Ease Your Pain

You know those Saturday nights when you don't have any plans?  I must say it is a pretty refreshing feeling.  The only problem with nothing planned, is choosing something from the about one zillion options outside of your doorstep in NYC.

Last Saturday night, my roommate Theresa and I found ourselves in just this situation and it was a perfect night - something necessary to take advantage of.  Theresa's friend Lauren had stopped by the bar Painkiller around 11:00pm on the Lower East Side, but said it was too crowded to get in.  Lucky for us, Theresa and I weren't even ready to go out until about 1:00am so we decided to take our chances (plus New York Magazine listed the Painkiller's Zombie as, the "Best Lethal Drink").

Source: nytimes.com

When we arrived on the quiet Essex Street block, we thought maybe we had written down the wrong address?  There was an unmarked bar with a door that read, "Tiki Bar," which turned out to be the right place.  Let me tell you, 1:00am might just be the perfect time to hit up this island themed oasis.  When entering, you are greeted by a superfriendly bouncer who could moonlight as Cee Lo Green and loves Charlie Sheen.  The bar was definitely not crowded, but it seemed most of the tables in the back were full of couples or good friends and the bar itself was just dotted with patrons.  Also, the bar is perfectly decorated to look like a classy tiki bar with its bamboo walls, masks and framed beach themed pictures.

We were a little overwhelmed by the amount of tropical sounding options on the drink menu, so we decided to just ask the bartender to ease our pain - aka bartender's choice.  What resulted were two colorful, beautifully crafted drinks ($12 each) - one made with vodka and one with rum, both topped with mountains of tiny ice cubes (think grown-up snow cones) and pipe-cleaner bird decorations.  I must say, we both could have handled something stronger, but the drinks sure were tasty!

I will definitely head back to Painkiller again sometime soon, especially next time I want to get a taste of the islands in both my drinks and my atmosphere.

Check out this video from Thrillist!

Painkiller
49 Essex Street (map)  
Hours:
Sun - Thu: 6:00pm - 2:00am
Fri - Sat: 6:00pm - 4:00am

Cave Dancing

Quite a few of my friends have asked me to suggest a place to go dancing.  It seems, many people just want to go out and dance but they do not want to deal with the lines and the pretentiousness of Meat Packing or Chelsea clubs.  I say - head down to the Lower East Side, and once you get there head way down into the depths of La Caverna.

I have been to La Caverna many many times for all different occasions - birthdays, girls night, but mostly to just dance.  Some interesting nights ended at La Caverna with my friend Jason, who unfortunately now lives in Singapore (Jason used to make La Carverna what seemed like a weekly routine).

Source: Yelp.com

Entering La Caverna mimics the experience of entering an actual cave (make sure to let everyone know where you are before entering because you can forget about cell service once inside).  After you walk down a very steep staircase you realize that the walls and ceiling have been molded to look like rock formations inside of a cave and honestly, I think they did a great job.  The other people at this bar usually have their party gear on and the DJ plays an awesome mix of music from the 80's to today.  One cool aspect is the bar is in the center of the space so everyone has to congregate in the middle to get drinks (no tap beers, just bottles).  Also, if you do not feel like dancing, there are plenty of couches surrounding the perimeter and they offer Hookah in a variety of flavors (many people are willing to share if you just plop down next to them for a break).

La Caverna
122 Rivington Street (map)
DJs from 11pm - 4am, never a cover

Just danced for 5 hours and now you are starving?  Jason and I used to feed those hunger pangs with wraps from The Three Monkey's, which is just around the corner (99 Rivington Street, open until 4am or later).

Go Out For a Laugh

Something I rarely do is go out  with the intention to laugh - I go out to eat, I go out to drink and I even go out to dance - but not to laugh.  It is kind of weird when you think about it - who doesn't like a good laugh?

Believe it or not, New York has a ton of establishments designed just for people to go out and laugh!  One such place is Comix, a comedy club on West 14th Street and 9th Avenue.  Comix's slogan is actually, "Life's tough. Laugh more," which I definitely think is a great phrase for New Yorkers to hear.  You can find comedians of all levels depending on the night you head to Comix, but I suggest stopping by for one of their Tuesday night New Talent Shows ($15), which is what actually got me into Comix in the first place.  I went to go see my friend Sam Pepper in one of his first stand-up shows over the summer and I was literally blown away with laughter (I honestly do not think I have laughed as much since!).  There were first timers, old timers, TV stars and more all performing on the same stage.  To tell you the truth I was pretty skeptical heading over, but the show was so dynamic it kept my attention (and me laughing) the entire time - the comics only get five minutes each so if you are not so fond of one its no big deal.

Source: Citysearch.com

So next time you need a laugh on a Tuesday, or any night of the week head over to Comix with the intention to laugh!

Comix
353 West 14th Street (map)
Calendar
NOTE: COMIX IS NOW CLOSED

If you are interested in seeing my friend Sam Pepper in action he is hosting an Unknown Comedy Hour on Saturday, February 12 at 7pm (arrive before 6:45pm) at The Duplex (61 Christoper Street at 7th Avenue)

Sam will be performing along with five other comedians - so you better make your reservation now!
($5 entry fee and a two drink minimum)

Get a Groove at NuBlu

I really like to go dancing, but lets face it I am no Heather Morris, so most of the time I feel silly trying look good on the dance floor.  So what is a girl to do?  Go out dancing with someone who knows how do dance!

That is how I first found myself at the bar NuBlu in Alphabet City.  After celebrating the Yankees' World Series win in 2009, we wanted to continue the party with our friend Matt, who happens to pretty much be an amazing Latin dancer (although my roommates and I met him in Puerto Rico, we were shocked to find this out considering he is about as far from Latin as you can possibly get).  When we arrived at a nondescript entrance on Avenue C, we wondered if going inside could actually be worth the $10 cover charge - I can honestly say it was!

Live Brazilian music was performed all night, we sipped on fresh Caipirinhas, and danced (by following's Matt's lead) until we literally couldn't anymore.  The fellow patrons were friendly and inclusive, and served as exciting entertainment - how did they learn to move like that?   If I frequented NuBlu more often, I can only imagine how cool my groove would be...

NuBlu
62 Avenue C (map)
Open every day: 8pm - 4am
Weekdays: Early band at 9pm, later band at 11pm and 1am
Weekends: Early band at 9pm, later band at midnight and 2am
(DJ's in between and after live music)
Outdoor garden open until 10pm

Don't feel like making the trek to Avenue C?  Read this New York Times article for more Latin dance options in NYC.

Cozy-up at Brandy's Piano Bar

One night when we had nothing to do my friends Katie, Josh and I (and maybe some others?) found ourselves at Brandy's Piano Bar.  Although I think our visit was quite a while ago, I still catch myself smiling when I think about our experience.

This place is a teeny-tiny piano bar on an unlikely side street on the Upper East Side.  Unexpectedly, when you enter it will be packed with all sorts of people sitting at tables or just crowding into corners around the central focus - the piano!  As the live music is played (audience requests are encouraged) every single person in the bar can be caught singing along with no shame (the waitstaff also double as performers).  This is truly a rare and intimate, but really fun New York night out.

Josh can also vouch that this is a great place to impress a date!

Hours of operation:
Happy hour 4pm - 8pm
Nightly live music 9:30pm - 3am *
*(2 drink minimum per person per set, no cover charge)

Location:

235 East 84th street

bewteen 2nd and 3rd Avenues

New York, NY 10028

212- 744- 4949 

click here for directions