I essentially avoided these comedy clubs (and the bars around them) for my entire tenure living in…read moreNYC because I thought they'd be cheesy, tacky and touristy. But recently I kept seeing good comedy clips of Comedy Cellar on YT so decided what the hell, why not give it a try? Pro tips: - it is worth it. cover charge is not bad, you basically get to see 5-6 comedians. some nights are $25, but it was Sunday, so was $18. plus 2 drinks, so not an expensive night out. - definitely get a reservation. don't be those 20 people sadly standing in the standby section on the sidewalk, hoping to get an open spot. between the 3 jointly-owned clubs (incl Comedy Cellar & Fat Black Pussycat), they probably do 15 2-hour shows a night. You can always grab a resv for tomm, if tonight is full. - expect organization/chaos. they sort of have this down to a science. they line up the 200 people on the street out front, check ids, assign your table, get your phones into bags, etc. but once inside the system can break down a tad and long waits for drink service and your bill at the end, so be patient. - you will be forced to put your phone on silent and placed into a sealed pouch for the show. no exceptions. literally, your table # is written on the outside of the pouch. - be sure to check-in the minute you arrive, to get your pouch and then get in line (there is no one telling you this) - overall it's a fun time. comedians are talented, it's one of the best places in the country to see comedy and quite a NY experience.

pretty sure comedians hate Yelp but here I am. The operation, just from my first experience, was…read morelike watching a well-oiled machine at work. from the check-in to cashing out, they make it super straightforward and simple. Our waiter was great about checking in unobtrusively. the owner Noam should be commended for his level of customer service & the way he makes sure staff upholds it. Sets were killer, especially Ryan Hamilton, Yamaneika Saunders, and Lucas Zelnick. website is super informative and well organized so you have an idea of whose performing at each room + have an understanding of ground rules/menu offerings/etc. the line outside could use a biiit of work // clearer or larger signs because it was a bit chaotic to navigate with so many people but was chill once we found the Reservations line. hiiiighly recommend making one, btw. Ordered Passion & Heat cocktails + onion rings + a Stella. the onion rings were way better than I expected as was the cocktail.

A hip spot for a drink, we stopped in for a modelo on our way to a show. Cozy, comfy, downtown,…read morewhat more could you ask for?

I found myself at Bowery Electric to see Wolfclub. I follow a lot of independent synthwave artists,…read moreand usually when they play in NYC it's in small venues in Brooklyn or Manhattan. This was no exception - though it was my first time seeing a gig here. That being said, I was excited not only to see Wolfclub but to also check out a spot new to me. As suggested by the name, BE is located on Bowery. Upon entry we were led downstairs which contained a stage with some standing room; additionally, there was a tiered area in the back with more standing room and the bar. I believe the main level upstairs only has a bar area, but don't quote me. In terms of space, this is definitely one of the smaller venues I've been to, but I found this more of an intimate spot for gigs compared to other smaller venues I've been to, so everything made sense. In terms of the staff and the drinks I have no complaints - where my gripes with BE lie is with the layout and the audio. The lighting was off throughout the concert - there was a spotlight that was a constant on the stage throughout the set, and the other lights remained stationary. Additionally, they had a table to the side that was selling merch - and the staff that was working the table turned a lamp on which threw off the aesthetic. I was not in direct line of the light, but I can imagine it was super distracting to those standing next to it. The audio was also really poor - the vocalist's mic was constantly giving out throughout the set which was unfortunate. Overall, I'll give credit to the staff - but outside of that Bowery Electric didn't really serve as a good place to see a gig. I seem to be in the minority here so perhaps it was an off night - I just feel bad for Wolfclub as this was a one-off concert in NYC for them. Anyway, I would be open to returning here for another show but I'm not running back.

What an experience! 5 big booms for the happa guy who opened. Loved the energy will definitely be…read moreback if he's playing

