The Disco Bar, a couple of small places that will have to wait for another day.

I had a Corona.

224) Cafe Frankfurt Biergarten

Next door to Steve´s this is a hotel with a large courtyard full of palm trees and a couple of squawking parrots, one of which would occasionally say ºHola.º You follow the little red bathway from the entrance on Badillo through the courtyard and end up at a little bar. A very nice, quiet place that is usually pretty empty during the day. The German restaurant is supposed to be pretty good, but I have yet to try it. The bartender iced my glass before pouring my beer. A nice gesture, particularly when you seldom get a glass when you order a beer. A large pinata hung over this otherwise German bar.

I had a Spaten Premium and went home for lunch.

A quick aside here, if you find a bottle of a thick Mexican hot sauce that your buddy bought in the refrigerator, do not assume it can be safely used on a sandwich like you would use mustard.

225) Hooters

Well, I crossed the bridge and stopped into Hooters. It is right at the end south end of the malecon and has a nice view of the goings on. It is up about half a floor above street level so your view is pretty unobstructed. It is a pretty generic Hooters, if you have seen one you have seen them all. Major difference is that most of the staff wasn´t as amply endowed as you would see in the U.S. I was going to have a gin and tonic but simply could not convey that information to the bartender. I gave up on the concept after the third time she reached for the Jack Daniels.

I had a Dos Equis.

226) Carpe Diem

I headed to where there used to be a Planet Hollywood that was then replaced by a bar called Rex. It too is now closed. I hooked a right and walked up the block to a new place called Carpe Diem on Calle Galena. This place just opened up last week and is fairly small but the bartender said they were going to open an upstairs area if things worked out. It has an open courtyard with a couple of tables and then more tables under cover along the edges. One side of the courtyard faces their glassd-in kitchen. In the middle of the courtyard is a large tree so the two tables have large umbrellas to protect the customers from falling leaves and bird droppings.

The bar itself was small but at least the bartender knew what I wanted. She was very friendly and quite pretty.

I had a gin and tonic.

227) Mickey´s No Name Cafe

This place is on the main drag across the street from the malecon. It advertises itself as the unofficial home of the Chicago Cubs and is just jammed with sports memorabilia. They have the largest collection of sports pennants that I have ever seen. There isn´t a square inch that doesn´t have some sports related item on it, mostly pictures of players. On the stairwell and pillers are characatures of some sports celebraties and the one of Dennis Rodman is a beauty. They have plenty of televisions a sports on all of them, including a replay of a NHL hockey game so people who rue the missing season can get their fix. This is a pretty dark and nicely air conditioned place with only small windows so you could look out at the bay, but only if you really wanted to.

I had a gin and tonic and then, because it was two for one, a second one.

228) Vitea

Heading back toward the south side of town I came across another new place, Vitea. They are extending the malecon all the way to the new pedestrian bridge that I mentioned earlier and I expect there will be a lot of new places opening up on this stretch. This was a very nice, open-fronted restaurant with a small bar. It has a light tan tiled floor and walls to match. There is blue stained-glass trim along the top of the walls and a large mirror with blue class surrounding it. Also neat little lamps hanging right over the bar itself. There are a number of overhead fans keeping the place pleasantly cool. Many of the chairs have interesting backs to them, and no two the same. Under the mirror was a long tan soffa. This place is owned by the same people that own Trio´s, a very nice restaurant that I have eaten at. I took a peek at Vitea´s menu and it looked interesting, but certainly not cheap.

I had a gin and tonic and headed home to get ready for dinner.

After watching the sunset with friends down at the pool we headed off to eat.

229) Roberto´s

On our way to the restaurant, that doesn´t have a bar, I popped into Roberto´s on Badillo. It has a small bar up front with a fairly large restaurant in the back. I very nice mural, I guess you would call it, of abalone shells with water trickling over them. On one wall was a large mural of what looked like a canal in Venice and at one end of the bar was a large swordfish mounted on a wroght iron decorative grate. There was a nice looking cabinet behind the bar.

I had a gin and tonic.

230) Fajita Republic

On the way home from dinner on the corner of Bidillo and Pino Suarez, is this large, outdoor restaurant. Right along the sidwalk is a large cement bar that pretty much just begged me to have a drink. You don´t even have to go inside the courtyard, just step of the sidewalk and sit down on a stool. Can´t get more convenient than that.

I had a margarita and headed home.

Tomorrow is Sunday so I don´t expect to be too active but, Who knows (I can´t find the question mark on this keyboard). Stay tuned.

Day Two in Paradise

Woke up early and decided to get a headstart on the day. Lot's of places open early here.

213) El Jacal Chavalon (Sport Bar

This place is right on the main drag, and is a great semi-dive bar. It was only 8:00 A.M. but there was already a guy in there who could barely keep his head up but was managing to drink a very large frozen margarita through a straw. This place has a nice little sidewalk seating area where you can get decent, and inexpensive, Mexican food. The bar inside is quite large and features more pictures of Zapata and his crew with a nice picture of him on horseback at my end of the bar.

I had a Negro Modelo

214) Andale

Well I was drinking my beer at El Jacal they guy with the margarita left but I found him here with another one in front of him and a straw in his mouth. Good stamina, wonder what he is going to do with the rest of his day. This is another place that is just jammed at night and usually somewhere along the way they bring in a live burro. No sex acts though, just a guy with his burro. They have nice cushioned bar stools with mosaic supports that match the mosaic on the floor. There is another set of bar stools that ring the entire place one half-floor up. The whole place, walls and ceilings, is lined with egg-cartons. While I was there some very heavily made up woman came in that was well perfumed. If it was New York and she didn't have such large breasts I would have though it was a drag queen for all the drama she brought to the place. Good action for 8:30 A,M.

I had a Tecate

215) Langostino's

I headed down to the beach and stopped into this lovely little bar and restaurant. It is not too far from where I am staying so it was kind of on my way home.

I had a Bloody Mary and headed back to pick up the rest of the crew and have breakfast.

216) Tequila Town

After breakfast a a bit of pool time my buddy and I headed out to hit a few. Our first stop was this place on the corner of FCO. I. Madero and, I think, Vallarta. It is the road you hit if you drive across one of the main bridges from the other side of town. It is a small place barely big enough for the pool table that they have. If you don't sit at the bar you can sit at a stool by the window and get a carbon monoxide high. Nice life-sized carved wooden skeleton that people like to stand by and have their picture taken. I am no exception.

I had a frozen margarita

217) La Ballna Azul (The Blue Whale).

This is one of the few remaining authentic Mexican taverns left in this town. Typically, and today was no exception, I and whomever I am with are the only gringos in the place. Kind of dead in the afternoon but quite lively at night with a few hookers, the occasional brawl, and a lot of hollering. All and all though it is a pretty friendly place and I have never had a problem there. Great spicy peanuts on the bar and a machine where you can buy cigarettes one at a time.

I had a Corona and a shot of tequila

218) Cactus Bar

This place has gone through a number of changes. When I first started coming to Puerto Vallarta it was the Corner Bar, then it had a brief incarnation as a Mexican leather bar, and now it is the Cactus Bar. It has a pool table and windows that look out onto the street.

I had a Dos Equis and a shot of tequila and headed home for a break before the evening's festivities.

219) El Dorado

This is one of my favorite restaurants, right on the beach and not far from my place. Usually it is the first restaurant that my wife and I go to when we get into town but because of our late arrival and other planned activities it took us until now to get there. They have a good sized poured cement bar that looks vaguely like a very large brown anaconda. They have live music and a great view of the sunset which, tonight, was spectacular.

