Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The New York Dive Experience
Not all of New York nightlife means clubs with cover
charges, expensive cocktails, beautiful people, and velvet
ropes. There are places that you should be rewarded for
braving; old, dark places where the drinks are cheap and
the characters colorful. These are dive bars and they are
just as New York as their trendy counterparts. Here are
some of my favorites; stop in for a New York experience.
Jimmy's Corner,
140 W. 44th St., between Broadway and
Sixth Avenue (
&
212/221-9510
). Owned by a former box-
ing trainer, Jimmy's is a tough-guy's joint that has been
around for more than 30 years and survived the Disneyfi-
cation of Times Square. Pictures of boxers adorn the walls,
and the jukebox plays lots of R&B and '70s disco. In the
pre-smoking ban days, the smoke would get so thick in
Jimmy's you needed night goggles to see through the
haze. Beer is cheap and drinks aren't fancy. Skip the theme
bars and restaurants in the area and go for an after-thea-
ter pop at Jimmy's instead.
Rudy's Bar & Grill,
627 Ninth Ave., between 44th and
45th streets (
&
212/974-9169
). This Hell's Kitchen estab-
lishment is no secret; its happy hour is legendary and the
place is usually packed with slackers sucking up cheap beer,
including the house brand, Rudy's Red, a weak brew served
music scene. Creole is an intimate bar/restaurant that features top-
notch jazz, Latin, R&B, and on Sunday, gospel. Sit at the bar or
enjoy the music while chowing down on very good Southern/Cajun
specialties—the gumbo might be the best in the city. Entertainment
begins at 8:30, but you might want to venture in a little early for
Creole's fun happy hour from 5 to 7pm.
2167 Third Ave. (at 118th St.).
&
212/876-8838.
www.creolenyc.com. Subway: 6 to 116th St.
The Den
For not only the most creative cocktails north of
96th Street, but also the most imaginative drink names in all of
Manhattan, come uptown to the fun, funky Den. Here you can sip
concoctions like the “Pimp Slap,” “Sex in the Inner City,” “Bahama
Baby Mama Drama,” and the “Harlem Ice Tea,” while watching a
blaxploitation flick off the bar/restaurant's brick wall. Don't ask me
Finds
