Fat Cat

At 75 Christopher street, you will find far more than a simple pool hall. Sparsely decorated with ratty couches, foosball tables, and more than a few chess boards lying around, this is the kind of place you can’t make yourself leave. It is packed until closing, and with the $3 cover, why leave any earlier? Because the space is so huge and the booze is so cheap, this is the ideal spot to bring all your friends, grab a table, and soak up the jazz (live every night but Tuesday, which is salsa night). No hard alcohol here, so you better be a beer drinker.

Motor City
If you are trying to get a feel for Lower East Side nightlife, this is the place to do it. Located at 127 Ludlow Street, it is truly the heart of the neighborhood. The name obviously pays homage to the bar’s theme – everything and anything related to the fine American city known to all as Detroit. Decorated like the inside of a classic car, it’s dark with a fair amount of leather. The back (and most coveted cornern, to me) is a large red leather booth from which you can watch the other patrons – primarily dirty musicians – mingle. The music is most excellent, with a live DJ every night spinning Iggy Pop and other artists who hail from Detroit. Motor City’s best offering, which pretty much seals the deal, is their $3 Pabst Blue Ribbon. All night. Every night.

Black and White
So close to campus it might as well be in Silver, this is a great spot to start a night. Cocktails aren’t too pricey (around $6), and the crowd is fairly young. It’s a small bar, located on 10th street between 3rd and 4th avenue. The atmosphere is simple, and everyone in there is just trying to relax. With the bar going down one side and a row of booths going down the other, there is not a lot of room (i.e. smaller groups would be better unless you want to fight a yuppie for a stool). The bathrooms are tiny, so you might not want to drink too much.

Crocodile Lounge
Free pizza with every drink? Yes, please. Skee-ball? Why the hell not. It’s definitely worth the eastwardly trek (325 E. 14th St, between 2nd and 1st Ave). The name is no joke either; the decorating basically consists of little crocodiles strewn about the place. There are some tables near the front and larger booths in the back. I would avoid drinking beer here because the pizza will fill you up pretty fast. They literally give you a ticket stub for pizza with every drink that you may redeem at anytime. And considering it’s free, the pizza could be worse. Another plus: this bar has a more college-town feel to it, which is nice if you constantly find yourself at dive bars or lost in Brooklyn.

Gallery Bar
As one of the few clean places in the Lower East Side, this bar has kind of a classy club feel to it. The upstairs has wooden tables and leather chairs. The bar is pretty long, making it easier to buy a drink. The tables can be found opposite the bar, and the space in between doubles as the dance floor. The music, for the most part, is top 40 jams, which, for me at least, is a welcome departure from the novelty music played elsewhere. Venture downstairs, and you will find yourself in a lounge. The lights have been dimmed and the bar is quieter. You can get away from the crowd, and, if you’re lucky, have a conversation. The crowd tends to be older down here, so I’d avoid it. But hey, to each his own. Find Gallery Bar at 120 Orchard St.