I had a staight-up margarita at the bar before sitting down to dinner.

220) Coca Tropicana

This place is just down the beach a bit from El Dorado. It used to be where the Corner Bar was after it relocated from what is now the Cactus Bar (see above). It is a bit back from the beach and has a large courtyard with tables for dinner. It is across the sidewalk from the beach and a bit walled off so it doesn't have quite the view but is still a nice enough place. One year when we went out fishing and caught a few small tuna we took them here and they cooked them up for us for dinner.

I had a gin and tonic. I had had several at El Dorado and this may become my new favorite drink down here, for awhile at least.

221) Lazy Lizard

On the way back home we passed by this place and popped in. Most of the drinking is done outside but they did have a small, four stool, bar inside that was kind of messy. We managed to find enough space to set down our drinks though so that was good enough for us.

I had a gin and tonic and called it a day, and a very successful day at that.

Well, with 221 down I have a mere 779 left to go.

Puerto Vallarta - At Last

Woke up to a beautiful sunny day on in our place on Play Los Muertos (Beach of the Dead). Despite the name, which the town keeps trying to change to Play del Sol, it is a most pleasant beach and it is a pleasure to be here. But you didn't come here to read a travel guide, so let's get down to business.

205) Steve's Sport's Bar

After having breakfast I stopped into this place, a great favorite of mine. It used to be called Le Club and the metal chairs still feature a large club (the card type, not the banging type) on the back. The owner and most of the customers are Canadian. Steve is a very personable guy and the place is always crowded. The feature a lot of Nasar on the televisions, but also show just about every other sport that is on too. The place is packed with Nascar memorabilia, signed pictures of drivers, pictures of cars, you name it and they have it.

I had a Pacifico.

206) Reggies

This is a little place on 509 Olas Altas. It is a bit off the beaten track and right across the street from the somewhat infamous Palm, about which I am sure you will here more later. When to a great drag show there last year. Anyway, back to Reggies. It had a nice parquette surfaced bar with a copper, rather than a brass, rail. Some original artwork on the wall that was for sale, but not much else distingquishing the place except for a friendly bartender.

I had an Indio (a Mexican beer).

207) La Bamba

On 212 Basilio Badillo (known as restaurant row) is this little place. I have eaten here in the past and the food is pretty good. The owner is quite friendly and said if we came back for dinner we would get our second round of drinks on the house. There are a lot of photos of old Mexico featuring revolutionaries from the Pancho Zapata era. This is a quite common decorating theme down here. There was, somewhat inexplicably, also a large picture of what looked to be a Japanese tea ceromony.

I had an excellent frozen margarita made from scratch. It really hit the spot.

208) Senor Frogs

This is quite the spot late at night when it is often so packed you cannot get in. A very young crowd then. I figured I would take advantage of it being almost empty during the early afternoon. Pretty flourescent place with a large green flourescent call hanging from the ceiling that had a large flourescent orange udder. There was an elderly couple having a drink there and they looked so out of place I went over to talk to them. It turned out they had come in on a cruise ship and Senor Frogs was on the recommended list of places to visit. I said that was a shame because it is so touristy and there were so many other places they shoud see. I told them about a few but they had to catch a cab and head back to the ship. A real shame that out of the whole city this was the only place they saw. They didn't look to happy about it either.

I had an ice-cold shot of Jagermeister.

209) El Torito

Right across the street (I will try to get the addresses later) is this rather large sports bar that has some of the best and most inexpensive ribs in town. There is a little L shaped bar by the window so this is where I sat.

I had a Bacardi and Coke.

210) Sweeny's

This place is on Olas Altos, the short main drag in the part of town where I stay. The major part of the city is across the river and this area is known as either the Old Town or the Romantic Area. Sweeny's is owned by a guy that has a few bars in St. Paul, kind of my old stomping grounds. I grew up in Minneapolis, the better half of the Twin Cities. Anyway, this place has nice seating right by the window where you can watch the goings on down below. Has a great mural on the wall that will give you an new appreciaton for maps, topography, and the female anatomy.

I had an inexpensive margarita and I got what I paid for, not much.

211) Oscar's

This place is a very nice restaurant on the island in the middle of the river that separates the two sides of town. It is on the end of the Island closest to the bay and has a nice view of the sunset. A lot of birds fly up the river as it gets dark so the view is very nice. We had a lovely dinner there but before that I sat at the bar and had a drink.

I had a margarita

212) Daquiri Dick's

A very nice bar and restaurant right on the bay that also has great food. My friends who got down here before me have already eaten here three times. It has a nice tiled bar inside and an interesting statue of, what looked to me, to be a horny cow. But then I was a bit tipsy by now so who knows what it really was. If I get a chance I may take a second look and fill you in later.

I had a daiquiri and headed on home after what was a fun first day in the sun.

Made pretty good progress and now have 788 left to go.

Departure

Well, last night I took my wife out for dinner to make up for my Valentine's day fiasco. We went to our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Armando's, and had a pleasant evening so all is right with the world. I had a glass of wine with my meal but, of course, didn't count it because I didn't drink it at the bar and I have already had a drink at the bar here.

203) Brooklyn Beer Garden

In terminal four at JFK there are only two bars. This one was open when I got there so I popped in. It is a typical small airport bar that featured Brooklyn Brewery beers, some of my favorites. The windows in the bar overlooked another terminal so you could see parked planes but couldn't see them landing or taking off. They had an impresive display of antique beer bottles and some reproductions of old brewery advertisements.

I had a Brooklyn Weisse

204) Napa Valley Wine Bar

This bar opened later in the day, 3:00 P.M. I thought that was a bit strange for an airport bar but they said that the earliest departing flight from the gates where they were located wasn't until 4:00 P.M. The view from here was of the check-in counters and, lookiing through the lobby, of the AirTrain as it passed by. Although it is a wine bar they didn't have an overly large selection of wines.

I had a Samuel Adam's Boston Lager

I passed by two bars in the Mexico City airport but didn't have time to stop in because we were pressed for time and had to clear immigration before catching out connection to Puerto Vallarta. We didn't get to Puerto Vallarta until midnight so just called it a night when we got there.

Not a great day, but not bad considering. Down to a mere 796 to go.

Valentine's Day Stroll

Today was a really nasty day to be taking a stroll, but take one I did. I was originally going to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to the waterfront area in Manhattan, but it was actually snowing when I left the house, although it quickly turned to a light rain that became heavier as the day progressed. Instead of walking across the bridge I took the subway to Wall Street and walked from there.

197) Jeremy's Ale House

On 230 Front Street, on a block that is being totally redeveloped, and as close to the water as you can be without yet being in a tourist trap, is Jeremy's. It is now in its third location in the same general area, but still retains most of the trappings from its original place, including all of the brassieres that willing patrons have contributed to decorate the place. It used to feature cut-off neckties as well. If you wore a necktie in the place the owner would cut it off and hang it on the wall. I guess the price of neckties made that no longer doable. I hit this place shortly after it opened and the only person in there having a drink, other than me, was Jeremy himself. He was decked out in a dress shirt, black dress pants with bracers, and a natty black hat. Turned out that Monday's, after the football season is over, are given over to films and tonight they were featuring Casablanca. Everyone was supposed to come dressed as a character, or at least as a character might be dressed. Great place, I chatted with the owner and the bartender about places we all knew and loved. Jeremy's has recently opened a new place in Freeport, Long Island, a lovely little area, although a bit touristy, on the water that is always fun to visit. I will certainly be popping in later in the year.

