RIVERDALE BARS

LAKE WOLOSKER

SENIOR WRITER

With the school year just underway and as students at MC scramble to find their bearings academically, there is still one pertinent thought among all Jaspers’ minds regardless of their 8 a.m. psych class the next morning- what is the nightlife scene around campus and what’s happening this weekend?

For all the of-age drinkers at MC that question can be a little harder to answer when you exclude the classic Fenwicks and cozy An Beal. As of last year three of MC’s go-to spots have gone out of business.

There was Bottomline, a bar turned club on the weekends whose name perfectly explained the ambiance of the lounge, and probably your night after going there. Riverdale Garden and the Bronx’s own Ibiza lounge also lost their leases or are out of business for a few months due to renovations.

So the question still remains, where do students who have reached the paragon age of 21 go to have a good time?

Riverdale Avenue has a few answers to share.

River City Grille is a great venue for Jaspers to hit if you’re in the mood for a less sweaty version of Fenwicks, TVs that show sporting events and bouncers who actually keep the younger under age drinkers out.

Up the street from classic Fens, past Waldo, and on the corner of Riverdale Avenue is Salvatore’s of Soho, a nice pizzeria that doesn’t sell alcohol but allows customers to bring their own wine. Sal’s is more of a pregame place for partiers as the environment is more on the scale of hosting families than binge-ers.

On Sundays in the fall semester there is no better place to be than P & K Grille, which is better known to Jaspers as Pipers. Twenty eight dollars may seem a little pricey for the college student but the unlimited beer, bloody marys, mimosas that are topped off with a fat burger and fries makes things a little easier to handle.  Everything is made out of wood and the pub is half bar seating and half booths and tables seating, giving off the ambiance of a real pub.

Gleesons makes the 21+ Jasper feel welcomed. A local sports bar and grille right on Broadway and north a few blocks, Gleesons provides patrons a well lit, well cleaned, properly stocked bar. Draft beers are more prevalent but the specials such as Gleesons Pilsner and an on tap IPA (Indian Pale Ale) are the most popular. Guinness comes in strong in third place and people go there a lot to watch “the game” whether it’s football, baseball or basketball.

Lastly, and a kind of question mark at this point is Riverdale Avenue’s new lounge-bar, Blackstone. Blackstone recently took the space of what used to be Hudson’s bar grille and renovated it to their liking. The whispers say that it is an upscale bar lounge that demands a higher level of dress. It’s a new place and questionable, so, we’ll have to see how the reviews are at the end of the semester.

Each one of these venues are unique and offer their own benefits if you’re a brave Jasper willing to explore. Classic Fens and An Beal will always be there, so step out of that shell and go on an adventure. If you’re really feeling really strong avoid the local night scene all together and take a trip to the greatest city in the world.

MANHATTAN BARS

JOSEPH V. CUSMANO

SENIOR WRITER

One often refers to their years spent in college as some of the best years of their lives. While that’s no secret, it’s also known that our years spent in college pass by in the blink of an eye.

What distinguishes Manhattan College students from many others is that we have the greatest city in the world in the palm of our hands. A quick train ride downtown opens up a world of opportunity in more ways than one.

Nightlife in New York City is something that we can take for granted during our college years. After graduation, many of us leave the metropolitan area and no longer have the chance to go out in the big apple.

So, while you’re still here and you’ve still got the chance, MC’s 21+ crowd, I challenge you to go out downtown and experience more than the typical Irish pubs like McFadden’s or Saloon that we’re all used to.

Get out of the local pub with the tacky décor- Head downtown and enjoy the coming Fall weather at some of NYC’s rooftop lounges. Some of these popular rooftop lounges such as Le Bain, Catch, Bar 13, & Empire Hotel are not the easiest to get into.

When there’s great weather, there’s a great demand for admittance to some of these exclusive lounges that are found as high up as 30 floors. Knowing a promoter or a person who works at the specific venue is sometimes the only way to get past the front door.

Dressing to impress will always help a group get in to a certain lounge or club, but that’s not always a guarantee. Sometimes, regardless of who you’re with, lines can reach three to four hundred people, and there’s simply nothing that can be done.

Riff Raff’s is a club known for its popularity on Thursday nights. Your best bet is to be there when it open’s or wait until it’s early morning because at peak hours, between 11:30p.m. – 1:30 a.m. the line can stretch down the block. And the same goes for the clubs which made USA Today’s rankings of NYC’s 10 best dance clubs, which include Finale, Capri Night Club, Marquee, and Kiss & Fly to name a few.

So maybe the nightlife scene isn’t for you. Stop by some of the most popular places downtown for a weekend brunch. If you don’t know where to go, start trolling the streets of the Meatpacking District until you begin to hear rowdy groups of adults in their mid to late twenties enjoying probably one too many mimosa’s for 2 p.m. on a Sunday.

Downtown, brunch can sometimes turn into a party- and it might even be themed. So dress to impress and get there early. You never know whom you might run in to, or what type of networking or connection you might make.

Isn’t it about time you got off the barstool and hit the dance floor? For the 21 + crowd, head downtown a little more often and don’t forget to take advantage of the city that never sleeps.