I'm not a very good blogger. I offer my apologies to all 3 of my readers for never updating this site.
NYCBP is reporting that Saturday, October 4th will be the final night at Yogi's. I'll see you there.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Less Of An Idiot
The Village Idiot closed four years ago. It was a great bar. It was clearly more legendary than Yogi's - it was bigger, louder, rowdier, more out of control. On the other hand, it was dirtier, smellier, rowdier, more out of control. Don't get me wrong - I loved the Idiot, but it wasn't for everyone. Ok, Yogi's isn't everyone's cup of tea either, but anyone who isn't a total snob can at least tolerate it. When you walked into the Village Idiot, the odor smacked you in the face; it was like the bar was saying, "fuck you! if you don't like it, get the fuck out!" I mean, it really smelled bad. Really, really bad. The floor was often covered in a layer of liquidy grime, obviously some kind of combination of beer, bathroom runoff, and vomit (I've witnessed multiple people I know simply throw up on the Idiot floor where they were sitting and then just go back to drinking as if nothing happened).
Yogi's could use a visit from Mr. Clean, but it's not on the same level as the Village Idiot. There were some friends I tried to take to the Idiot who walked right out as soon as they smelled the place. And even if they survived that initial moment, some people just couldn't handle how out of control the bar got sometimes. On the other hand, if I invite some random friend to meet me at Yogi's, I'm never scared that they're going to end up running out the door. Yogi's is sort of like the slightly mellower, more grown up version of the Village Idiot, which suits me well because I'm slightly mellower and more grown up than I was four years ago.
Yogi's could use a visit from Mr. Clean, but it's not on the same level as the Village Idiot. There were some friends I tried to take to the Idiot who walked right out as soon as they smelled the place. And even if they survived that initial moment, some people just couldn't handle how out of control the bar got sometimes. On the other hand, if I invite some random friend to meet me at Yogi's, I'm never scared that they're going to end up running out the door. Yogi's is sort of like the slightly mellower, more grown up version of the Village Idiot, which suits me well because I'm slightly mellower and more grown up than I was four years ago.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Floor Plan
You've already made one excellent decision tonight: you've decided to come to Yogi's. Now that you've walked through the door, there's a tougher choice to make: where to stand or sit. OK, you have some time to choose - grab a beer, survey the crowd, put a few dollars in the jukebox - but eventually, you'll have to settle in somewhere. Here's a summary of your options:
- The Bar - bar stools are the perfect place to see all the action, but are hard to come by during primetime. You can stand behind the bar stools, but it's a single file situation and you'll constantly have people trying to squeeze by you - this is a good option for 2 or 3 single guys, you can still manage to talk to each other and you can talk to girls as they try to walk by/get a drink. Best case scenario: hot drunk chick needs help getting down after dancing on the bar.
- Jukebox Area - at the end of the bar, there's a small area by the jukebox where you can actually enjoy a little standing room. This is a good little area - you're near the bar, you're near the jukebox, you're near the Bear. Best of all, there's a little bit of room for you to actually stand in a small circle with a few people. This area offers most of the upside of standing by the bar with a little more breathing room.
- The "Dance Floor" - it's just a few square feet by the bathroom, but anyone who's spent a few hours in Yogi's on a weekend night knows what I'm talking about. This is the place to show off your moves (or watch people make asses out of themselves).
- The Back Room - this is the area behind the Bear where there a few tables and a dartboard. If you're with a group and want to be able to talk to each other, this is your best choice. Unfortunately, you can't see the bar from here, so you feel like you're missing out on the action. When I was single, I would rarely venture back here. Now that I have a girlfriend, I'm sitting at a table within 5 minutes of entering the bar. Girls like to sit and this is where the seats are. Plus, you can put down your stuff (i.e. purses) and talk to your friends. Of course, you're a little more isolated because you're sitting at a table, but you can draw funny things on the chalkboard if you want to attract attention from any neighbors.
- The Best Table In The House - here you can enjoy the best of both worlds: you have a table where you can sit and talk to your friends; and you're right by the bar and the "dance floor," so you can witness/take part in whatever craziness is going on in the bar. Unfortunately, it's pretty much impossible to get this table unless you get to the bar really early or just get lucky. I guess a good game plan would be to try to befriend the people who have the table - you might be able to share it or take it over when they leave. This table is awesome; there's no better way to enjoy a night at Yogi's.
- The Bar - bar stools are the perfect place to see all the action, but are hard to come by during primetime. You can stand behind the bar stools, but it's a single file situation and you'll constantly have people trying to squeeze by you - this is a good option for 2 or 3 single guys, you can still manage to talk to each other and you can talk to girls as they try to walk by/get a drink. Best case scenario: hot drunk chick needs help getting down after dancing on the bar.