I had a Murphy's Stout and a Tullamore's Irish Whisky (the latter on Jeremy himself).

198) Bridge Cafe

Almost under the Brooklyn Bridge, on 279 Water Street Manhattan, is this venerable establishment. Along with a slew of others it claims to be the oldest bar in New York. The building is supposedly the oldest wood-frame building in Manhattan, but who knows. It has been a lot of things over the years, and being a waterfront place you can guess at some of them. Now it is almost respectable. Nice bar, photographs and paintings of waterfront scenes on the walls. Quite pleasant and friendly manager and bartender. The little tables in the place were very attractively set and it looks like it would be a very pleasant place for a bite to eat.

I had a Samuel Adams Winter Lager.

199) MJs (aka Mark Joseph's)

Well, the building is old, the bar (imported from upstate Connecticut) is old, but the place is fairly new. The place had a nice, albeit contrived, ambience to it. It is located at 261 Water Street between Dover Street and Peck Slip (I threw in the cross streets just because Peck Slip sounds cool). Supposedly a really nice steak place. It was still early but there were a few suit and tie guys in there downing there early afternoon libations. When you consider how the neighborhood is a developers paradise right now, one can only imagine the deals being cut. I really liked the little blue lights hung low over the bar. The bartender was the classic Irish bartender and therefore a good conversationalist.

I had a really tall and hefty Dewars and soda. No complaints about the drink. A man's drink in a man's steakhouse (I am awaiting the feedback from my female readers on this sexist comment, however there were no women in the place while I was there).

200) Heartland Brewery

Well, sadly, but not too sadly, my two-century mark was hit in this new spin-off of the original Heartland Brewery that I have written about previously. It is located at 93 South Street and is hard-by the South Street Sea Port, a bit of a tourist trap but with a few decent places in it. I visited Red the other day and wrote it up and that place was fine. But, I digress. It was these spin-offs of the original Heartland Brewery at Union Square (see earlier post) that made it no longer practical for them to brew on premise so although they sometimes advertise themselves as a brewpub, they really are not. Still, the bartender was friendly, the customers were great, and I stayed longer than I should have drinking beer and chatting. This time the beer was top-notch, although they were out of the Apricot Ale that I wanted to try.

I had an Indiana Pale Ale, then another.

201) Radio Mexico

Another waterfront place and a really neat, I would venture to say great, Mexican bar. It is right by the Brooklyn Bridge at 259 Front Street. Not the oldest of bars, but it has been around since 1991 so it was here before all the redevelopment began. It has a nice, old feel to it. It has a pool table, and great margarittas and an outdoor area that would be nice in the summer. I wish I could remember more about it, but I was getting a bit blasted at this time. Must remember to maintain focus. The bartender was Mexican and because I am leaving for Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday we chatted a bit about Mexico.

I had two margaritas and then went home.

202) Magnetic Field

Well, I was going to take the wife out for a Valentine's Day dinner but she disapproved of my days travels, rightfull so I might add, and decided she didn't want to go anymore. Not missing an opportunity I headed for this neighborhood establishment. It is at 97 Atlantic Avenue and is a cross between Shane, the western, and some science-fiction movie, with a customer base that kind of resembled the Pet Shop Boys. It is relatively new, having taken over the space of another bar, but has become a great neighborhood fixture. The lamp-shades were made by the owner's wife (a co-owner, I presume) who also makes dynamite classic drinks. A pool table in the back and pretty good music with DJs most of the time and live bands as well. They have karoke with a live band twice a month but haven't made it to that yet.

I had a $2 can of Shaefer's beer and went home to face the music.

Well, this is it until I get to Mexico. Tomorrow I pack and organize my place for a six week stay in Puerto Vallarta. On Wednesday I depart and will probably hit three bars at the most before I arrive. Two at JFK and, if time permits, one in the Mexico City airport where I switch planes. I don't actually get to Puerto Vallarta until almost midnight so no posts until Thursday at the earliest and maybe not until Friday.

Until then just remember, una cerveza fria, and only 798 bars to go.

Rebounded

Well, I will get my shameless plug for Rebound in early and then fill in the details of today's saga when I get back from lunch. I woke up this morning and felt fine, no hangover whatsoever. Now, as I have said, this isn't too unusual because I seem to be largely immune to them anyway, so I can't say what, if any effect taking the Rebound had, but it certainly didn't hurt and I feel, perhaps, a bit more energetic than usual.

An addendum, I checked out Cyntihia Large's website and I see where one of her paintings is "St. Christina The Astonishing" and is available as either a notecard or a poster. Check it out.

Okay, I started my day and it turned out better than I thought it would.

190) Les Halles'

Got on the subway in Brooklyn and got off on 28th in Manhattan. As I may have mentioned before, I was having lunch with my wife and her sister at Artisanal's. On the way we passed by Les Halles' at 411 Park Avenue. I don't know if you have ever seen the show "Cooks Tour," but the executive chef, not that he shows up that much anymore, kind of runs this place. It really is a very nice French bistro and the food is very good. They have a little butcher shop in the back, with a real butcher. Be prepared to pay a lot, but what you get is worth it. They also sell cheese from Artisanal, where I was headed. Nice place and well worth stopping in.

I had a bottle of Chimay Blue.

Had lunch at Artisanal and, because I had a drink there before won't count it. Nonetheless, thought I should at least mention it. We started out with a fondue, reminded me of the 70's except the wine was a lot more expensive than the 69 cent Ripple I used to drink back then. I had a couple of glasses of very nice wine with a cheese plate and my wife and her sister had skate. They said it was very good. They headed off to shop and I headed off to:

191) Desmond's

Hey, I hate to keep saying another Irish pub, but this was another Irish pub on Park between 30th and 29th. But it is a great one. They had The Wolfe's on the jukebox. Hated to blow their cover, but this is an Australian group that just sounds Irish. They sound kind of like the Pogues before Shane MacGowan left and the band, as far as I am concerned, fell apart. But, I wander. This was a very crowded place and the bartenders were all singing along, so who cares. They feature rugby on the televisons on the week-end and considering the crowd that was in there today, I can only imagine it is packed then.

I had a Dewars and soda and would go back in a minute. Very friendly place.

192) Red Sky

This place is on 29th between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue. Had red bunting draped all about and hanging from the ceiling. There was a booth up front and a bunch of small tables against the back wall. Candles in red holders on the bar. They had five televisions and M-15 was playing on them all. Hanging about were round, disco-like bulbs, and some of them were lite from within. It is a long, narrow place, like so many in New York places are. Friendly bartender, fun kind of place.

I had a Dewars and soda.

193) Campanile

This is more of a restaurant than a bar, but a bar they did have. One TV in the front and it was on the cooking channel. I ended up talking to the bartender and the coat-check lady about cooking the whole time I was there. A pleasant place. Nice flower arrangements on the bar and the whole place smelled great. Their lighting looked like wrapped parchment. They also had Johnny Walker Blue on the top shelf. You don't see that very often.

I had a glass of Chianti.

194) Ixta

Well I finally hit the uber Mexican restaurant. You have to see this place. Great lighting, both overhead and on the walls, and the lighting over the bar is outstanding. Sometimes I complain about how much a drink costs, but I paid ten bucks for my margarita here and it was worth every cent, top shelf tequila and made with freshly squeezed lime-juice, not the mix out of the bottles that even the so called classy places use. Then they had the best chips, and I am not doing them justice by calling them that, and two great dips, made on the premises. I will be back, and it won't take me a year to get there.

