Hand up, @YouTheReader I did not know Van Morrison was Irish. *Raises right hand while at lunch at Nancy Whiskey’s upstairs typing this like a Fringe Lunatic.* You’re telling me next year I can have Brown Eyed Girl queued up? Fuhgettaboutit, an unbelievable turn of events.
This is a very feel-good happy song. I don’t really feel like I have to annotate it. How can you be in a bad mood listening to this? @JetsFans put this on and just assume Aaron Rodgers is on the team. YouTube Search “Allen Lazard Arizona State Highlights” and relax.
@YouTheReader isn’t it lowkey-highkey kind of nice when you hit every green light on your commute home? Or is it highkey-lowkey?
@Mom remember you said that? @YouTheReader Ahh jeez, she’s probably mortified by embarrassment right now. Just skip out on ShopRite for like a couple of weeks, it’ll pass!
@YouTheReader hope you have one of those days like this… Great tune. Here’s a bit about some Pints in the City…
Guinness Challenge Season #1
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, who I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. I’m planning on this to be a SEASONal thing for me because I don’t know about you, but I prefer a pint in the cold weather months until the end of March. #GuinnessChallengeSeason until If I Ever Leave This World Alive. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extremely nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan to ever give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Tap A Keg 2/20 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 8.6
Guinness Challenge: N/A No Logo.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Your Love by John Keys Cloud on in the background. John is the bartender, he started off bar-backing at Tap A Keg 4 years ago, but he was born and raised on 97th. They have Cards Against Humanity behind the bar and sell popcorn. Long Island iced teas and margaritas are his favorite. He plays ice hockey when he has the chance. He’s played Rec League Ice Hockey and is a forward. Tap A keg is a pool bar. “People are always playing pool here.” They even host pool leagues Sunday through Wednesday. “Anybody can join. We have a wide range of skilled players.” They also have darts.
John the bartender is actually John Keys Cloud. He’s a very talented artist who produces all aspects of his music. It’d be awesome if one day he could do his own @RapGenius annotations of a song of his own for one of the Notes. We’ll see if we could work it out. John also has another conceptual project called Time Capsule NY which provides an unparalleled real-world experience via its Encapsulations (city-wide easter egg hunts). You can find out more about him on his website JohnKeys.cloud which has a very cool and unique design to it. Tap A Keg is a laid-back haunt with a pool table & dart board boasting a happy hour that lasts for 7 hours. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Tap A Keg again soon!
Spring Lounge 2/21 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 9.4
Guinness Challenge: N/A No Logo.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: A Bronx Zoo picture of The Boss, Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, and Thurman Munson in the corner. Sharks are hanging on the wall and behind the bar. The Spring Lounge has been a neighborhood bar since the 1920s. Their hours are 8 AM to 4 AM. They have a ton of cool old pictures hanging up on the mirror behind the bar and exposed brick in their back room. Very rustic. Budweiser and Guinness are their only notable beers on taps, the others are IPAs without a logo. Natalie, who has been a bit busy (I came here at happy hour after work), has been bartending here for about a year. She is originally from Atlanta. “NYC is not the same but I love both.” The current owner fishes for sharks. Spring Lounge used to be called Shark Bar from the 1970s to 1990s. The previous owner also used to shark fish and store them in the basement. When the current owners went down there for the first time they found a bunch of shark remains. This location has been serving alcohol since 1923 in the middle of Prohibition. An unnamed patron next to me had some real inside knowledge of the area. He said Rice to Riches used to be one of the largest illegal sports books in the City. He also mentioned how Oneils has a basement tunnel where Teddy Roosevelt used to drink during Prohibition. Very cool of the unnamed source, I appreciate the insights on the neighborhood!
@YouTheReader how was my description of this awesome bar in the first handful of sentences? I always try to do the Guinness reviews when the bars aren’t too busy but I stumbled upon this great place and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Despite being busy, thankfully Natalie was able to have a quick conversation about this bar that has hosted a ton of stories. It’s also a Yankee bar so they obviously pride themselves on their history. I look forward to grabbing another Pint of Guinness at Spring Lounge again soon!
Lucky Jack’s 2/21 ‘23
Service & Staff: A
Guinness: 8.3
Guinness Challenge: I Failed.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Feelin’ Myself by Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj on in the background. Megan “spelled the normal way” is the bartender. It’s a bar’s bar. 18 years established. They have some higher-end liquor stuff on the wall. Her favorite drink to make “depends.” The group of people that come to Lucky Jack’s “depends.” They have a private bar available downstairs. 1920s women's paintings on the wall look lovely but neither one of us knows the story behind why they’re there. Exposed brick. There are 2 bars plus the downstairs. Cool setting!
Donnybrook 2/22 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 9.5
Guinness Challenge: I Failed.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Changes by David Bowie on in the background. Lauren is the bartender. She has been at Donnybrook for 4 years. The Guinness lines are always clean. The owners own a few bars in the city and pride themselves on their Guinness. Her food recommendation is the Pigs & A Blanket. Lauren always pushes Guinness as the recommended drink when asked. “I didn’t like Guinness until I started working here and now I love it.” Donnybrook is a very classy spot. They sponsor club teams that have won some trophies. Irish owned. The husband is Irish and the wife is American.
Donnybrook and the staff are very excited to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day! The Guinness here is so good that it turned Lauren into a fan of pints so you have to check it out for yourself. I really loved the feel and environment of Donnybrook, it is truly a classy establishment for the Lower East Side Neighborhood. I look forward to grabbing another pint of their pride & joy again soon!
The Hairy Lemon 2/22 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 9.5
Guinness Challenge: I Failed.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Named inspired by the Hairy Lemon of Dublin. Greg is the bartender. He’s from Mayo “just down the road from Connemara” and has been out for 9 or 10 years. Greg is a diehard season ticket holder Mets fan and loves what Uncle Stevie Cohen is doing with spending. The Hairy Lemon of NYC has a pool league every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. “The fried chicken here is phenomenal.” They have plenty of large TVs for sports. They get up early for the Six Nations and are a Penn State bar as well. The Hairy Lemon has late-night bites until 1:30 AM. On Friday nights they do “Naughty 90s Nights” where they are sports-free on TV and play 90s hip hop with some of the best 2000s dance music. Flags from all over the world are hanging up on their ceiling. Sunday night they also have a pool tournament. Regulars from Hairy Lemon or NYC have now asked the Hairy Lemon of Dublin if they are affiliated, it used to just be one way the other way around. “You look the part of a Connemara man with your beard.”
The Hairy Lemon of NYC is a vibrant, neighborhood sports bar located in the East Village area of New York. They show all major sports events including NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, UFC, and of course the Six Nations. They serve Guinness in 20 oz glasses and were actually hosting a pool league while I was there so it was fun to see people play. They’re a great spot for a Penn State game on a Saturday and have even had Mr. & Mrs. Met guest bartend. I look forward to grabbing another Pint of Guinness at The Hairy Lemon NYC again soon!
Quick Intermission 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2…
…It's a motorcycle drive by
Baby, dry your kind eyes…
…I think it's about time we headed home
Walking on such tight rope, with my damn high hopes…