Immediately after settling down in the Brookdale dorms in Midtown, I set out to explore what incredible adventures the City That Never Sleeps had to offer me. I created a bucket list for myself: the MOMA, Upright Citizens Brigade, Sugar Factory, Radio City, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Student Rush Broadway shows and more. I managed to check all these off, and they were nothing short of incredible. While I felt that I’d taken advantage of the constant activity of the city for the most part, I still felt limited in one aspect: the nightlife.
During my gap year in Israel, I had the freedom to hang out in all the bars and clubs my heart desired. I look like a complete youngun, so I discovered very early on that going out freely in New York was going to be a problem. As an avid club-goer and music scene lover, I found myself in a predicament.
At first, I gave every Stern girl’s favorite neighborhood — the fabulous Washington Heights — a try. Don’t get me wrong; the Heights provided me with lively, entertaining nights. But after a while, doing the same thing in the same place every weekend became kind of dull. I began desperately itching to switch up the status quo.
One week night, I recalled a friend’s older sister mentioning a bar downtown, the Fat Cat Jazz Bar, to encourage us to leave our cozy couch over the summer. It never worked out over the summer, so it gradually slipped from my mind. I figured now was the perfect time to try it out.
Thrilled to experience a night outside of the Heights and Midtown, I decided to throw a friend’s birthday at the Fat Cat. I don’t mean to brag, but the birthday ended up being quite the success at this laidback venue.
At first, I suspected the bar to be grimy because the the entrance leads a visitor underground down some steep stairs. After entering, however, I was pleasantly surprised. The cover charge of the bar is decently priced — only $3 at the door. The under 21+ crowd get a red stamp, whereas the VIP of the 21-and-over club get a blue stamp.
After getting stamped, I entered the bar and was welcomed by a mellow, relaxed atmosphere. The jazz band alongside the bar, the dim lighting over the billiard tables, and the light buzz of conversation between game-players created such a cool ambiance.
Some of the 21+ crowd headed straight to the bar, but I wanted to check out the bar’s prime attractions — the games. The main game offered in this gameroom bar is pool, which is $6 per hour per person on weekdays and $7 on weekend nights. It took a while to get a pool table for ourselves since we didn’t make reservations, so I would recommend calling ahead of time. We were able to occupy ourselves with other games meanwhile.
Non-pool players have no need to worry, because there is so much more to choose from! I discovered that ping pong and shuffleboard are the same price as pool for the same amount of time. (Unfortunately, I never got a chance to figure out how to play shuffleboard myself, but there will definitely be a next time.) As we were waiting for a pool table to be available, I busied myself with foosball, which is only $1 per game. Some of our party played checkers and backgammon instead, which is the same price as foosball for unlimited amount of time.
I appreciated that our choices weren’t just limited to sitting at the bar aimlessly; if you’re a drinker, you have the option to drink (as long as you’re of age, that is). If you’re a gamer, there are endless amounts of games to choose from. And if you’re a chiller, there’s a live jazz band that you can jam out to. Most people would be satisfied with their experience at this bar, as it seems to really cater to everyone. I would definitely recommend this relaxed bar to anyone who is looking for a fun night out without breaking the bank.
Just a heads-up to my fellow under-agers: the bar is 21+ on Friday and Saturday nights after 10 PM, so we’re limited to weeknights. Either way, I think we can all agree that Thursday night is the Saturday night at YU. I’m so glad that I decided to venture outside of the bubble of the Heights and Midtown to see what Downtown NYC has to offer. Fat Cat Jazz Bar is only the first of my many excursions in which I plan to discover the best NYC nightlife.