I had a margarita, one of the best I have ever had other than the ones I make myself.

195) Park Bistro

Well, I was headed to the subway, but then looming ahead was the beckoning Park Bistro sign. How could I not stop in. So, stop in I did. Great French bistro type of place with a very small bar up front. Tall, red-headed bartender who told me she came from Albuquerque. Still one of the hardest city names to spell I have ever seen. She poured a decent drink though, and this, once more, looked like a place to visit again. You go through red velvet curtains to get into the place and it kind of looks like you are in a 40's nightclub, but a small one. a few burgandy banquettes and then a bunch of small tables covered with white table clothes. A bunch of black and white photos of Paris as it must have looked like way back when. Yet another new place that I have discovered and would certainly like to go back to once more.

I had a Dewars and soda, the way I think I now like them, Dewars on the rocks with just a spash of soda.

196) Mesa De Espana

My last hit. This place is just a step away from the subway entrance and was so enticing I could not pass it by. That means it was close. Just an Itallian restaurant with a small bar in front. Not much about it that I can remember. Spent most of the time on the phone with a buddy of mine talking about who knows what.

I had a glass of Chianti.

Well, I hit a few more today than I thought I would, but it was a fun day. A buddy of mine has been encouraging me to hit 200 bars before I leave for Mexico, the guy I was talking to at the last bar, and, by golly, it looks like I might make it. And that won't even include the two bars I will hit at JFK while waiting for my flight.

A mere 804 left to go.

A Sad Stroll

Well, the whole stroll wasn't sad, but within the first couple of blocks three bars, two of which I was kind of fond of, were closed. Two, of them, including Johnny Fox's, permenantly because the whole block is being taken down to make way for new apartments or something. The other one, Abbey Tavern, is supposed to be open again in a few months and is, supposedly, just being remodeled by new owners.

The CEO of Dynamarketing Group, Inc. saw the article about me in the New York Post and then read my blog. They market a product called Rebound that is supposed to help prevent hangovers. Luckily, or perhaps not, I very rarely get hangovers. However, he sent me some free samples to try. I took a couple before setting out today and then a couple more when I got home. I don't know if they helped or not, but will let you tomorrow how I felt when I woke up.

182) Fitzgerald's Pub

A venerable old Irish pub at 336 Third Avenue. Not much to write about, it is a pretty generic place but a good one to pop into for a drink. A local's bar with a dartboard and a decent jukebox. Fairly decent crowd.

I had a Dewars and soda.

183) The Hairy Monk

This place is across the street from Fitzgerald's and on the corner of 25th. A decent enough place and as empty as Fitzgerald's was crowded. I was the only customer for the entire time that I was there. It had some neat metal and orange glass lights over the bar and the ceiling was beamed and had was a bit lighter orange. The walls were the same pinkish red color as Limerick's, maybe a bit darker. I think it might be called "dessert rose." A wood plank floor and several flat-screen TV's, two of them pretty good-sized.

I had their house beer, Hairy Monk Ale. It was pretty good, a bit hoppy, and served in a 20 ounce "pint" glass.

184) McCormack's

This place on 3rd Avenue and 26th Street, is another nice Irish pub. It too, was quite crowded with a lot of people eating lunch both at tables and at the bar. The eating area is separate from the bar and the bar has a number of TVs with good sports coverage.

I had a Dewar's and soda.

185) Rodeo Bar

On the corner of 3rd Avenue and 27th Street is this neo-classic place that serves more than decent Tex-Mex food. They have live music from 10:00 A.M. until 4:00 A.M. every night except Sunday when it stops early, 2:00 A.M. Some pretty decent acts too, Marshall Crenshaw was going to be there tonight, but he is a bigger name than usual and was sponsored by Maker's Mark. Would have liked to have stuck around. Their usual fare are bands like Wrinkle Neck Mules and The Stray Dogs.

The place is replete with all kinds of Texas memorabilia including a stuffed buffalo above the bar and a buffalo head in the back that blows smoke out of its snout. The bar is covered with Texas license plates. The back used to have a grill where you could grill your own hamburgers but that is gone. Probably a safety hazard, drunks falling face-down on the grill couldn't be too cool. Also the same trapdoor that I almost fell down (or was almost pushed down) during a bar-trek many years ago when the place was named Albuquerque's or, before that, Lorango's.

The only drawback was a more than indifferent bartender and hostess. They pretty much sat at the end of the bar eating their lunch, talking to each other, and ignoring the customers. I watched one person come in and actually have to hail the hostess to get a menu and get seated. Granted, it was the slow time of the day, but this always drives me to distraction.

I had a draft Samuel Adam's Winter Lager


186) Banc Cafe

The owner and wait-staff were all Irish, but this place looked more Morrocan than anything else. The food is French. The bar, that I took to be a muti-colored plastic, was actually cement with embedded colored glass and then polished smooth. This was an extremely nice looking place with intimate dining areas in the back. The staff was as friendly and the one at the Rodeo Bar was indifferent. I had a very friendly stay. Chrissy Hynds was on the jukebox and a very attractive bartender was singing along, until she caught me watching her.

I had a Dewars and Soda.

187) Penelope

This place, on 159 Lexington Avenue, was more of a coffee-shop than anything else but they did have a little wine bar in the back. It had a real 50's feel to it with a white ceramic bar. Had a bit of a crowd drinking coffee and eating whatever people eat in places like this. Leaves of lettuce and crumpets, perhaps. They had a fairly extensive wine list that was interestingly presented pasted in the front pages of a thin, old book, "The Babyon's Third Person Singular" by Clemence Dane.

I had a glass of Rioja Cortijo III - Tinto 2003

188) Rocky Sullivan's

This was a very pleasant, small place with a very friendly bartender. It is on Lexington Avenue between 28th and 29th. Sadly, for people like me, the bartender said it was her last day and she was going to pursue her career as an artist full-time. Her name is Cynthia Large and her website is www.cynthialarge.com Written on the back of her business card is Christina The Astonishing, but for the life of me I don't know why. They give Irish language classes in the back a couple of times a week. They also have live music and various writers stop in and give readings. Another place I would pop back in, given the opportunity. One can only hope the next bartender will be as nice as this one.

A thoroughly enjoyable place and I violated my rule of having only one drink and had a Guiness and a shot of Bushmills. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

189) Black Duck

This place, a bar and restaurant on 122 East 28th Street, is in the Park South Hotel. The place is finished in dark wood and the chandeliers look like the figureheads on old sailing vessels. Nice paintings on the walls and French doors seperating it from the rest of the Hotel. Had the same rose colored walls I seem to be seeing everywhere go these days. I really had to go to the bathroom when I got here and the restrooms were very elegant indeed.

Well, I hit eight bars and had nine drinks today so I guess I will be giving Rebound a fairly good test. 189 down and 811 to go. Probably going to give it a bit of a rest tomorrow, the wife and I are meeting one of my sister-in-laws for lunch at Artisanal and I have already had a drink at their bar. I will probably hit a couple in the neighborhood and call it a day.

Enter The Rooster

Well, I woke up in New Rochelle after celebrating Chinese New Year's eve. I had a couple of goodies designed to bring luck in the coming year, had a couple of cups of coffee, and then hitched a ride to 42nd street in Manhattan where my brother-in-law was headed to work at the Fashion Week activities in Bryant Park. I walked to 9th Avenue from where he parked his car and headed to the only bar that seemed to be open at this hour.

