Showing posts with label Sophie's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sophie's. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Night Owl Cafe lives again at Sophie's — but just for today
Crews are on East Fifth Street today to film scenes for "Greetings from Tim Buckley." ("Gossip Girl" star Penn Badgley is Jeff Buckley in this film.)
The Jeff Buckley-Tim Buckley biopic is using Sophie's as a backdrop (both inside and outside the bar). Dave on 7th was on the scene this morning...
Sophie's is subbing for the Greenwich Village 1960s mainstay Night Owl Cafe, where Tim Buckley played his first NYC gig in 1966 (and the Lovin' Spoonful came to fame). Read more about the club here. This address on West Third Street has been home to Bleecker Bob's since 1983.
...and a new rival for the Pee Phone?
Friday, March 25, 2011
Spring, eternal
Came across this photo on Facebook... from inside Sophie's ...
It's a springtime poem by the one-and-only Joseph "Count Slima" Williams — owner of the greatest laugh that you'll ever hear. (And you can purchase Slima's poems by inquiring at Sophie's.)
[Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk. More photos at Flickr]
It's a springtime poem by the one-and-only Joseph "Count Slima" Williams — owner of the greatest laugh that you'll ever hear. (And you can purchase Slima's poems by inquiring at Sophie's.)
[Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk. More photos at Flickr]
Thursday, January 6, 2011
RIP Caveman
We heard the sad news last night that Joe Gonzalez, better known as Caveman, has passed away. He was 54.
Caveman has been a longtime regular at Sophie's, where he would often be seen bypassing glassware in favor of drinking straight out of the pitcher. He was also a regular on the local pool scene.
We don't know many more details now about Joe's death. He had been battling diabetes in recent years. He'll be missed.
[Top photo by Cary Conover, posted with permission]
Sunday, November 7, 2010
"He possessed knowledge that most people don't even come across today"
Las week, we passed along that sad news that Howard O'Brien, a longtime bartender at Sophie's, had died after an eight-month battle with cancer.
Patrick Hedlund has a lovely feature on Howard at DNAinfo:
When friends came to clean out the apartment of Howard O'Brien, the longtime neighborhood bartender who passed away last week, they found his Yale University master's degree diploma still rolled up in its original packaging.
Friends said that was typical for a man who, despite his extensive education and vast accomplishments, chose to spend nearly 25 years behind the bar at Sophie's on East 5th Street, one of the last true local haunts left in the East Village.
"Maybe he took it out to look at it once and then put it back in the tube. That's how nonchalant he was about something like that," said Bob Corton, 57, the founder and former owner of Sophie's, who grew up with O'Brien in Westchester and helped empty his East 3rd Street apartment last week.
"He possessed knowledge that most people don't even come across today."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Howard O'Brien, 1954-2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Howard O'Brien, 1954-2010
Several Sophie's regulars have passed along word that Howard O'Brien, a longtime bartender at the East Fifth Street bar, passed away early Saturday morning. Howard, who was 56, had been battling cancer. He had worked at Sophie's since 1986.
As one regular described him, he was "wonderfully reserved, incredibly erudite, peculiarly comic, full of bardic tradition and a straight talking, no nonsense scholar and gentleman in the right way." Indeed.
Meanwhile, there is a memorial service for Howard on Friday:
11 a.m. in the Lower Church of St. Francis of Assisi
135 W. 31st St. (between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue)
(212) 736-8500
Friends will be meeting at Sophie's afterwords, roughly around 12:30.
[Photo by Thomas Donal Ward via Facebook]
Friday, June 18, 2010
Pool at Sophie's, 1988
Been awhile since we posted any photos by Michael Sean Edwards ... So! Here are a few from Sophie's circa 1988....
He has several more here on Flickr.
Previously on EV Grieve:
The East Village in photos from 1978-1985
He has several more here on Flickr.
Previously on EV Grieve:
The East Village in photos from 1978-1985
Friday, May 21, 2010
But there is a 25-cent cover charge
A woman walks into Sophie's early one recent evening. She sits down and orders a drink. She pulls out her phone and calls a friend. "Do you want to come meet me? I'm in your neighborhood." But she doesn't know where she is exactly. She goes outside to find the name of the bar. "Sophie's" doesn't appear anywhere out front. The women studies all the signs in the window for a moment and comes back in.
She continues the conversation with her friend. "I'm at a place called Public Telephone."
