The Communicator steals one.

    Okay, so I’m shamelessly lifting one from Mark here.  He submitted this to me today as part of another entry, and I couldn’t help but think that it needed to stand on its own instead.  This is the crux of it all, folks: Keep looking and places like this just jump out at you.  We’re always in development here at Happy Hour, so allow me to reiterate Happy Hour Commandment #1:

1.  The perfect bar is everywhere.  So go there.

    Leave nothing to chance, people: That place you’ve always walked by?  Saunter in.  Look around.  Have some onion rings and ask the bartender what’s good here.  Most of all - Enjoy Yourself.

    Here’s Mark’s piece.  Very nice.      - Jimmy

    “Another surprising thing happened to me today. Once more doing some Happy Hour research (I love my job), I was sitting in mid-town Manhattan in what can only be called a dive bar. The traffic and noise of New York on a weekend banged along outside, but where I sat things were fairly quiet. Not many of us were at the bar, but at the end sat a tough looking character that obviously came in often. He asked for a drink on account. “On account of what?” came the joking reply from the bartender. “On account of I’m broke”, he said. He was on his second drink when I left not having paid a dime. The bartender told him she knew he was good for it. When was the last time you saw that? And in New York, of all places. ‘Third places’ are out there, we just need to keep our eyes open. Happy Hunting.”

The Historian Speaks: Pub Culture.

 

So many people have asked us, “How did you come up with the idea for Happy Hour”? Here’s a go at explaining it.

I’ve always been fascinated by the “pub culture”, as I’ve referred to it; what matters is not so much simply a place to go and drink, but a place that serves and helps to create a community.  Some time ago, I came across Kevin C. Kearns’ wonderful book “Dublin Pub Life and Lore” and was hooked (It’s a great read, I recommend it highly).  Mr. Kearns had conducted interviews with a generation of old time regulars in Dublin’s colorful and disappearing pub scene.  The world he explored of pintmen, publicans and oddball behavior had me hooked. But that way of life is fading:  Why?

Recently, I came across author Ray Oldenburg’s “The Great Good Place” which deals with why we need places like pubs, taverns, and café’s in our lives and communities. He calls them “third places” (our homes and work being the first and second) and lays out a convincing argument as to why we need a place free from the expectations and responsibilities of the first two. The cast of characters we meet at home and at work changes little, but the cast of a “third place” can change greatly. Also, in a third place we are free to be ourselves, or create a self we choose. Roles can be dissolved. A lawyer can sit elbow to elbow with a mailman, an artist, a student, a waiter. Roles we play on a daily basis can be abandoned and we are welcomed on new terms.

Not all bars and pubs are third places. It takes more than a liquor license to create them. It takes character and characters; conversation and debate. It takes a willingness to be open and include newcomers while enjoying “the regulars”. Sadly, in our world now, these places are becoming rarer as we develop communities that make no place for a “local”. Subdivisions often create neighborhoods of people who share a zip code and little else, isolated in their homes without a third place to bring them together.  And let’s not even begin down the road of the effects of corporate meddling on the independent pub owner.

So Happy Hour came about, in part, to find some of these “third places” and tell their stories. We are the three good friends who want to tell you the stories of the people, the places, the drink and food that are more than just a pick up joint or a business expense. Places that create something unique, weird, funny, and meaningful.

They say the best stories are true. There are countless Happy Hour destinations out there. We want to show you the “third places” you’ll tell your friends about. Maybe you’ll find your own local. Or maybe we’ll all just have some fun.   Cheers!

Video #1: The Pilot Episode: McSorley's Old Ale House!

We had a ridiculously fun time shooting our pilot episode of HAPPY HOUR at McSorley's Old Ale House. The granddaddy of bars here in NYC, McSorley's and its staff didn't disappoint. So much interesting material had to be left on the editing floor. Well, not literally because it doesn't work that way anymore, but you get the idea.

Many, many interesting things are on the walls and around the bar. Look for the handcuffs on the foot rail of the bar- Harry Houdini escaped from them one night on a dare from the owner. Ask about the original wanted poster for Abe Lincoln's assassin or the dusty wishbones hanging from a candelabra over the bar. There's a story behind everything. Pepe, the daytime bartender seen in our pilot, knows about it all and is willing to tell you. He's also full of stories about the many celebrities who've come through McSorley's doors. Jimmy had a great time interviewing him. Maybe some outtakes will appear at some point...who knows.

The beer choices are pretty straight forward as you see in the pilot. There is a surprisingly good, though basic, menu. We all especially liked the cheese plate that came with a sleeve of saltines. The thing that made it was the mug of homemade; blow your socks off mustard. Good stuff that immediately led to more beer. Hmmm. Maybe they've figured something out there...

There are a lot of other Happy Hour destinations in the same neighborhood, so I'm sure we'll be visiting that neck of the NYC woods again. I'm equally sure we'll stop in to chat with Pepe and get two and two...

We're always on the lookout for new spots, so write to us with your favorite weird, historic, funny, unique watering hole!