175) Rudy's

Well, my mother-in-law gave me five dollars for a New Year's gift and this seemed about as good a place to spend it as any. This is you classic New York, Hell's Kitchen dive on 9th between 44th and 45. And there aren't too many of them left. The booths are mostly taped together, the floor looks like you can fall through it, it is, in short, a classic. And it is open.

I had a Draft Rudy's Gold (everyone looked at me when I ordered it) and headed out.

176) Smith's

I headed over to 8th and stopped into one of the first places that I had ever been to in New York. It is right across from the Milford Plaza and I stayed there once when attending a seminar long before I even moved to New York. We are talking well over 25 years ago. Still basically the same, except the prices are a bit higher now. Great steam table though, with corned beef still some of the best around.

I had a Dewars and soda.

177) Emmett's

More formally known as Robert Emmett's Bar & Restaurant (history buffs will have to look up Robert Emmett) is this a bit lighter version of an Irish Pub. The bar is separated from the tables, and the windows, by a wooden partition topped with frosted glass with etched patterns. There is a nice little semi-room up front and an upstairs dining area that I did not check out.

I chatted with the bartender and it turned out that she lives in my neighborhood. I mentioned that I had just come from Smith's and how, when I first visited it, Elton John played a free concert in Central Park and what a great time I had going to it. She said her hometown is the same as Elton John's. There you go. Then a guy comes in and starts talking about Spokane and I mention that I had spent some time there. He is from there and his wife was in town going to a meeting with the same company that I did work for when I was in Spokane. This was getting a bit too spooky for me so I headed out.

But not until I had a draft Boddington's Pub Ale.

178) Rachel's

Back over to 608 9th Avenue was this place that looked almost like an old-ladies tea house. It was mostly pink and was decorated for Valentine's Day which only made it pinker. Still, it had a pretty decent little bar that was separated from the rest of the place and a good crowd. They have a brunch on Wednesday's and that might have been what was attracting the crowd.

I had a Dewars and soda.

179) Dalton's

This was a real nice sports bar with at least 7 flat screen televisions above the bar. I got into a discussion with the bartender about Musicmatch and he actually downloaded the free-trial version to test it out. A nice, friendly place. It is on 9th Avenue between 43rd and 44th and used to be a place called Revolution.

I had a draft Dalton's Ale

180) Dave's

This was the place I was going to go to first thing this morning but it wasn't open yet. I thought the name of the place was Dame's, which sounded more interesting. It just turns out that when they have the neon sign turned off you see some of the connecting tubes and, oh well, never mind. It is a bit of a dive bar but has pink overhead lights. It does have a pool table in the back so that makes it okay by me. It is a pretty old bar and not just made to look that way.

I had a Dewars and soda

181) Queen

I caught the subway back to Brooklyn and was heading home when I figured I would stop in for one last drink. Plus, I kind of had to use the bathroom. This is a nice Itallian restaurant with a bar up front. It used to be be a block away before they took the whole block down to put up a UA 12 screen cineplex and a Barnes and Noble book-store. I liked the old place better, but that is just me. Still, it is a great restaurant and serves delicious food.

I had a glass of Chianti and toddled off home thinking that I had made a very good start to the Year of the Rooster.

Well, 181 down and 819 left to go.

Exit The Monkey

Today is the last day of the Year of the Monkey according to the Chinese calendar. It is also the last day of 4071. I will be heading over to my mother-in-law's house for dinner and will be spending the night. Now don't get excited, my wife will be going with me too. At any rate, I am going to hit a few bars on the way over there, at least one in Grand Central Station while waiting for the train to New Rochelle where my mother-in-law lives. Maybe another one or two walking to her place from the train station. However, I will be unable to document my travels until tomorrow when I can log back onto this blog site.

171) Oyster Bar

Well, true to my promise we hit Grand Central and I figured I would hit a couple of bars while I was there. I headed to the basement and stopped by the venerable Oyster Bar. The whole place has high cathedral ceilings that are mosiac and interestingly lit. The bar itself is a separate enclosed area that has white leather settees with small tables large enough for a few drinks. There are also four larger tables with seating for four. Great overhead lights with metal silhouettes of ships decorating the outer edge. Also silhouettes of famous local boats framed and with a short description of them and an brief explanation of why they were noteworthy, hanging on the walls. The bar itself, although small, was a classic with brass rails and trim.

I had a draft Bluepoint Ale.

172) Oyster Bar Saloon

Although owned by the same people as the Oyster Bar, you do have to walk into a separate room through a set of swinging doors. I think it can legitimately be called a separate bar. This place was also decked out in a nautical theme with pictures of sailing boats on the wall and several encased, fairly intricate, models of boats. They also had pretzels and peanuts on the bar.

I had a Duvel Belgium Golden Ale before I headed off to catch the train.

173) The Public House Sports Bar

After hitting Pelhem I headed to my mother-in-law's house and hit this place on the way. I is right across the street from the Copper Still that I hit on my first night of this venture. It is an old Irish bar that I couldn't stay in very long. Apparently when they got their oil delivery in the morning there was a spill so they had the doors open to air the place out. It smelled really oily and was quite chilly.

I had a Samuel Adam's Winter Lager and headed out.

174) Yvonne's

This is kind of a soul-food restaurant with a separate bar off to the side and with a separate entrance. Pretty pink kind of place, decorated with pictures of black athletes and entertainers. It was pretty obvious that few of the people in the pictures had ever been there. When I commented about the picture of Sleepy Floyd and what a great basketball player he was the bartender said "Oh no, he is an entertainer, a comedian." Well, it was her place, but I don't think so.

I had a Dewars and soda.

That is 174 down and 826 left to go. Went to my mother-in-law's house and had a home-cooked New Years Eve feast. Good-bye Monkey.

Twenty-Third Street Stroll

I didn't hit any bars yesterday but took a bit of a busman's holliday by going to a Superbowl party. I can't exactly say it was a break from drinking. But all things in moderation.

Today I took the subway into Manhattan, got off at 14th and walked up to 23rd. I passed a lot of bars on the way, but those will be saved for another day. Today my objective was a relatively modest one, walk from Park Avenue South to 7th Avenue and hit the bars along the way. There were only four so this was a fairly easy task.

167) Live Bait

This place, at 114 East 23rd Street is a real classic. Gives you the ambience of a small bar in a Southern rural area. It has been around for quite awhile, but certainly is nowhere as old as it is made to appear. Decorated just right to convey that ambience without being overly cute about it. Madi Gras beads strewn about the place and tastefully placed around the neck of the stuffed alligator in the front window. They have a small oyster bar but it wasn't set up yet.

I had a draft Abita, brewed in Louisianna, keeping with the theme of the place.

168) Outback Steakhouse

Just down the street a bit at 60 West 23rd Steet was the Outback Steakhouse. Well, they have a very nice bar, and it is one of my favorite chain restaurants. The bar area is separate from the dining room so if you didn't know you were in an Outback Steakhouse very little here would let you know. Sadly, they only serve one Australian beer and, in my opinion, it is far from one of Australia's best. It is interesting because, in keeping with the somewhat Australian theme of the decor they have a big Toohey's Ale sign, they just don't serve it.

I had a draft Foster's.