- Jukebox Area - at the end of the bar, there's a small area by the jukebox where you can actually enjoy a little standing room. This is a good little area - you're near the bar, you're near the jukebox, you're near the Bear. Best of all, there's a little bit of room for you to actually stand in a small circle with a few people. This area offers most of the upside of standing by the bar with a little more breathing room.
- The "Dance Floor" - it's just a few square feet by the bathroom, but anyone who's spent a few hours in Yogi's on a weekend night knows what I'm talking about. This is the place to show off your moves (or watch people make asses out of themselves).
- The Back Room - this is the area behind the Bear where there a few tables and a dartboard. If you're with a group and want to be able to talk to each other, this is your best choice. Unfortunately, you can't see the bar from here, so you feel like you're missing out on the action. When I was single, I would rarely venture back here. Now that I have a girlfriend, I'm sitting at a table within 5 minutes of entering the bar. Girls like to sit and this is where the seats are. Plus, you can put down your stuff (i.e. purses) and talk to your friends. Of course, you're a little more isolated because you're sitting at a table, but you can draw funny things on the chalkboard if you want to attract attention from any neighbors.
- The Best Table In The House - here you can enjoy the best of both worlds: you have a table where you can sit and talk to your friends; and you're right by the bar and the "dance floor," so you can witness/take part in whatever craziness is going on in the bar. Unfortunately, it's pretty much impossible to get this table unless you get to the bar really early or just get lucky. I guess a good game plan would be to try to befriend the people who have the table - you might be able to share it or take it over when they leave. This table is awesome; there's no better way to enjoy a night at Yogi's.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Bryan's First Time
Bryan shares the following story:
I remember my first time at Yogi's rather easily, because it's the first and only time I have ever been there during daylight hours. A few friends of mine and I were looking for a bar to watch Game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals in basketball, the Celtics vs. the Nets, and somehow, some way, Yogi's got mentioned. We walked in and there was NO ONE there, but this was back when they had the projection screen TV in the back of the main room. They may still have it and keep it under wraps for the 2 a.m. crowd, which is to say, me, every other time.
Anyhow, five or so of us settled in, ordered some beers and sat in some chairs arranged in a semicircle around the screen. This turned out to be, by the way, the biggest comeback game for the Celtics — the team we were all rooting for — in NBA history, and by the fourth quarter we were exulting all over the fucking place. But still: nobody there. It was only like 7 o'clock or so, and by the time the Celtics won and Paul Pierce jumped on the scorer's table, swinging the towel around in ecstasy, we were hyped up to an unbelievable degree, and we exiting onto the street into the (still!) daylight, pleased as punch.
I had a great fucking time that day. But it pales in comparison to pretty much every other time I've been there, with Yogi's in its loud, drunken, stinking glory, the last refuge (unless you count the Patriot, obviously. And I don't) for truly scumbag drinking after the Village Idiot closed. There's time yet to kill a few more PBRs and brain cells, wade through three inches worth of muck to take a piss, have intimate, loving, three hour relationships in the booths, so this ain't quite the end. But you can be damn sure you won't catch me there during the day.
I remember my first time at Yogi's rather easily, because it's the first and only time I have ever been there during daylight hours. A few friends of mine and I were looking for a bar to watch Game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals in basketball, the Celtics vs. the Nets, and somehow, some way, Yogi's got mentioned. We walked in and there was NO ONE there, but this was back when they had the projection screen TV in the back of the main room. They may still have it and keep it under wraps for the 2 a.m. crowd, which is to say, me, every other time.
Anyhow, five or so of us settled in, ordered some beers and sat in some chairs arranged in a semicircle around the screen. This turned out to be, by the way, the biggest comeback game for the Celtics — the team we were all rooting for — in NBA history, and by the fourth quarter we were exulting all over the fucking place. But still: nobody there. It was only like 7 o'clock or so, and by the time the Celtics won and Paul Pierce jumped on the scorer's table, swinging the towel around in ecstasy, we were hyped up to an unbelievable degree, and we exiting onto the street into the (still!) daylight, pleased as punch.
I had a great fucking time that day. But it pales in comparison to pretty much every other time I've been there, with Yogi's in its loud, drunken, stinking glory, the last refuge (unless you count the Patriot, obviously. And I don't) for truly scumbag drinking after the Village Idiot closed. There's time yet to kill a few more PBRs and brain cells, wade through three inches worth of muck to take a piss, have intimate, loving, three hour relationships in the booths, so this ain't quite the end. But you can be damn sure you won't catch me there during the day.
