Just When I Thought...

...All the low-key, classy, stylized bars were a thing of the past in New York City, I discovered The Bourgeois Pig this past Sunday. The Victorian/Gothic decor is beautiful and creates the perfect atmosphere for escaping the banal-looking, cookie-cutter places that seem to be taking over Manhattan. You'll feel right at home wearing your finest threads, and after a few sips of special drinks like "Wolf's Breath" you might feel transported back to the time when one might have spotted Poe or Wilde brooding in the background writing their next masterpiece with a glass of absinthe at their side. 

My other favorite bar Death and Company is located on one block away on E 6th St.

Molly's Box

Molly Crabapple ’s been very busy hosting Dr. Sketchy drawing sessions in her hometown of Brooklyn and abroad, but last week she unveiled her latest project - an impressive body of work inspired by Manhattan’s vaudevillian hotspot, The Box. 

Six illustrations (one of them pictured here) are on display as part of an all-female exhibition called 5 Identities 5 Destinations at Ad Hoc Art in Brooklyn, NY. Molly’s pieces take up the entire back wall and as you walk towards them, it seems as if the characters will jump off of the canvas and into the room. With the variegated costumes of the dancers and the lively kinetic energy of her line, she seems to have captured the essence of what’s made The Box such an alluring party-spot.   

We should know. Playboy partied at The Box with Duran Duran in November to celebrate their new album, and for the December 2007 issue, legendary photographer Harry Benson photographed some of The Box’s entertainers with models for a fashion spread.

It was particularly interesting to see Molly’s interpretation of a club that’s become a notorious hangout for celebrities looking to ogle scantily-clad dancers, cross-dressing midgets, fire-breathers, and contortionists. 

Molly’s illustrations will be on display at Ad Hoc Art until August 24, 2008.

Why We Love Duff's

Nestled a block from the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is the infamous Duff’s bar. With cheap drinks, beautiful bartenders (that’s Tracy pictured here), a jukebox filled with heavy metal and hard rock classics and benches plastered with Playboy centerfolds, need we say more?