And After All, You're (Sadly Not) My Wonderwall

THE IRISH PUB
839 Seventh Avenue (at 54th Street)
New York, NY 10019

I can't remember who told me that Oasis' favorite bar in New York City was The Irish Pub on Seventh Avenue. It's like being told that Robert Pollard from Guided By Voices' favorite restaurant in the city is La Mela in Little Italy. Urban music legend? Who knows. I've been to The Irish Pub a few times over the past few years. During the World Cup or any major futbol event, Europeans are practically pouring out of the bar at any given time of day.

The bar used to be a small, dingy pub with light wooden paneling filling every inch of wall space. It was a little dark and hidden, but that was part of its charm. I'm not sure when they renovated the place, but the new Irish Pub is massive! I hate to say it, but it's lost a lot of that old charm it once had. I suppose it was bound to happen. I mean, the bar is in Midtown on Seventh Avenue, surrounded by tons of major tourist hotels. It definitely beats some of the hotel bars in the neighborhood.

A few Saturdays ago was the first time our Kennedy's crew got together after its closing in January. I'll admit, it felt a little strange in the beginning. All of us were pretty much sitting in the same spots we'd take over at Kennedy's, but it still felt like we were cheating on our pub. The weirdness did wear off eventually. Obviously we closed down the bar a little after 4am. I used to think that as long as I had my drinking buddies, we could hang out at any bar. And while the bartenders at The Irish Pub were very nice and knew how to take care of us (points for asking if I wanted ice in my Magners - Connolly's didn't do that), it just wasn't the same. I want to feel like I can party with not only my friends, but also the bartenders. Sadly that wasn't happening this Saturday night.

Don't get me wrong. We had a blast! The boys took over the jukebox like always, and we sang and danced like crazy. And so the search continues.

Too Many Monkeys

THE THREE MONKEYS
236 W. 54th Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue)
New York, NY 10019

Okay, bear with me. The Three Monkeys isn't exactly an Irish pub. But it is the sister bar of The Mean Fiddler (266 W. 47th Street), which is owned by a paddy. Before the monkeys took over, this spot used to be Divine Bar–a fantastic after-work wine bar with a great tapas-like menu. When Divine Bar closed, it was definitely a bummer. But THE THREE MONKEYS? The name alone had me interested.

Sure, there are Guinness and Harp signs out front. And even if it's not an Irish brand, I have a special place in my heart for the Delirium Tremens chalkboard proped up outside this joint. Long story short, my great-great grandfather Patrick Dolan died after he fell into a vat of beer in the brewery where he worked. His death certificate listed the cause of death as "delirium tremens," which, if you don't know, is severe alcohol withdrawl that more or less makes your insides go crazy until you're dead. Here's a more medical definition.

A college friend of mine had her birthday party here a couple Saturday nights ago. The place itself is a really nice, clean bar. Not gritty like its big sis, though definitely not sterile. But something happened around 11pm. It was like the neon lights came out of nowhere and created a dancefloor that all of Murray Hill, Long Island and Jersey knew about. The place almost instantly filled with douchebags, while Ke$ha and some of her best friends joined together for an all-out assault on the speakers. What was happening? I wanted to blame the neighborhood–
Midtown West/Times Square obviously isn't the "coolest" hood, and it certainly doesn't help that Monkey's next door neighbor is a loud Latin dance club. But I just can't get behind this one.

Shame. Monkeys are fun. Usually.

Just One More, I Swear

CONNOLLY'S PUB AND RESTAURANT
43 W. 54th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
New York, NY 10019

Let me start by saying how awesome my co-workers are. I work with some of the most amazing people in the world, a handful of whom are truly some of my best friends. So when Katie wanted "a" drink after work, how could I refuse? We talked Ashley and the other Katie into tagging along, too. The bar: Connolly's on 54th, which is just a few blocks from our office. We'd all been to the bar once before in December and had a blast.

