Cause and effect at the Blarney Cove

A backed-up sink in the men's room.



Unkind words on the men's room wall.

Greetings

From the incomparable Blarney Cove.

Blarney Cove survives the fire

And who knew that the Blarney Cove had a Twitter account? @blarneycove

The Blarney Cove is open!

And despite the fire a few storefronts away.... I called and they said everyone's fine and they were open for business. And patrons could be heard in the background to prove it....




[File photos]

The Blarney Cove was not open last evening

And I recall the bar being open on previous Thanksgivings... Always a good place to spend the afternoon.

Popeye returns in September

Come to think of it, we haven't seen Popeye lately. More our fault. Haven't been by the Blarney Cove as much of late during the day. Guess he finally got that balky back fixed.

He'll be back behind the bar in September.



Lucy is gone until Sept. 10....now this.

Good news for the Blarney Cove?

I tend to worry about things, such as seeing large parcels of real estate on the market next to the beloved Blarney Cove. This area on 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is ripe for development. So when when the "space available" signs went up last summer...Hello Marc Jacobs! Hello huge Chase branch!



But back to reality, here we go...the new occupant along this stretch...with the BC safe and sound for now.



Let the sunshine in....



Many thanks to our friend Cat Sitter for the tip!

Easter Sunday at the Blarney Cove

Who keeps playing the Joe Cocker on the jukebox? Like Kansas' "Dust in the Wind" is any better. Jimmy figures you can live to 100 by drinking and having sex. Maria says she doesn't drink or have sex anymore. But she has a short beer after her shift. Jimmy figures he has another 10 years. Or at least two years, he admits. The Yankees lose. Who's this closer for Kansas City anyway? He's quite good. Now it's John Denver and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" -- first the live version, then the studio recording. Can you skip the jukebox, or is that rude? Is the person in the green hoodie a man or a woman? (Doesn't anyone notice the sideburns?) Ah, Leonard Cohen. Squiggy is asking who won the NCAA men's basketball tournament. "North Carolina." Angel Cabrera wins the Masters! Who is he again? He's from Argentina, not Nicaragua. By the way, does anyone know that the heat is on in here?

Dancing with Mr. Brownstone

Can you read this? It was scrawled in a doorway adjacent to the Blarney Cove on 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Use you're head and keep your ass alive. b.c. youre the only one who's gonna do it...so you be careful the next time you go dancing with Mr. Brownstone.

The other afternoon at the Blarney Cove

On 14th Street just past Avenue A. Can't resist that sign. Will have one drink.

Maybe 12 people in the place.

The man puts a few bills in the jukebox. When "Smooth," the Santana/Rob Thomas ditty, comes on, he and his wife start to dance in the front of the bar.

Helene, with a wink, says the place is going to be busted for violating the cabaret laws. The two dance very well together.

An Andrea Bocelli song comes on. The couple slow dance. In the back, another man and woman -- these two much older -- also dance. We're all going to be thrown in jail, Helene says with a laugh.

James Brown comes in. Popeye 86'd him previously. He can't stay. So James Brown smiles, shakes a few hands and leaves.

The older woman who had been dancing in the back collects her cart with the Rite Aid and Associated bags she had parked under the TV and makes her exit.

One of the regulars keeps apologizing for no reason. Stop apologizing, the others say -- you're not in church.

One of the old-timers sitting in the middle of the long bar dozes off.





Five drinks later, I leave. Still light out.







Related:
Blarney Cove (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Blarney Cove memories

Jeremiah captures the spirit of the beloved Blarney Cove on 14th Street today. Another EV Grieve favorite. Reading his post reminded me of one of my first visits, whenever that was. (Also, seems as if my dive-bar anecdotes all involve food.) Three of us went in during some off time in late January one year. Only one other person was at the bar, way down by the door. It was the first time that I'd seen this bartender. And he certainly didn't know us. He was friendly as all the BC folks are. After a few rounds, he asked us if we were hungry. Not really. Still, he said he had some food that he could put out for us. "Oh, thank you very much. That's very nice of you. We're just not hungry at the moment." Perfect! With that, he bolted down the basement steps and gingerly came back up carrying a six-foot party sub wrapped in plastic. Where this thing had been stored (and for how long), we didn't know. With the care of, say, a paleontologist, he unwrapped the beastly thing. I may be wrong about this, but I swear after the unveiling the bartender did a little "ta-da!" Keeping with the paleontology theme, the bread was as hard as a fossil. We politely nibbled at it and thanked him. And ordered another round.

A touch of Blarney

Not sure what to make of the stickers for EV Grieve favorite the Blarney Cove being plastered around the neighborhood. The "I love to party" message seems awfully fraternityish for the Blarney Cove. (ED note: Duh.) Unless they're trying to drum up some more business. Which I understand. That stretch on 14th Street between A and B is up for grabs in spots. Still.

Looking at some of those buildings that are for sale

In recent months, I've noticed several buildings for sale in the neighborhood...nothing unique about that, of course. Except! It's just that each of these signs are hanging on buildings that house bars. (Bars that I happen to like.) Maybe this doesn't mean a thing. The signs are for other buildings that are for sale. The bars all have long leases. It will all be business as usual. New landlords, no rent increases! You know, all is well! (I'm trying...)

Oh, and in the case of the "space available" along 14th Street in the (blurry, sorry) third photo, I don't even know if that includes the beloved Blarney Cove. Still, given some of the reports (via Jeremiah, Curbed and The Villager) about that ripe-for-development eastern stretch of 14th Street between Avenues A and C, I'm not very hopeful. About anything.