169) The Limerick House

Across the street from the Outback Steakhouse is this old Irish bar. I remember if from when it was located on 2nd Avenue, but I guess it moved a few years back. The manager and I chatted about some of the bars that were in the old neighborhood, a couple of which I have already hit (Molly's and Rolf's). Kind of a traditional Irish bar, a back area with a table and a nice overhead stained glass light. The walls are kind of a pinkish red and the place was decked out, such as it were, for Valentine's Day. There is an old piano but, sadly, the piano player recently passed away. They do have a woman who comes in and plays the guitar on Sunday afternoons for the brunch crowd.

I had a Dewars and soda.

170) Francisco's

This is a nice Spanish restaurant at 159 West 23rd Street. It has a fairly large bar in the front. The place is decorated with mounted fish and a bunch of the largest lobster claws I have ever seen. And when I say big, I mean big. The weight of the lobster is written on the claws and I think the biggest one that I saw was 23 pounds. The manager said that size lobster gives you about 4 pounds of meat because so much of the weight is in the shell. I also learned that male lobsters have, proportionally, much smaller claws than females. They are also shaped differently, longer and narrower while the females are much "fatter" looking.

I had a glass of merlot and called it a day.

Not exactly heading down the home stretch, but only 830 left to go.

One For The Weekend

Well, I had kind of planned on taking the weekend off, but it was a nice warm sunny day and I kind of thought it would be nice to go for a walk. There is a bar that I have passed by but never stopped into before so I thought this would be a nice time to do it.

166) Freddy's

On the intersection of Dean and 6th Street in Brooklyn is this classic neighborhood bar. In the front window is a stuffed shark (or a plastic replica) and a couple of spike high-heel shoes. Behind the bar is a stuffed, and framed, bat and a large skull of unknown origin. One mirror behind the bar is festooned with pictures of people giving the camera the finger. Lot's of old books strewn about and copies of Lurch magazine available for browsing. There was a very strange montage of video clips compiled by the owner playing on the TV (the clips were playing on the TV, not the owner). Old 1960's Batman, what looked to be Mexican horror movies, kung-fu, very weird but quite engrossing. The whole place is strewn with old "stuff" and you could probably go in any number of times and not really see everything. They have a back room where a variety of entertainment is featured later in the evening. There is a painted tin ceiling and old lights with fans overhead. The bathroom features better than average graffiti.

I had a draft UFO Hefeweizen from Harpoon.

Well, only one today, but you can only chop a forest down one tree at a time. 166 down and 834 to go.

Across The Bridge

It wasn't too bad a day out. Kind of chilly, but much warmer than it has been. I decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into downtown Manhattan and hit a few bars.

162) The Beekman Pub

This place, on Beekman Street, is about one block from City Hall in downtown Manhattan. About a four or five block walk once you come off the Brooklyn Bridge. It is an old Irish pub that has been around since at least the 1920's. It is a very nice place with a fairly large dining area as well. The bar has nice stained-glass lamps overhead. There is a framed Kevin McHale jersey that he signed hanging in a prominent position by the door. I mentioned it to the bartender, I am from Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota so am a big McHale fan. It turned out that the bartender had also been in Minnesota for a few months. In 1977 he tried out for the U of M hockey team as a walk-on but didn't make it. We chatted about Minnesota, hockey, Herb Brooks, and other Minnesota trivia. The place was pretty packed with people grabbing hamburgers and such for lunch.

I had a Highlander Scottish Ale

163) Ryan's Sports Bar

This place was kind of like a mini-Beekman Pub at 46 Gold Street between Fulton Street and Eden's Alley. It also was very crowded and noisy and was a very nice, cosy type of place. Lot's of TVs about the place showing ESPN and ESPN 2. I fixated on a woman's 9 ball tournament. They must get a lot of customers from Verizon in here because there were several "Keep Verizon Jobs Here" stickers about the place.

I had a Murphy's Irish Stout

164) Reds

I headed along the East River and just at the edge of the touristy area (well, alright, just inside) was Reds. Kind of a strange place in a way, the longer I was there the more it grew on me. It had a tin, or tin-like covered bar and floor to ceiling windows wall-to-wall. This made it quite bright. Had a vaguely Mexican look to it with sombreros behind the bar and large, mural-like pictures of Mexican Indians on the walls upstairs. The large overhead lights looked like something out of Star Wars, like large bowls with vaguely alien life-forms trying to escape. Not sure what that was all about. The TV was over the frozen-margarita machine at the end of the bar where I was sitting so I watched ESPN greates Superbowl moments while eating corn chips and a real nice and quite spicy salsa.

I had a Dewars and soda

165) Fraunces Tavern

Heading south back towards the area that I was at yesterday I stopped in at this venerable institution. This place is at 54 Pearl Street right on the corner of Broad Street. For those of you interested in such things, it is where George Washington gave his farewell address to the officers of the Continental Army in 1783. There is, or was, an attached museum at one time. The bar is to the left when you enter and the eating area is to the right. I headed left. Although this place could easily have become a tourist trap, it most decidedly didn't and is pretty much of a local watering hole for those that work in the area. It gets especially lively later at night. There are a few artifacts, or replicas of artifacts (the copy of the Constitution is probably not real) strewn about but nothing overbearing. A decent enough place to pop into for a quick libation.

I had a Dewars and soda and headed to the subway and home.

I probably am going to take the weekend off as far as my odyssey is concerned. A bit ironic in away, a lot of people only drink on the weekends. I have some things that I need to do on Saturday and then I am going to a Superbowl party on Sunday. I am sure there will be a bit of drinking, but nothing that can be counted, unless I can convince people to watch the game at a sports bar. Pretty unlikely though.

Well here we go again, 835 left to go. Still a lot, but certainly looks a lot more manageable than it did a mere month ago.

Fame and Fortune

Well, not exactly fame and, certainly, no fortune, but the New York Post did print a nice little article about my quest in today's paper. It is in the Pulse section if you care to check it out. Please note that in the second paragraph where it said that "Since he started on New Year's day, Walker has bent an elbow at 155 bars..." they really mean I had bent an elbow. I was being interviewed in Walker's. Also, I hit the 155 bars yesterday, the day after the interview. An editor did call me up after I got home yesterday to get the updated number so it is accurate as of this morning. Also, I am much better looking in person than in the picture, but I did like the comment about my bright eyes and clear skin. Maybe I can get some kind of an endorsement deal for vitamins or a skin-care product.

156) Delmonico's 2000 Bar & Grill

This place is an adjunct to Delmonico's, one of the uber restaurants in New York. They are located in the heart of Wall Street, right on Beaver (go figure) and is the place where I have paid the most so far for a drink. $10.00 for a Dewars and soda and then they added the New York City sales tax (no other place except maybe that TGIFs has ever done this). Anyway, this drink cost me $10.86 without tip. Now I will say they poured with a heavy hand so I am not really complaining all that much. I mean we are in the heart of the world's economy and there were a lot of suit-and-tie guys sitting around drinking martinis. Made me somehow happy.

The bar is really nice old horseshoe shaped bar. The door is a revolving door like you once saw in department stores. Venetian blinds over the two front windows. Dark wainscoting with a panel of scenes of New York done to look like old charcoal drawings on parchment. Very interesting. A place where deals are, or should be, getting done.

I had the aforementioned Dewars and soda.

157) Ulysses'

Moving about a block from Delmonico's is this place. If you walk down Mill Lane into Stone Street you will walk right into this bar. It has a really large bar, the length is the width of a block, and you can enter from both ends. There are a lot of pictures of James Joyce hanging on the wall. The street that it sits on from where I walked in is cobblestone and it is blocked off from traffic. In the warmer weather they have outside tables and it is quite festive. Very European in concept.