Two of my favorite things about a good Irish pub: the bardenter will always put a napkin underneath your drink and he'll always give you a clean glass for every drink you order. Graham at Connolly's did just that, not to mention the minute we walked in and saw a few empty bar stools at the front of the bar, Graham steered us towards the end of the bar. It took a minute to understand why, but drunkest man alive (mind you, it was 7pm on a Thursday) was sitting next to those empty chairs. Good looking out, Graham!

Ashley was smart and left after one beer. Katie, Katie, and myself... not so smart. I'm not complaining. I love that look of approval that your friends give you when you ask, "Should we get another?" That happened a few more times. Add to that Graham not understanding the phrase, "This is my last one, seriously," and you have a recipe for an awesome Thursday night. At one point, I even asked Graham for half a pint. Silly me... when I got my pint glass back, it was completely full. Around 1am, we finally had to put our feet down and get out of there! If only because we'd have to be at work a few hours later.

All in all, Connolly's is great. I'm sure we'll definitely be back. The lack of regular patrons on top of completely random dudes in suits is really its only downfall, but that's expected given the neighborhood. That's the one thing I really loved about Kennedy's - on any given night, I'd run into at least two or three bar friends just hanging out. But Connolly's, hands down, is ten times better than having to go to Heartland Brewery or another chain restaurant/bar in Midtown for after-work drinks.

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye

KENNEDY'S RESTAURANT & BAR
327 W. 57th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
New York, NY 10019
Closed

Kennedy’s. Where do I even begin? I’d been going to Kennedy’s since I was in college. In fact, I spent my 21st birthday weekend at Kennedy’s. That was the first. I met some of the first Irish bartenders I’d ever met in New York that weekend–Conor, Decland, and Seamus. REAL Irish bartenders. Kennedy’s was far from a college bar. It was quite the opposite. Years later, friends would joke with me about my bar. “Why are you going to Kennedy’s? You’re the youngest person there... by about 20 years.” Okay, so what if my beloved Kennedy’s was an old man bar? I couldn't help it–when I walked in the door, the barbacks would scream, “The Queen is here!” I knew I was home. Kennedy’s was easily my home away from home for the past seven years.

I learned more about Ireland and my Irish background having been a part of Kennedy’s. I spent many New Year’s Eves and St. Patrick’s Days at the bar. I made amazing friends that I’m almost sure will be invited to my wedding some day–Pete, Becky, Elizabeth. My parents even loved the bar! I took my mom to Kennedy’s on quite a few occasions. One in particular–we ate dinner in the dinning room and decided to have, or rather pay for, one last drink at the bar. As we sat down, my mom said, “Okay, I’ll pay for one round of drinks for us. If we stay, it’s not because we’re paying for drinks.” What’s that? Yeah, my 63 year-old mom is a PIMP! Four rounds of drinks later and no money spent, my mom and I stumble a few blocks back to my apartment.

This past January, I decided to have my 28th birthday at Kennedy’s. Even though I spent my 21st birthday at the bar, I’d never had a party at Kennedy’s. How was that possible? It was a Friday evening after work and the bar was insanely crowded. The first person I see is Albero, one of Kennedy’s waiters. He said to me, “Kennedy’s is no more after this weekend, we’re closing.” I laughed. Funny joke to tell me the minute I walk through the door for my birthday party. “No, we’re closing. We all just found out this afternoon when we came in for work.” WHAT?! It was true. Kennedy’s shut down practically without warning that weekend–rent dispute with the building’s landlords. But not before an epic going away party! I’m sure I’ll tell that story down the road, but let’s just after partying again Saturday night, we didn’t leave the bar until 9:30am Sunday morning.

I’ve walked by Kennedy’s a few times since it closed. It’s completely naked. Sure, the bar is still standing, but nothing’s on the walls–the lights are turned off, jukebox pulled out from the wall, no bottles stocked behind the bar. It’s definitely sad, but my liver won’t wait for what’s sure to replace what is left of Kennedy’s. I WILL find my new home away from home, full of Irish bartenders, Guinness, and old men.