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Today’s Roll is down the east side of Manhattan and while the exact boundaries (we are never good at boundaries, anyway) of what is affectionately known as the East Village are open to debate, we’re going to refer to it as any street north of Houston Street, south of Gramercy, east of Greenwich Village and west of the East River.  Confused?  Just wait until you’re done with this Roll!  The East Village is filled with a classic mixture of boutique Mom-and-Pop shops, cozy cafes, dive bars, chic restaurants and cool, live music venues.  This incredibly diverse community is filled with Punk rock, out-there-artsy movements, a vibrant nightlife AND artistic sensibility!!  Go figure- obviously for the curious you just have to experience it for yourself.

We did give this Roll some forethought though- ouch…almost against the rules, but we couldn’t pass up inviting a very special friend of ours known as Rock-and-Roll Dave- he would be the quintessential authority on Rock-and-Roll (RnR).  Why RnR Dave you might be asking, because this Roll is taking us into the heart of much of the RnR history in NYC.  There are so many exciting RnR stories down here we knew no Roll would be complete without the focus and intensity of a man who has dedicated his interests to RnR history.  What was his name again???  Don’t worry you’ll meet him later.

Let’s head down St. Marks Place (8^TH St b/t 1^ST Ave & and Ave A) and stop into the ever faithful, St. Dymphna’s.  Now, don’t go thinking were gonna get all religious on you.  I promise we won’t end up in a church somewhere.  Go ahead, read on…  St. Dymphna’s is a chilled-out, cozy place to hang either alone or with friends.  The atmosphere is welcoming with smiles abound which might be for their great happy hour which lasts for seven hours, noon to 7pm all week long, all draught pints are only $4.  Good way to start the day-ahh.  As we are walking there however, RnR Dave has already stopped us for our first lesson on Manhattan history.  On this same street is where Led Zeppelin used one of the buildings for the front cover of Physical Graffiti album.  Don’t worry at the end of this story we will have a link to an awesome video detailing all the music sites and their exact addresses along the way.

Listen, after you’ve had your fill at St. Dymphna’s, I need you to walk across the street to Crif Dogs- and please don’t tell, but go inside. You’ll know you have the right place by the giant hot dog outside that says, “Eat Me.”  Don’t worry, we’re not going to ask you to eat one of those gut tubes but once inside, you’ll see a phone booth to your left.  Go in, close the door, and pick up the phone.  You will be further instructed from there.  Just remember, please don’t tell, but let them know The Roll Squad sent you.

Okay, you back?  We hope you still have money in your pocket, but wasn’t that fun, even if only for a short while?  If they didn’t let you in, I guess in the future you will have to call ahead.  Cheers!  Anybody for pool?  As you leave the dog joint- grab one if you must, but save your appetite for the treats to come- turn right and head up to Bull McCabes (b/t 2^nd & 3^rd), one of the best bar scenes in the east village.  If the weather is nice, you’ll enjoy their outdoor seating but if it’s playin’ you’re in the mood for, there’s a pool table that is fun to haggle over.  The atmosphere and great bartenders might hold you here for a while so enjoy yourself- I’m sure you deserve it!  This is a great chill out place with a good jukebox.  Cheap tequila shots flow in this bar so you might want to add some spice to your adventure.  Be careful though, we have to walk past several tattoo parlors tonight- we are in the tattoo capital of Manhattan.  Dave points out St. Marks Place is famous for the likes of Lou Reed, the Ramons, and in fact is where Joey Ramon lived for many years.

When in this area Tom and me always like to pop into McSorleys Old Ale House just one block south on 7^th St. between  2^nd and 3^rd Ave.  Now, no more te-kill-yas, lets go!  This alehouse was established in 1854 making it NYC’s oldest operating saloon.  This will be evident by the dusty cobwebs that decorate the walls and ceiling!  We generally like to keep away from “them tourist places,” however there are a few exceptions, and this is one of them.  Beer is the only beverage offered here (there is some soda available) and the food is reasonably priced and pretty good.  The walls are abundantly decorated with history and there certainly is never a dull moment to be had here.

Maybe one of our personal favorites is The Scratcher Bar, (taking its name from Dublin slang for “bed”), just two blocks south on 5^Th St. between, you guessed it, 2-3 Ave.  Nice low key cozy bars which will make you feel like you’re in your bed.  It has a great jukebox, good pub grub and great local music every Sunday night.  That’s the night you will probably find us there- ask for us.  This is where our roll gets a bit ugly.  We head into the king of “Dive Bars”, The Mars Bar on 25 east 1^ST street and 2^nd Ave.  The place is dirty and intimidating, it’s a place that you wipe your shoes on the way out.  A bar that always has an old man sleeping in the corner and the show still goes on around him.  This is Dave’s favorite bar and he loves the jukebox, so that’s good enough for me.  Don’t use the bathroom!!  I actually got talking to a man by the window at the end of the bar.  I notice every time a truck went by the bar he would starts shaking.  So I say to me him, why do you shake every time a truck goes by.  He explains; my wife, he says, ran off with a truck driver and every time I hear a truck I think he’s bringing her back.  I swear you can’t make them up.  We find ourselves next in the Bar 7B, this is an easy one to remember as the bar is located on Ave B and 7^th St.  A very famous horse shoe shaped bar where the Godfather, Crocodile Dundee, the verdict and many law and order movies have been filmed.  This to me is what the east side is all about.  A Punk rock crowd frequents this bar, with the likes of the sex pistols, the Ramones and the clash blasting out of the jukebox.

Well it’s been another great adventure and we are all getting hungry.  Not to worry there are endless places to eat but the most convenient and best as its open 24 hours is 7A.

Well thanks for joining us, until next time and in honor of our host Dave- Rock and Roll.

Cheers!

Enjoy the Video with special guest Rock&Roll Dave

NYC LES Roll from Barry Reeves on Vimeo.

The Roll Squad Down the Lower East Side of Manhattan

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Tags: Bar, Bar 7A, Bar 7B, Bull McCabes, Crif Dogs, East Village, Entertainment, McSorleys Old Ale House, Nightlife, NY Tours, Restaurant, Restaurant Reviews, Reviews, Rock-N-Roll Tour, St. Dymphna's Pub, St. Marks Place, The Mars Bar, The Scratcher Bar