My First Time
I really wish I had a great story about my first time at Yogi's. Unfortunately, I don't remember it. And I don't even mean that I got wasted and blacked out, I mean that I don't remember exactly when I first went there. I was already going to the Village Idiot fairly often. I remember walking down Broadway during the daylight hours one weekend, seeing some shady bar and saying, "hey, that place looks cool, we should check it out sometime." But, I think it took me awhile to finally get there. And I'm not sure if I learned that it was affiliated with the Village Idiot before or after I stumbled in.
Here's one thing I can tell you about my first time at Yogi's: I had a great time. How do I know? Because I always have a great time at Yogi's. It's impossible not to. It doesn't matter if you're in a good mood or bad mood, if it's crowded or empty, if it's a hot summer day or the middle of a blizzard - Yogi's is always a good time. It's hard to find bars like that. How often do you say "hey, you want to go to blah blah blah," and the answer is "I don't know, last time we went it was too crowded/too empty/the crowd was weird/they had a shitty band playing..." With Yogi's, none of it matters. You're guaranteed that there will be cheap ice cold cans of PBR (or pitchers if that's your thing), loud country music, friendly bartenders wearing minimal clothing, and lots of people having a good time. Okay, if it's Monday night, there might not be that many patrons, but they'll still be having a good time. And that's the thing with Yogi's, the demographics are a little unpredictable - there will be some legit Southerners, some college kids, some old guys, maybe a group of girls looking to dance on a bar, maybe some people who wandered over from a show at the Beacon - but, it doesn't matter. Because everyone at Yogi's is there to have a good time. The place just has an infectious spirit. Even the people who've never heard any of the songs before can appreciate the enthusiasm of those who are singing along. Heck, if you'd asked me who David Allan Coe was 10 years ago, I would've given you a blank stare. Now, I'm one of the people leading the sing-a-long.
Here's one thing I can tell you about my first time at Yogi's: I had a great time. How do I know? Because I always have a great time at Yogi's. It's impossible not to. It doesn't matter if you're in a good mood or bad mood, if it's crowded or empty, if it's a hot summer day or the middle of a blizzard - Yogi's is always a good time. It's hard to find bars like that. How often do you say "hey, you want to go to blah blah blah," and the answer is "I don't know, last time we went it was too crowded/too empty/the crowd was weird/they had a shitty band playing..." With Yogi's, none of it matters. You're guaranteed that there will be cheap ice cold cans of PBR (or pitchers if that's your thing), loud country music, friendly bartenders wearing minimal clothing, and lots of people having a good time. Okay, if it's Monday night, there might not be that many patrons, but they'll still be having a good time. And that's the thing with Yogi's, the demographics are a little unpredictable - there will be some legit Southerners, some college kids, some old guys, maybe a group of girls looking to dance on a bar, maybe some people who wandered over from a show at the Beacon - but, it doesn't matter. Because everyone at Yogi's is there to have a good time. The place just has an infectious spirit. Even the people who've never heard any of the songs before can appreciate the enthusiasm of those who are singing along. Heck, if you'd asked me who David Allan Coe was 10 years ago, I would've given you a blank stare. Now, I'm one of the people leading the sing-a-long.
Who Am I? Why Am I Here?
According to nycbp, Yogi's will be closing sometime this winter.
I'm not an expert on Yogi's - I don't know when it opened and I don't know why there's a bear outside (I've been told it's a remnant of the previous establishment). I've gone many times over the years, but I'm not a "regular." I've had a few brief exchanges with Tom (the owner) and some of the bartenders, but nothing more. In other words, I'm sure there are people much more qualified to wax poetic about this fine establishment, but I'm here to share my own thoughts on a bar I've enjoyed many an evening at over the years. I hope others will join me, so if you want to share any stories about Yogi's, send them to me at yogistribute@gmail.com, and I'll post 'em.
I'm not an expert on Yogi's - I don't know when it opened and I don't know why there's a bear outside (I've been told it's a remnant of the previous establishment). I've gone many times over the years, but I'm not a "regular." I've had a few brief exchanges with Tom (the owner) and some of the bartenders, but nothing more. In other words, I'm sure there are people much more qualified to wax poetic about this fine establishment, but I'm here to share my own thoughts on a bar I've enjoyed many an evening at over the years. I hope others will join me, so if you want to share any stories about Yogi's, send them to me at yogistribute@gmail.com, and I'll post 'em.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
