Passing through NYC

Passing through NYC


For the second time this season I had the opportunity to visit NYC if even for a brief few hours. The last time we visited we made it a point to play the part of tourists and visit a few popular landmarks before calling it a night. This last visit was all about taking part of the local culture and enjoying an evening with friends we traveled with - and friends we didn't know we had until a few beers were exchanged. On our ride from the Poconos we debated for a while on where we'd go or what we'd do. Chinatown was mentioned as was Angelo's - a restaurant we had visited on our previous trip. This time around we settled on a pub crawl. Specifically, we wanted to visit local NYC pubs that offered a true pub like experience. #1 on the list was McSorley's. Established in 1854 and deep rooted in American history, we were going to go regardless of the 30+ minute wait that greeted us at about 4PM on a Saturday afternoon. Of course, it was rated #1 so that's where we went and it had to be worthwhile.


While in line a hispanic guy standing behind me asked if we had been waiting in line for long. He was from out of town and had mentioned that he was in NYC for 3 days on an extended layover while on his way to Canada for a few months of English schooling. A friend of his from his home country of Brazil had given him a strong recommendation to go visit the small Irish pub. After a bit of talking, I convinced him to stay seeing how we had heard the same albeit from a few internet resources. We spoke a bit about Brazil and the island where my family came from - the Carribean island of Puerto Rico. I always look forward to a cultural experience and learn what some foreigner's perspectives are on their first visit to the US. Of course, our conversation delved into the beautiful Portuguese speaking ladies of Brazil and what an amazing experience Carnival in Rio is like. I was certainly intrigued.


Once inside the pub we knew we had not only hit a locals' favorite, but also a landmark known only to the tourists that sought out that sort of experience. Irish pub songs could be heard and a little leprechaun looking host wandered about delivering fist-fulls of pints. McSorley's only serves 2 beers - a light and a dark ale which coincidentally went down very smoothly. Not even a few minutes passed before 2 sets of pint glasses were emptied and sitting on the bar counter for a refill. The buzz in the bar was awesome. Everyone had lively conversations about and our good Brazilian friend Allen had partaken in the tradition of buying the gang a round of beers. A young local couple was well aware that it was our first visit and welcomed us with a round of pints. Servings came in pairs - one light and one dark. Often times I'd have a pair in one hand and a half empty glass in the other. Time in the pub crawled. I watched people circulate through the constantly opening and closing door while at the same time noticed the dust covered picture frames and light fixtures hanging from the ceilings. Across the bar I noticed a very appropriate wood carving affixed to the top of a cabinet with the saying "Be Good or Be Gone." For some reason I looked down at my glass, gulped the last bit of ale, and took on the next pair in my hand. Allen continued telling me stories about soccer, his days of studying for law school, and different Portuguese phrases aimed at impressing the Brazilian female. None of those phrases stuck of course, but some of what he was teaching me certainly made me laugh out loud a few times.


Time passed us by, but what called our attention were the empty stomachs. Conversation turned from best places to drink in the city to the best places to eat. A suggestion to hit up a local taco stand was made, but we all quickly knew that being the last trip to New York for the season we had our last chance to head to Angelo's for that amazing Italian cuisine. We finished the last of our pints - somewhere after a dozen a piece - and headed to a street corner to hail a cab. I've never ridden in a New York City cab before and I already knew I was in for an exeperience. Cabs are a fixture in the streets of Manhattan. Yellow is a primary color aside from the greys of the city streets and buildings and the greens of the few trees that were planted in the sidewalks of the city streets. We said our goodbyes to Allen and our other newly made friends at the bar and boarded a cab for a short ride to Little Italy.



A brief ride down a few city blocks landed us back in a very familiar part of the city. The sidewalk cafes and the awnings hanging over the entrances quickly took us from Ireland to Italy. This time around we waited a while to get into Angelo's. Of course, upon seeing our old waiter - one that we tipped generously - seating time went from 20 minutes to about 5.

Dinner came and went. We ate, drank some great Italian wine, and repeated our walk through Little Italy to look at knock off watches and eat some gelato. Night fell and so did the energy levels. Somehow a few hours spent in an Irish pub has a way of draining whatever energy one has. For the evening's subway ride we enjoyed the local subway entertainment. At our boarding location we enjoyed some local folk music by a guitarist that actually had a good tune. We passed up the opportunity to hop on a few trains while we listened to him play a few songs and learn where he was from. Once we were ready, we all dropped him a tip and sped away towards the Port Authority garage where our rental was parked. On the receiving end a show was just about to start. A group of young kids was forming an audience for their local jam session. They cranked up the volume on a small boombox attached to a large club speaker. How it was powered was still beyond me, but after rocking a freestyle jam from the early 90's they had most of the crowd bobbing their heads. A few flips, somersaults, and headstands had everyone clapping in approval and digging for their pockets. After paying a small entertainment fee, we quickly made our way for the car and headed back on the freeway to Pennsylvania where we would have another long day with an early morning start in the Poconos.



If you're ever in the city and are in need of a memorable afternoon at bar, definitely check out McSorley's. Whether the light ale or dark, either will go down smooth and at a great 2 for $4.50 price. According to the locals, don't eat the food. Instead, go around the corner to the local taco bar. We went to Angelo's, but maybe the tacos will hit the spot if we do ever make it out on a dedicated bar hop.

http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/

'Til next time,

Eugenio