30 to Midnight

Peels, East Village

Sunday, 1pm

Peels
325 Bowery (2nd St.), Manhattan

Click on that picture and make it big. Try not to focus on the people before asking yourself: How awesome is this City? It's gorgeous in every way, from every angle. It is such an absolute pleasure to live here, even with tourists and AI's and other dingbats who don't know how to walk.

So what are we talking about when we talk about Freeman's Part II, aka Peels? We're talking about AI's, which is too bad because Build-A-Biscuit is a concept we like.

Christmas Tree Lighting, Rockefeller Center

Wednesday, 7pm

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
30 Rockefeller Center (5th-6th Ave.), Manhattan

We love the City and we love Christmas, but we do not love crowds. True, the absence of Justin Bieber likely means slightly smaller and older crowds at the 2011 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, but not smaller and older enough to get us anywhere within ten blocks of this event. Street closures begin at 4pm. This is what the area looked like at 9am. Nice, huh? Will be just as nice when you (a) watch on TV, and/or (b) come back tomorrow to see the 30,000 lights.

Earl's Beer & Cheese, Upper East Side

Wednesday, 6pm

Earl's Beer & Cheese
1259 Park Ave. (97th St.), Manhattan

The lefthandedmale scratch on the chalkboard was a big hint as to the Appropriateness of Earl's. Eek. We over-30 like to be able to read the menu, and happiness is surely linked to aesthetics nomatter your age. Perhaps acknowledgement of, however, is the issue. But misfitted counters are undoubtedly part of the 'design' here so who are we to judge. Plus, alls we cares about is the peoples. That said, to the chagrin of the staff, "since The New York Times article came out" there are many Age Appropriate moments at Earl's. Otherwise, says the staff, the patrons are cool. Ha ha. We saw grad students (AI) and a professor or two (AA). Staff says late night it's med students; happy hour is hospital employees and "people with beards". So, we're deeming Earl's a high risk venture. Best case scenario, you get lucky and have time for a quick beer (good selection of 4) and a beer cheese (toast with oil, raw garlic rub, pimento cheese; good, really) before the students and beards crowd the teeny space.

NYC Ranks in Top 10 Best Cities For Under-35ers

From 10 Great Cities For Young Adults (Under 35, they say, which does seem high for "young" huh? And includes more than Gen Y. And somehow Hoboken is in NYC) By Caitlin Dewey, Kiplinger.com

Metro population: 19,069,796 (includes Long Island and Northern New Jersey)
Cost-of-living index: 218 (Manhattan), 179 (Brooklyn), 158 (Queens)
Median monthly rent: $1,025 (average is $819) Hmm.
Average annual wage: $50,784
Unemployment rate: 9.4%
Percentage of Gen Y residents: 21.9%

Stone Street Tavern, Lower Manhattan

Thursday, 7:15pm

Stone Street Tavern
52 Stone St., Manhattan

This bar could really be appealing if it wasn't in the middle of all these other bars. We get how that's appealing too, for some (read: AI), but we're just not feeling the 'quad' thing anymore. Gosh we're downers. Well, stay tuned, things are about to turn up.

Mercury Bar, Murray Hill

Saturday, 9:40pm

Mercury Bar
493 Third Ave. (33rd St.), Manhattan

Remember when we went to The Half King and met that guy who guessed the City's Most InAppropriate Neighborhood was "Third Avenue in the Thirties"? Well, he wasn't wrong. We knew he wasn't wrong which is why we've mostly avoided this area we're referring to as Murray Hill though, technically, south of 34th Street is still Gramercy. Huh. Clearly that's what realtors want to to think. We'll argue maps and boundaries with you later. Now we'll simply say: As expected, the majority of bars on Third Avenue in the 30's are AI. You can risk it Before Midnight, but you're likely not going to like it. Case in point: Merc Bar before 10pm. A good place to be if you're 23. 

Lady Gaga at Pat O'Brien's, UES

Thursday, 8pm

Pat O'Brien's Bar
1702 Second Ave. (88th St.), Manhattan

Usually we avoid Pat O'Brien's because it is a Red Sox - Patriots - Celtics - Bruins bar, and because the clientele is almost always AI (we walk by here all the time). But we were compelled to enter and give the place a fair shot because, no, not the Beer Pong sign, but the Lady Gaga Look Alike Contest sign. This is hilarious. Oh, it's AI for sure - kids fall out of here nightly - but it can't be ignored.

Vig 27, Murray Hill

Vig 27
119 East 27 St. (Lexington Ave.), Manhattan

What was this bar before it was this bar? You know, like 10 years ago when it was a desirable, chill place to be? Maybe it was a wine bar? When it wasn't so black?  When it wasn't trying to be a lounge? The last time we entered this space was more than five years ago and we do remember low lighting and lower seating but we don't remember it to be so blah. Bartender says it gets packed with Age InAppropriates. Disappointing all around. And a little sad too.

OBAO, Midtown East

Thursday, 8pm

OBAO
222 E. 53rd St. (Third Ave.), Manhattan

OhWow is this place bad. Seriously bad. Criminally bad. Unbelievably bad. We haven't seen anything this bad since Bar Artisanal.

The waiter's unbuttoned shirt sleeve dragging across the undercooked Lamb Satay Wrapped in Betel Leaf stuck to a swamp of phlegmy Peanut Coconut Sauce was about as wonderful as the dehydrated, day-old Kalbi Short Rib in the flavorless Pad See Iew, which was as delicious as the unwashed Sauteed Snow Pea Shoots apparently torn apart by half-broken nail clippers.

What is happening here? We have have have to put Obao in our Worst category because we cannot send you there. Though we should mention that everyone inside was AA. Plus, currently (though the paint on the window suggests otherwise) this place is liquor licenseless, which means beer and wine is as inexpensive as you want it to be. That's far and away the best part of this disaster. 

Dream Hotel, Midtown West

Friday, 9:15pm

Dream Hotel
210 W. 55th St. (Broadway)

An exception to our rule that Hotel Bars are always AA. From the ground level to the roof, this hotel is crawling with creepy Age InAppropriates. That sounds mean. But is it mean that the forefront of our photo is a heap of garbage? We like the contrast - fancy and antsy, as in colonies of drones and queens. Why does it seem like we're saying the Dream Hotel is insect-infected? We're not. But that doesn't make it a good place for thirty-somethings. FYI - the tight roof space is called the Ava Lounge, and Rm. Fifty5 is the horrible written name of the lobby bar.