Before this recent experience I had never even heard of the Chelsea Music Hall but I was glad to be…read moreparticipating in one of the two appearances by the legendary Punk band The Damned. My friend had gone the evening before and it would have helped if they told me it was a part of the massive Chelsea Market because I didn't know that and after a far too long train ride to get to the place I walked in and headed downstairs which is where the club is located. Visually the long bar is to your right when you get through the doors and the soundboard tech is to the left. In the back left are the restrooms for men and women and a communal sink to wash up. I didn't notice any gender neutral restrooms. There is also a small space there which the band was using as a merchandise area. Spatially speaking the club is what one would consider intimate in size. The stage up front had some simple dividers between the artist and the fans but no real barricade and since I was planning on doing some photography can say that there was no photo pit to stand in for a few numbers as is the standard. There are some couches on either side of the stage area and since I imagine other kinds of events happen here this might be more of a VIP section. That was not the case tonight but I saw some room and ensconced myself to it. It was too difficult to navigate to the front or stand behind the taller fans. Since I didn't order any drinks as I've been doing a bit of a sober break I cannot speak to the prices but they sure did have a stockpile of pretty much everything that I could see. It's NYC so it is likely going to be only so cheap and since the tickets for the event were about $80 I don't think you're getting a drink for five bucks. Someone asked me if this was the old Highline Ballroom and it is not I am afraid and as a matter of fact that space was empty the last time I passed through the area a couple of months ago. A shame since that was a good club and brought many artists to town. The size of the CMH seems to be just a wee bit smaller than the old Studio at Webster Hall space which was also located downstairs in that venue. Another good spot that was put to pasture. There was a WiFi to use but a staff person entered it for me which was nice but I did see a public feed as well. I will come back here again depending on the artist that decides to play here but who knows when that will happen. I will for sure be keeping a look out on their calendar and add any topical events of interest to my websites calendar. I've got to close with seeing a few negative comments about staff and can say that everyone I encountered during the show was friendly and helpful. I go to a lot of venues so I don't need to be false about this stuff.

For my 600th review, I will be writing about my visit to The Rub on my birthday weekend…read more(4/30/2016). The Rub is a monthly hip-hop dance party, that plays old school hip-hop, the kind of music I listened to in high school. It takes place on the last Saturday of every month at the Bell House. It sounded like a great time, so I headed over to the Bell House around 10pm. There was no line around 10pm, so I got in quickly after paying the cheap $10 cover. There's a (non-mandatory) coat check at the door, and the space is split into a smaller bar/lounging area and a large (dark) dance floor with a stage and another bar. I'm glad I heeded the warning to come before 11pm, because the space filled up quick. Drinks were fairly priced. Beer ranged from $5-$8 and mixed drinks were $8. I had a good amount to drink. It's great that there's no dress code, because you wanna be comfortable when you hit the dark dance floor. They played all the types of music I had expected, including old Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, and a lot of Prince (R.I.P.) I did notice that the smaller bar area had different music than the dance floor. The music at the bar was older, late 90s early 2000s hip-hop, and the main dance floor had later 2000s. I'm not sure if that's a usual thing with this event, but it wasn't bad. I had a great time

I LOVE this event…read more This past Halloweekend Saturday, Nick C. thought of the genius idea to come to the Rub, an event held every last Saturday at the Bell House. It was about a 45 minute wait in line but well worth it. They charged a $15 cover that day, I hate covers but that's pretty damn cheap considering how huge the venue is and great the event was. The Bell House is a warehouse divided into a small bar area and a huge stage area. The crowd is great and the place has a very Generation Y feel to it. The music that night and the last/first time I was here, featured classics of the 90s/early 2000s (basically my childhood). I would assume that's the theme and motif of the Rub, to replicate a night out in the city during that epoch. So for that, I bestow it a very emphatic 5 stars.

They hosted a 65th Birthday Party for a dear friend of mine. She had an absolutely amazing time…read more The staff was attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. The food was delicious plentiful... Im already planning an anniversary party for my aunt and uncle there soon....

This place is impressively big once you navigate the stairs or elevator. My friends and I attended…read morean event there this past Friday night, and it was quite enjoyable. The line at the door was long, but it moved efficiently. Despite the hot and humid weather outside, I expected the same miserable conditions inside due to the large crowd. To my surprise, our event was held on the rooftop, and the central air was blasting throughout the facility. That alone earns this place a solid four stars. Now, the bar was a different story. It was crowded and disorganized, and the female bartender seemed to charge whatever she felt like. I ordered three rum punches and a Corona with grenadine, but I changed my mind and canceled the third rum punch before it was made. Nonetheless, I still got charged for it. As a result, I'll need to dispute the amount on my credit card because I didn't have the time or patience to deal with her attitude when I canceled my drink. When you're at the bar, be sure to keep an eye on your order and ask for drink prices upfront. I'm not someone who penny-pinches, but I won't let anyone take advantage of my hard-earned money. Overall, the venue was amazing, and I definitely plan to return--just without a stop at the bar.

I came here for a speed dating event and then a salsa class afterwards. The setup in the club…read morewasn't very conducive to a speed dating event. It was dark and the tables were setup randomly and caused a lot of confusion for the men. The drinks were ok. They had 3 different specials drinks costing $18. Bartender was very friendly and personable. The salsa/bachata class was ok. But I heard from some of the other participants who frequent other classes in the city that the instructor wasn't very good and teaching the wrong steps.

