 MY BEST FRIEND'S LIVING ROOM There's a hole in this couch. The Concept: "Life is too short" The pubs of the lounge scene are a rare treat downtown these days, when Alphabet City seems more like Sesame Street than the shady underworld it once was. The first thing that new bar owners are doing is over-decorating, smoothing out the rough edges, and frantically searching for the décor quirk that will reel the punter in. (Fishtanks, cacti, mural of a naked woman, holes in walls, pointless protusions--what do they want?) In the process, they are destroying much-loved dives and dens filled with the kind of couches that teeter between sublime and unhygienic. But some neighborhood sentiment remains, if in all too short supply. |
Oh, Botanica. So the stuffing might be coming out of the couches, but at least the crowd is animated. This is a truly great, grungy, divey, dark basement bar with even the choice of wooden tables and chairs should you tire of lounging. You just can't beat this place for sheer comfort although the urge to just lie down in the dim back room is almost overwhelming.
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Another relaxed neighborhood style bar is Avenue B Social Club. Not a relic from the old Alphabet City, this place is relatively new, but, like Botanica, relies on people rather than gimmicks to create the atmosphere. If you are going to snare the one couch upstairs you must be quicker than the human eye and earlier than the rest of the humans, but downstairs is another darkened haven with a cozy lack of windows. All this and live music most nights of the week, ranging from the mellow to the absurd.
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Just nearby is another newcomer to Sesame Street City, the fabulous Baraza--probably the one place in Manhattan where you won't find me complaining about the low tables. The couches here really do look like something out of a 1970s dorm room, and the décor can seem a little over the top (empty fish tanks), but a warm crowd and friendly neighborhood vibe make up for it.
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