She continues the conversation with her friend. "I'm at a place called Public Telephone."
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Best Actor at Sophie's
As we mentioned last month, American Songwriter Magazine did a photo shoot at Sophie's with Jeff Bridges for an upcoming feature... Bridges was in character as Bad Blake from his Oscar-winning role in "Crazy Heart."
Anyway! The issue of American Songwriter with the Bridges cover story is out now... haven't seen the issue myself, but it has been put to good use so far...
The article is online. The Web version of the story only includes one of the Sophie's photos... and there's no credit for the photographer. I wanted to mention his name because I really like the shot...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Jeff Bridges at Sophie's
Anyway! The issue of American Songwriter with the Bridges cover story is out now... haven't seen the issue myself, but it has been put to good use so far...
The article is online. The Web version of the story only includes one of the Sophie's photos... and there's no credit for the photographer. I wanted to mention his name because I really like the shot...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Jeff Bridges at Sophie's
Monday, February 22, 2010
Jeff Bridges at Sophie's
One day last month, American Songwriter Magazine did a photo shoot at Sophie's with Jeff Bridges for an upcoming feature... a photographer for The New York Times was also there for a feature titled "Nine days on the road with Jeff Bridges."
Bridges was in character as Bad Blake from his Oscar-nominated turn in "Crazy Heart." Here are two of the photos that Peter van Agtmael took for the Sunday Times magazine at Sophie's...
Bridges was in character as Bad Blake from his Oscar-nominated turn in "Crazy Heart." Here are two of the photos that Peter van Agtmael took for the Sunday Times magazine at Sophie's...
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Up all night
Sophie's and Mona's will be among the bars with the proper permits pulling an all-nighter on New Year's Eve...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
An independent film shoot at Sophie's
On Saturday morning, there was a small film crew assembled in front of Sophie's. Perhaps Bourdain was back for seconds?
Uh, nope...I asked one of the fellows standing there what was happening...he said it was a small independent film. This was their first day of shooting...and they were expecting to be done for the day by the opening 2 p.m. bell at Sophie's.
Uh, nope...I asked one of the fellows standing there what was happening...he said it was a small independent film. This was their first day of shooting...and they were expecting to be done for the day by the opening 2 p.m. bell at Sophie's.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Bourdainster blogs about "Disappearing Manhattan"
The Bourdainster blogs about tonight's episode of "No Reservations"...
We're calling Monday night's show "DISAPPEARING MANHATTAN," but this is not to suggest that Katz's Deli, or Keen's, or Russ & Daughters are going to fade away anytime soon (if ever). What I am saying with this "Special" episode is that these are exactly the kind of old school, hometown places I love; uniquely New York institutions who have survived the brutal caprices of style and changing tastes -- and are still worth going out of your way to patronize. Let me make this clear: "Old" does not necessarily mean "good." Just cause it's a "New York institution" doesn't mean you want to eat there. If it did, New Yorkers might actually eat at Tavern On The Green -- and Luchows would still be open.
Previously on EV Grieve:
"No Reservations" at Sophie's
Friday, December 19, 2008
About this time last year
Page Six ran the following item:
December 20, 2007 -- It may be the final nail in the shared coffin of East Village dive bars. Two longstanding holes-in-the-wall, Sophie's on East Fifth Street and its sister spot, Mona's on Avenue B, are up for sale. "The neighborhood has changed so much," co-owner Bob Corton told Page Six. "I love both bars, but they're dinosaurs now." Corton plans to sell the low-lit saloons after the holidays. He has run Sophie's, which adopted its name from its original owner, the late Sophie Polny, since 1986. He opened Mona's in '89. Corton assured us he'll stay in the neighborhood but couldn't predict the future of his beloved drink tanks: "Once the places are sold, what happens to them is really out of my hands."
Sure, we had heard rumors that the bars might be for sale, but it didn't seem like a reality until it appeared in print. (How this ended up in print may be fodder for another post another day.)
So what started back in December 2007 on a drunken, lonely night (always a good combination for doing something stupid, like starting a blog! Plus, actually, it was the middle of the afternoon!) seemed like a temporary thing. At first I'd just collect different news items on the possible sale of the bars. (It wasn't to be gossipy or anything, like, "Melvin wore the same pants again today and drank 17 pints of Yuengling...") Then I thought it could evolve into this project we could all be part of...making little films about the people, etc., who've made Sophie's what it is. Post photos. Chronicling the (possible) end of days. It would be a document capturing a special time and place.
