Don’t Forget to Remember the International Bar
I don’t remember the first time I went to the International Bar, and if you’re willing to spend $20 there I doubt you will either. Drinks, like the beer and shot combo, start as low as four bucks. And when I say “shot” I don’t mean that puny thimble you’re getting around the corner, I mean a rocks glass filled to the brim with Evan Williams. This is a bar for old men (and by “old men” I mean people who know how to drink), a classic dive with regulars who are more than drunk enough to crack jokes with you for hours, tell you of their drug-fueled shenanigans, lovers gone wrong, or problems with the swine that’s sitting at the other end of the bar.
In the night it can get overcrowded, and it may be hard to find a seat or hold a conversation with anyone. The drink prices are still there, but I’ve never been fond of shoulder-to-shoulder situations when you feel lifting your drink to your lips may lead to a bump on the elbow. I prefer to go there in the daytime, when the old men are out telling stories, the bartender is friendly and refers to you as sweetie, and the garden is open for cigarettes. Buy backs are common if you’re nice, and the atmosphere is warm, comfortable, and keeps you coming back for more, even if you don’t remember it the next day.
International Bar
120 ½ 1st Ave.
New York, NY 10009
Between 7th Ave. and St. Marks Pl. [East Village]
Image from Metromix New York
