Vivir Mi Vida | McHale’s | McGee’s | Tanner Smith’s
Marc Anthony’s Vivir Mi Vida was on in the background at one of these fine establishments. This song is about living life to the fullest. Even if you don’t know the words, it is difficult to hear them and not think they bring some positivity. Thank goodness I took Spanish in high school so I can translate this for you word for word!
I'm going to laugh, I'm going to dance To live my life, la la la la I'm going to laugh, I'm going to enjoy To live my life, la la la la
I'm going to laugh (That!), I'm going to dance To live my life, la la la la I'm going to laugh, I'm going to enjoy To live my life, la la la la
Sometimes the rain comes To clean the wounds Sometimes just a drop Can overcome the drought
And for what cry, for what? If the pain hurts, forget it And for what suffer, for what? If such is life, there is but to live it, la la le
I'm going to live the moment To understand the future I'm going to listen in silence To find thе way
I'm going to laugh, I'm going to dance ¿Why cry? ¿Why suffer? Start to dream, to laugh I’m going to laugh, I’m going to dance (Come on!) Feel and dance and enjoy That life is only one I’m going to laugh, I’m going to dance Live, go on Always forward Don't look back That! My people! Life is one Haha Come on!
…
Thank goodness I took Spanish in high school! Shout out to Señor Lobo for teaching us the term “Me Importa Un Pepino.” Nice tune! On to the pints of Guinness…
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. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Song On In The Background: Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Neil is the bartender. Original McHale’s was on 46th & 8th, where Brad Pitt’s movie called Sleepers was filmed. Neil is from Dublin, he’s spent 15 years in NYC and loves it, “it’s home.” The Warriors, Yankees, and the 2nd Round of the NFL draft are on the TVs. The short rib sandwich, crispy chicken sandwich, and French onion soup are all recommended. Neil’s not a big French onion soup guy but “people love it.” The English gentleman next to me was very nice and just visited Hoboken. He gave his son a Week to Week Notes card and I guess the Brit kid threw it out, sad!
McHale’s is Irish owned and operated with their owners from the West of Ireland. The bar has a real Irish pub feel to it with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. They have strong links with the New York Dart League, with the league playing at McHale’s on Mondays and Tuesdays. If interested, they are always looking for more teams. The rest of the week, the elite dart boards are open to the public. McHale’s also has an award-winning Bloody Mary that was inspired by a bartender from Ireland who created his own Bloody Mary mix. Try it out next time if you’re looking for brunch, fighting off a violent hangover, or just looking for another alternative from their excellent pint of Guinness! The signature of the cocktail is their Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives which are freshly stuffed every morning. I look forward to checking out McHale’s for a pint of Guinness and I’ll have to try this Bloody Mary out next time I wake up feeling dangerous!
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Kenneth is the bartender. He was born here but moved to County Longford so he grew up in Ireland. Been here a week but already looks like a vet behind the bar at McGee’s. Chicken pot pie is recommended. Wait For It is recommended. How I Met Your Mother was written here and this is the bar the show was based on. All the cocktails are based on the show.
This is the real MacLaren’s Pub that inspired How I Met Your Mother. @FutureKids (if I ever have any) Kenneth was good craic, but this wasn’t how I met your mother. Sorry @Kenneth couldn’t help myself there. McGee’s has a very cool pub feel to it and the crowd seemed like the type that could write a great sitcom so it makes sense! It’s always so cool to hear stories like this, every pub has its own story. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at McGee’s again soon!
Song On In The Background: Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: “You can’t be a half gangster” on the coasters. Kentucky Derby flags are draped from the ceiling. Prohibition-style bar. Very cool feel. I love the tiles on the floor, it feels like I’m in the 1920s minus the flappers. Random scale on the ledge of the bar. Very crowded. The place looks like a Peaky Blinder scene waiting to happen in ‘23 but if it was a club in The City and not Birmingham.
Thomas F. “Tanner” Smith was born in 1887 on the west side of Manhattan. Growing up on the streets from a young age, he became well-versed in the illicit underground antics of New York’s criminal underworld. Tanner was reportedly related to local ward and district politicians and was heavily involved in and around Tammany Hall. These connections helped Tanner acquire leadership of the Marginal gang who constantly battled along with allies, the Gophers and the Pearl Buttons, to defeat the Hudson Dusters for control of the west-side waterfront.
Winona Club
The leader of the Gopher gang was a man named Owney Madden who would go on to be close friends and business partners with Tanner. In 1910, Tanner and Owney joined together to open up the Winona Club on the corner of West 47th Street & 10th Ave. This was a boisterous drinking den, where late-night rendezvous behind closed doors raged until all hours. The club reportedly had one of the best warning systems around to let occupants know when the law was outside and provided a series of tunnels and exit routes out. Politicians, gang members, judges, ladies of the night, and the odd off-duty police officer were known regulars at the Winona Club.
Gopher Gang
On June 19th, 1914 Tanner was arrested for involvement in a gunfight with a member of the Gopher gang on West 20th Street & 10th Ave. Tanner was chased and arrested by Patrolman Krozer and sentenced to a year in the Tombs for carrying a revolver. The year inside helped Tanner realize his wrongdoings. Upon release, his mother and sister convinced him to turn away from the criminal underworld he once ran on the West Side. He then took a job as a boss stevedore on the Hudson Docks, overseeing the unloading and loading of ships. Tanner became somewhat of a modern-day Robin Hood over the next five years–opening his own contracting business and using his profits from the wealthy to help the communities along the West Side. He opened several Boys’ 9 clubs in an effort to stop the local youth from going down the same path he once did. Unfortunately, the criminal life was never far away. Tanner being the astute businessman that he was saw the financial potential that awaited with Prohibition looming. The 18th amendment had recently passed and with Tanner’s connections on the docks, he and his old ally Owney Madden began forging alliances to start running liquor into New York.
Marginal Club
In early 1919, Tanner opened the Marginal Club on 11th Street and 8th Ave. The Marginal Club was located above a saloon and was created with the premise of later becoming a speakeasy when the Volstead Act would commence. The entrance had tight security and there were several exit routes out. The club was a hangout for Tanner’s & Owney’s key figures such as Big Frenchy the accountant, The Razor Riley, Goo Goo Knox, The Monk Eastman & One Lung Curran. Tanner’s foray back into the criminal underworld of the West Side would be short-lived. On the night of July 26th, 1919, Tanner and a few of his associates played cards in the Marginal Club when a masked gunman burst in and shot Tanner in the back. In the days that followed Tanner’s death, his gang unleashed a wave of violence on the West Side and Hoboken in retaliation for his murder.
Rumors
Various rumors circled as to the motive and individuals behind Tanner’s murder. One was that it was Owney’s Gophers who had done it, as they no longer needed Tanner once the smuggling routes were in place. Another rumor was that a former Hudson Dusters leader was behind the assassination. On Nov 4th, 1920, George Lewis, a former member of the Hudson Duster’s was convicted of the murder of Thomas F. ‘Tanner’ Smith, ending any further speculation. Tanner Smith’s today honors the man who helped ensure New Yorkers would not go dry during Prohibition whilst giving back to his neighborhood to ensure a better way of life for those who would come behind him.
@TannerSmith’s as a fellow “Thomas F”- I can’t be a half gangster - why no Guinness logo on the glass? Besides that one blemish, Tanner Smith’s is an awesome spot and I loved reading up on the name. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Tanner Smith’s again soon!