I had a draft Chimay, one of my favorites, and not too readily available.

158) Cassis

Down the block, almost next-door, is Cassis. Walking into the place was an experience. It was warmer today than usual so a lot of snow and ice was melting. Apparently the waterspout next door was backed up so there was a shower, no exageration, of water spewing over the entrance. I got drenched. They give you nice napkins to wipe off and an umbrella service to get out, but getting in was interesting.

Anyway, this place also is the width of a somewhat narrowing block, but has no back entrance. It has brick walls and interesting paintings on the wall. The back of the bar had some real nice liquor cabinets with stained-glass fronts. They had nice little red stained-glass lights hanging down over the bar. The rest of the place had those same lights that reminded me of the principal's office. Somehow more relaxing in this context though.

The owner wanted me to say that it is "located on a coble street which reminds you of Europe. Warm, intimate ambiance, great food and a fun crowd." I saw no reason to disagree. She also pointed out that a prominent beam in the middle of the place was actually a part of a beam that was in the great fire of 1815 when, apparently, the whole neighborhood (warehouses, at the time) burnt down.

Anyway, I drift.

I had a Dewars and Soda

159) Gerardi's

More of an Itallian restaurant, but with a nice little bar at one end, if you can find it. This is a fairly large place that does have entrances on both streets. It also has two levels. Well, I left Cassis and entered through the restaurant side. I walked right up the stairs to the dining area, but the bar was not there. I then went back downstairs and wended my way through a labyrinth of rooms to the front. There they had a nice little bar and a very friendly bartender. It turned out we both knew a few of the same bartenders. She is Russian so we chatted about some of the few places we knew in Brighton Beach, places. She taught me a Russian toast that I can only spell as "poe hali" and means, essentially, Let's go.

I had a glass of Ruffino Chianti

160) Waterstone Grill

The last of the restauraunts on this reconstructed cobblestone street. Another pleasant place with real Irish bartenders and what looked to be decent bar-food. I was getting hungry by now. It turned out that they also knew the same bartenders as the woman next door knew. Small world.

I had a Samuel Adams Winter Lager

161) White Horse Tavern

Well, now I moved out of the cobblestone area and headed to my subway stop. I knew, however, I that I was going to pass by and stop in at the White Horse Tavern. This is an older place that makes no pretences about it. Mostly older guys reading the racing forms and watcing OTB. Great steam-table though so I had a corned beef sandwich with mustard on rye. But I ate it sitting at the bar so it all counts.

I had a Dewars and soda.

After I got home from my round of bars I got a call from KROC and did a radio interview that they aired. They did a good job of editing it, I actually sounded much better than I thought it should have after just coming back from having a drink in six different bars.

Now here we ago again, the pain at the end of every post, only (1000 - 161) = X left to go, where X equals the number of bars left to go. Email me with your answer.

A Long Stroll But Few Bars

I figured today, because it was fairly warm and the sun was out, I would just take a bit of a stroll and limit myself to just three bars. I did more than anticipated yesterday and that, coupled with a fair amount of wine at dinner, led me to believe today should be a day of moderation.

153) La Nostra Soria

In Park Slope on Seventh Avenue this place is more of an Italian restaurant than a bar, but they do have a nice little bar with a huge metal eagle sitting on the end. The bartender was very nice and I chatted with her while I enjoyed:

A glass of 2003 Stella Sangiovese (a red wine).

154) Snooky's Pub

Down Seventh Avenue a bit is this nice old neighborhood bar. It had six TVs but all of them were off except one showing CNN. There were pictures of old Yankee's teams adorning the wall, but I forgive them. It had a nice long bar and wood plank floors. There were a couple of ladies sitting at one end of the bar doing crossword puzzles and everyone seemed to know everyone else and were all quite friendly. I told them about my quest and passed out a few of my cards. The bartender wanted me to say that she was an "Attractive, older bartender with a great personality and a loyal following." She really wasn't older, at least by my standards, but she was attractive. And remember, this is only my second stop of the day.

I thought they had a pretty decent crowd in there seeing how early it was, but I was assured that if I came back after 5:00 P.M. the place would really be jumping. No reason to believe that it wouldn't be, but I am afraid I will have to pass for the time being.

I had a draft Anchor Steam.

155 Tea Lounge

Now this was a bit of a stange place, for a bar, on Union Street between 6th and 7th Avenue but closer to 7th. More like a 60's kind of coffee-house, but with internet access. Kind of like a beat Starbucks with a little bar in the back. Mostly a college-aged crowd banging away at their PCs and a few young mothers with kids in tow who looked like they gathered there on a regular basis. Even though it is called the Tea Lounge, they did have a large Tiki carving on the bar and a surfboard propped up against the wall. They had 9 draft beers, including a Chimay, and a sign that said no Budweiser. The Doors were playing on the sound system.

They had neat overhead fans shaped like leaves and a set of the same shaped fans mounted on one of the walls, but these went back and forth. Lots of sofas and plush chairs strewn about with coffee tables. It looked like a lot of the crowd just used this as their living room, and I could see why they would. The place was pretty packed. A large selection of coffees and teas and a nice selection of pastries.

I had a Lindeman's Cassis (black current) Lambic Begian Ale.

I thought 155 was a nice number for the day so I headed on home. I had a fair ways to walk so I stopped into Hank's and used the bathroom. Of course the bathrooms are for customers only so I had a Dewars and soda but, because I have been here before, cannot count this towards my thousand. The guy next to me was kind of in the bag and said he gave a stand-up comedy routine at a club up the street. He tried to try out a routine on me that involved someone defecating in a supermarket aisle. I chugged my drink and bolted.

Only 845 left to go. I was thinking about trying to hit 200 bars before I leave for Mexico on the 16th, but I have some family gatherings to attend and a Superbowl party on Sunday. Probably won't be able to make it but we will see how it goes. Might be spending some time with my mother-in-law celebrating the Chinese new year. We are moving out of the year of the monkey and into the year of the rooster, whatever that may mean. I think 175 bars before I leave with a few days off before departure to pack and stuff is a more reasonable goal.

A Bit of Wall Street

I know, I said because it was my wife's birthday I wasn't going to go out today. But about 10:30 A.M. I got a bit antsy and decided to go out. I downloaded about two hours of birthday related songs, promised I would be back by 2:00 P.M. and headed out.

I took the subway to Bowling Green which, for some strange reason, is tiled in orange. Anyway, I got off and walked up Beaver Street until I hit:

147) Killerney Rose

On Beaver Street from one can enter, is this somewhat huge Irish bar that has been around for ever. It has a great steam table where for less than $8.oo easy you can stuff yourself with one of the best corned-beef and cabbage dishes ever.

This place is long, the width of a block. There is also an upstairs area with a separate lounge. I debated about whether or not I could go up and count a drink (it does have a somewhat different name K.R. Lounge) but decided I couldn't

I had a Guiness Stout, very well pulled, and headed out the other door and across the street to:

148) Mercantile Grill

Another nice little restaurant and bar. Built into an old building, unlike Killerney Rose which is old, it still gives off a nice glow and was an enjoyable stop.

I had a Dewars and soda.

149) The Full Shilling

Up the street a bit was this place. Another authentic Irish bar that has a bar that was supposedly brought over from Belfast and is 105 years old. Apparently the whole interior of the bar was shipped over from Ireland and reinstalled. It looks it. A very nice place indeed.

I had a Dewars and soda.