Well, before I ever really figured what to do with the site or told anyone about it, it looked as if the bars were staying in the family. So I retired the site on that positive note.
Right-o! Then, on Feb. 6, Jeremiah Moss, who had been supportive of whatever I had been doing, left a comment encouraging me to continue, to turn my attention to other things in the neighborhood.
Jeremiah Moss said...
hey grieve, whether or not sophie's goes, i hope you'll continue to blog about stuff in our neighborhood. there's plenty of bloggable material to go around!
Phhht! Right!
So, yeah, I continued. Slowly at first. But I was inspired...I began paying attention again to the little things. I became reinvigorated despite the bankbranchification, duanereadification, etc., etc., of the area. I started loving living here again. Really.
Anyway, here I am...grateful to everyone who has been a reader...and I've enjoyed making friends with so many like-minded people who also wonder what the fuck is going on around here. Thank you for being part of this.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
"No Reservations" at Sophie's
A tipster tells me that globetrotting chef Anthony Bourdain filmed a segment of his show "No Reservations" at Sophie's this past weekend. He was joined by Nick Tosches to discuss great old haunts of NYC. After Bourdain and the film crew left, Tosches reportedly stuck around for more beers and some pool. The episode filmed at Sophie's will air in February.
Well, this is all good for Sophie's of course, but I keep thinking about what Jeremiah wrote in his post on the closing of the Holland:
This just after Anthony Bourdain, mourning the loss of Siberia, praised the Holland, which he called: "A classic old-man bar." He also hailed the Distinguished Wakamba Lounge, a former after-work haunt of mine, and now I'm worried. What if Bourdain has reaper powers?
Friday, December 28, 2007
RIP Cedar Tavern
Well, we didn't have much hope of the Cedar Tavern on University returning after it closed for "renovations" or whatever back in December 2006. Anyway, The Real Deal has an article today on the former haunt that attracted the likes of Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Jack Kerouac.
"Cedar is past. Cedar is history. It means something to me. It doesn't mean something to the next generation," co-owner Michael Diliberto said.
Ugh. We had many great times at the Cedar. It wasn't a dive bar in the tradition of Sophie's, but, despite the tourists, there was a similar community spirit. (And we loved Bernie the bartender.) Meanwhile, every day, Manhattan dies a little bit more. Do we really need more condos in the city starting at $1.7 million?
Bonus fun fact: According to Bob Spitz's Dylan: A Biography, D.A. Pennebaker, Dylan, and Bobby Neuwirth met to plan the shooting of Don't Look Back in the Cedar Tavern.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Oddly enough, this is how she met Dermot Mulroney
Gawker picked up the Sophie's/Mona's sale item from Page Six. After Hours Editor Joshua David Stein posted the following:
end of an era
Sophie's, that dive bar on E. 5th Street that never carded and where I once made out drunkenly on the pool table with a woman who, at the time, I was convinced was Catherine Keener but in fact was just this girl who lived on the floor below me in my dorm , is closing in the New Year. Boo! [NYP]
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Trying to be rational
So there have been other fine neighborhoody/divey bars sold that retained some of the original charm...Like the Shark Bar on Spring Street...just got a facelift. (And a lot of new taps...and new, heftier prices). Ditto for the Sinatra Bar (or whatever it's called) on Mulberry...Only difference there is that they got a few flat-panel TVs and started a happy hour. These places only received modest makeovers. Right? Right?
Friday, December 21, 2007
And so it begins, when depression set in
As seen in Page Six in the New York Post yesterday:
December 20, 2007 -- IT may be the final nail in the shared coffin of East Village dive bars. Two longstanding holes-in-the-wall, Sophie's on East Fifth Street and its sister spot, Mona's on Avenue B, are up for sale. "The neighborhood has changed so much," co-owner Bob Corton told Page Six. "I love both bars, but they're dinosaurs now." Corton plans to sell the low-lit saloons after the holidays. He has run Sophie's, which adopted its name from its original owner, the late Sophie Polny, since 1986. He opened Mona's in '89. Corton assured us he'll stay in the neighborhood but couldn't predict the future of his beloved drink tanks: "Once the places are sold, what happens to them is really out of my hands."
Updated: Sophie's and Mona's are alive and well!
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