Attended a private party for 40th anniversary of 116 festival. The place ambience is very dark. The…read morefood was catered. There was live performances by artists and an award ceremony. Hosting was Carlito from LaMega.

Let me start off by saying I am a very fair reviewer and always try to give the benefit of the…read moredoubt. Rockstar can respond and color up what I say here, but I will be honest like I am with all of my posts. I post a lot of reviews. I chose this experience for my birthday. I was very excited to bring a big group over to Rockstar from Virginia and celebrate our only night in NYC with them, especially given the amazing reviews. I have done similar crawls before, so I understand how these things go. We got to the Irish Pub (no cover if you came without Rockstar) at 8:45pm, 15mins late. It was pretty empty, but I know this is just the first place where you warm up for the rest of the night. No problem. We were passed over to Eric, who checked us in and gave us bands. We grabbed a table and started getting our drinks. Yes, they were house wells, crappy, and that is expected. No problem there either, the crawl gives a fair option to upgrade to more premium options. After 45mins, I realized we never got welcome shots. First strike in my opinion. I had people in my group who were expecting a way livelier experience. I kept apologizing to them all night, even though it was my birthday. I went to Eric and had to remind him about the shots. Also, our guide, Jimena, was still not there. Eric said she was running late. I took the shots from the bar and walked to the back to our table myself, serving the group. Jimena finally came an hour late and introduced herself. She spent the rest of the time at the pub talking to Eric and texting a lot on her phone. We left the pub promptly at 11pm. I was so pumped because we were supposed to go to Monarch, a cool rooftop bar with a view of the Empire State building. I talked it up a lot to the group. As we walked to Monarch, Jimena said we were not going to go there because they had a special event for the night. Yes, the website does say this can happen, I understand that. But why wouldn't they know ahead of time? If it happened the day of, I would tell my customers so they know what to expect and give an option to cancel. I tried to stay positive. It turns out we walked five blocks and two half long blocks, losing our buzz, to a bar called Celon (free cover even without rockstar), which Jimena said she has never been to. We walk in and we were the only people there! A group came later but wow, it was dead and very dark and disappointing. Literally any other bar would have been better. To make matters worse, Jimena was isolated and texted the entire 1.5hrs we were there. She spent 0 seconds attempting to entertain us. We tried to make the best out of it by bothering the DJ to play better music and tried to dance some. We left that disappointment to get in the limo. I had two girls in my group who were so hyped up for the limo, as they had never been on one before. We got in and there was no AC for 90% of the ride. Also, Jimena couldn't figure out how to play music in the limo. The lights were also off, so we sat in the dark and used our cell phones as a flashlight. Some guy ended up figuring out the music and Jimena rolled down the windows for air. It started raining and those of us by the windows were getting wet! To top it off, the limo driver began to cuss us out when we reasonably asked him to turn up the air and turn on the lights. When we were waiting for umbrellas to get out and go in to Hudson Terrace, he yelled at us to GET THE F*** OUT!! Happy birthday to me right? Jimena reasonably felt bad, so they arranged for my party to have bottle service. The gesture wasn't unnoticed, but the bottle was undrinkable and random people wouldn't even drink free drinks without taking a sip. We were also asked to tip $30 for the service, which we didn't ask for in the first place. We decided to leave within 45mins at Hudson Terrace. The owner also threw the bottle service gesture in my face the next day via text when I complained and added "Your welcome" to close out his point. Wow. To save my night, my friends decided to walk over to the Press Lounge at Ink48 nearby. That was the only nice part of the night. In the future, I recommend people to avoid this place. Go to playwright pub yourself for free, go to Celon for free, and go to the Press Lounge (next to Hudson Terrace) for free. For the Option B $45, all you are paying for is a welcome shot (which you have to ask for, not very "welcoming") and a poor limo ride to Hudson Terrace. You could get much more for $45 a person in NYC. If you don't believe me, send me a message and I will be more than happy to plan a trip for you and save you a poor night.

This was my first time doing the crawl. My friends and I came up from Philly! Our party ninja was…read moreRoni. She did an amazing job. Everything was great. The bars, the drinks, the limo ride, and even the meeting of our new friends we met from Argentina was amazing. I would def do it again and with the same crew and of course RONI.

Very good experience. The food was excellent and the entertainment was top notch. Everyone was…read morefriendly and made us feel very special! I'd definitely return. #LipsNYC #buzzybooth

A time was HAAAAAD! The food was delicious, the mimosas were flowing, and the entertainment was…read moreENTERTAINING!