150) La Borsa Di Roma

A very nice Itallian restuarant bar just a bit further up the street but on the other side. Not a large bar but decent enough. The front was padded leather so it made it very comfortable to stand and lean your knee up against. There was a rifle hung on the back wall and it kind of reminded me of Shaun of the Dead. The walls had old copper cooking utensils hung here and about and some other stuff that was either farm equipment or instruments of torture. Not a real bar crowd so I had a quick

Glass of Chianti and headed down the street.

151) Captain's Ketch

This place, still on Pearl Street, has a nice rectangular bar, dark wood, fairly classy. I was actually headed back to the subway when I spotted it and felt the compulsion to stop in. The walls are adorned with nautical pictures and paraphernalia. Unlike the place that had the rifle, this place had old harpoons. Forget Shaun, I am now thinking Jaws.

I had a Dewars and soda.

Now, I really should just go home and take a nap until it is time for dinner. Sometimes, however, fate intervenes. A reporter from one of New York's papers wants to meet me at a bar and interview me for an article that may appear on Thursday. I will say no more about this because, in all liklihood, nothing will come of it. I will keep you posted (hint, hint).

I have to shower and make myself presentable for the rest of the night. Will update this with this evening's encounter tomorrow morning.

152) Walker's

On 16 North Moore Street, on the corner of Varick Street, is this old bar. This neighborhood is full of new places but Walker's is one of the originals. It has an ornate tin ceiling and beige plaster walls with relief designs. Plank wooden floor and a nice old, well worn, dark wooden bar. The lights hanging over it reminded me, for some reason, of the lights we used to have in our grade-school classrooms. Or, more than likely, in the principal's office. The back of the bar was also old and wooden and had a few large mirrors. There were a few tables scattered about for drinking and eating and a larger back room for dining as well.

I met up with the reporter and a photographer for my interview about my quest. It seemed to go fairly well, a lot of pictures were taken and we talked for almost an hour. Supposedly an article will appear in tomorrow's paper. If it does I will give you the details. Of course it could also simply end up in some editor's wastepaper basket.

I ended up drinking a couple of draft Boddington's Ale and then toddled off with the wife for dinner a few blocks away at Chanterelle, a great restaurant but one with no bar.

I know this gets boring, but I feel compelled to do it anyway; 848 bars to go.

Back to 34th

I went back to 34th to have lunch with my wife and my sister-in-law at La Garia. This was a place that I had a drink, a glass of wine, last week. Obviously I am not counting this one. However, after lunch I did make some progress.

141) La Bella's

Kind of a restaurant/bar/pizza place combination. A fairly large place on the corner of 32nd Street and 2nd Avenue. Nice brick pizza oven and interesting overhead track lighting, but not much else going on.

I had a draft Birra Moretti

142) Waterfront Ale House

This is the Manhattan presence, corner of 30th street and 2nd Avenue, of Peter's Waterfront Ale House in Brooklyn (see an earlier post). The place looks remarkably similar to the place in Brooklyn. A couple of people sitting there that seemed to know a bit about beers and bars so I had a pleasant conversation.

I had a Czar Imperial Stout, quite tasty and strong.

143) Paddy Reilly's Pub

This place on 2nd Avenue, across the street from the Waterfront Ale House, serves nothing but Guinness on draft. It has the look and feel of a real Irish pub, with a back room with banquettes and tables for sitting around and chatting and the Pogues on the juke box. A decent enough place to pop into for a beer on a somewhat chilly afternoon.

I had a, let me think, Guinness.

144) Bistango

Down a block on the corner of 29th and 3rd Avenue was this Itallian restaurant Right on the corner and had a huge antique copper espresso machine in the front window. It had a decent sized bar.

I had a Chianti.

145) Porta Rossa

Another Italian Restaurant that served as a stop-in place as I made my way toward the subway. It is on Lexington Avenue between 30th and 31st Street. Not much to distinquish it but it had a bar and I needed to use the bathroom.

I had a glass of Chianti

146) Artisinal

This is a quite classy restaurant that is known for its cheese selection. And I don't mean just any old cheese. This place probably has the largest selection of cheeses of any restaurant in the United States.

They also have a fairly decent bar set a bit up from the rest of the place.

I had an espresso and a Sambuca.

Well, that isn't a bad start on my journey. 146 bars the first month with only 854 left to go. Tomorrow is my wife's birthday and we are going to go to Chantrelle's, one of our favorite restaurants. I will have the full wine course with my dinner but will not count it because it is served at the table. I don't think they have a bar, I haven't been there in a long time, but if they do I will have a pre-dinner libation and count it. Otherwise, no progress tomorrow. Unless my wife lets me pop in for a drink at the bar across the street either before or after dinner.

Smith Street Clean-up

I took yesterday off and was relaxing today when the sun came through the window and I was motivated to get up and go out. Figured maybe I could catch a few places on Smith Street that are usually closed during the day but might open for Sunday brunch. My instincts proved to be deadly on:

135) Apt. 138

This place, on 138 Smith Street, has a nice dark distressed bar (not old, but made to look that way) bar. It has about a dozen small tables with one large dining table set in the back against windows. One wall is brick and has a lot of what looks to be original art work and the other side covered with wallpaper that had a vaguely forest like look to it.

I had a Newcastle Brown Ale

136) Banania Cafe

This place was jammed with a brunch crowd. It is fairly small and the bar is more of a service bar than anything else, but it did have three stools so I am counting it. I ran into a friend of mine that used to work at a now closed place not far from where I lived, so we chatted. It is a great place to go to for brunch if you don't mind a crowd and waiting, which I do.

I had a draft Merlot, yes, a draft Merlot.

137) Village Pub

Downstairs from Village 247 is this place, and it is a real find. You go to the back and take the steps down from the little outdoor seating area. You walk into a small dark bar with a large screen TV showing the Miami/Houston game. They have strange plaster reliefs of faces that appear to be in anquish gracing the walls. The bar looked like it had been painted with the same grey stuff they use on Navy vessels to keep you from slipping. They had a real old shuffle-board table. And I mean really old. Strewn about the place were all kinds of strangely decorated beer mugs, the theme of which I did not fully understand.

I had a Steelhead Scotch Porter, made by Mad River brewery located in Blue Lake, California

138) Cubana Cafe

This is a real small place but had the look and feel to it of a small place in the Cuban section of Miami. It had a little bar in front, blue ceramic, and a small sidewalk area in front. I sampled some of their crispy fried plaintains with chimithurri.

I had an Appleton rum and Coke.

139) Mancora

This is a Peruvian restaurant with a small bar up front. One large wall has a mural of people casting nets for fish on the sea. They have nice red and purple lights hanging over the bar. An interesting picture of two elderly people starring into each others eyes in the front.

I had a glass of Merlot and headed home.

Now, I was going to call it a day but then the wife and I decided to go out for dinner so we went to a place that I knew had a nice little separate bar.

140) Thai Grille

This place is on Henry Street just about on the corner of Clark Steet. This is a nice Thai restaurant that has a separate bar area, almost another room altogether. It is a small place, nice dark bar with overhead lights and bird cages hanging in the front window. A couple of regulars at one end of the bar watching a ventriliquest on the Comedy Network station and comparing him to someone who, every once in awhile, had a similar, but much better act, on the Ed Sullivan show.

I had a Singha beer and then went to the next room and had dinner. We shared Spring Rolls and then I had breast of duck and my wife had the whole red snapper. Great food and the snapper was extraordinary.


Not a bad day, and I am now down 860 bars to go.