January 30, 2005

Today marks a historical day....

As today brings the first posting on the Third and Long blog. I'm pretty excited to be able to share with you my observations and musings of the day to day happenings of this "near-legendary" watering hole, located in the trendy Murray Hill district of Manhattan. With this blog, not only will I share my thoughts on the happenings of the bar, but also my thoughts and insights on the happenings of my world-Murray Hill.

This neighborhood has seen a lot of changes during the 14 years of existance of Third & Long. When the bar first opened in 1991, there was a bagel shop and a pet store where Joshua Tree now exists. Bar 515 used to be a really cool 24 hour diner called Tivoli. Bar XII (which recently opened) used to house a chain of small mom and pop shops. The neighborhood used to be a quiet, tranquil one, dominated by a large geriatric population, only to be replaced my a much younger, hipper urban professional one. Murray Hill is slowly developing into one of NYC's hotspots for housing, dining and socializing. And thankfully, one of the constants of this change is Third and Long.

The bar itself isn't your typical trendy lounge; it's simply a "local" neighborhood bar with a personality of its own. It doesn't pretend to be anything its not: what you see is what you get. A nice comfortable place to hang your hat and have a drink, without being judged on what you are wearing and who you are with. The staff is pretty friendly and looks out for you and the prices are very reasonable (comparatively speaking). While the place isn't what you'd call the perfect place (what place in NYC is?), it's good enough for me. And it must be doing something right, it's been there 14 years (and in this fickle city, that's a lifetime).....

In any case, in the upcoming posts, you'll read about happenings in and outside the bar, celeb sightings, amusing bits of conversations and observations.....and anything else that pops up in my head. Feedback from you would be nice....constructive criticism will be welcomed as long as you are respectful. So enjoy the blog and I'll catch you tomorrow!

NUFF SAID