A quiet bar to read in?

daniel

Anyone know of a bar/lounge that is relatively quiet (jukebox/music OK, just no blaring) and somewhat well lit where one could sit, read and have a few beers? The closer to Union St, the better.

alafairnadia

Subject: Re: A quiet bar to read in?

daniel wrote: Anyone know of a bar/lounge that is relatively quiet (jukebox/music OK, just no blaring) and somewhat well lit where one could sit, read and have a few beers? The closer to Union St, the better.

I've done that at Total.

erikka

Subject: Re: A quiet bar to read in?

daniel wrote: Anyone know of a bar/lounge that is relatively quiet (jukebox/music OK, just no blaring) and somewhat well lit where one could sit, read and have a few beers? The closer to Union St, the better.

I'm back in school again and looking for the exact same thing--I need some place to study.

Cafe Sutra is unfortunately, not too close to Union, but they are well lit and boozed up. The music is a little too Enya-tinged for my tastes.

Red Horse Cafe is also well lit--not sure about hooch. They keep short hours, but they do make a strong cup of coffee.

I have spent many hours trying to find this and haven't succeeded--am also curious to hear suggestions.

pitu

Depends on the time of day/night I think.

The Sheep Station is pretty low key; they play music at the bar but there's a whole room in the back that is quiet with a fireplace. It's new, so sparsely populated.
It's all the way down at 4th Ave, corner of Douglass St

Depending on the time of day and who is tending bar, The Gate can be pretty cozy/quiet. You have to sit by the windows to read.

The Union Hall place on Union just up from Fifth Ave has a library look, and lots of people reading in the front . . .

daniel

I was considering going during happy hour, +/- 1 hour. Say, somewhere between 5 and 8. Union Hall may not be bad, depending - the later it gets, the more packed with ex-frat types it gets, but I've been there earlier in the evening to play boardgames with a friend and it wasn't so bad (despite someone yelling 'geeks!' at us on their way out). Lighting was good, too.

anonymous

I go to Cafe Sutra alot and it's a great place to study/read. the music usually varies with who's working. I would also recommend KitchenBar during the day.

8thandprez

daniel wrote: I was considering going during happy hour, +/- 1 hour. Say, somewhere between 5 and 8. Union Hall may not be bad, depending - the later it gets, the more packed with ex-frat types it gets, but I've been there earlier in the evening to play boardgames with a friend and it wasn't so bad (despite someone yelling 'geeks!' at us on their way out). Lighting was good, too.

Did someone at Union Hall really do that (yell "geeks!")? Yeesh! I love the look of that place, but the crowd always kind of creeps me out. i can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it is the ex-frat thing. I can only imagine if they saw two gay men (like me and my husband) in there...

daniel

8thandPrez wrote: [quote=daniel]I was considering going during happy hour, +/- 1 hour. Say, somewhere between 5 and 8. Union Hall may not be bad, depending - the later it gets, the more packed with ex-frat types it gets, but I've been there earlier in the evening to play boardgames with a friend and it wasn't so bad (despite someone yelling 'geeks!' at us on their way out). Lighting was good, too.

Did someone at Union Hall really do that (yell "geeks!")? Yeesh! I love the look of that place, but the crowd always kind of creeps me out. i can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it is the ex-frat thing. I can only imagine if they saw two gay men (like me and my husband) in there...


Yeah, one person did as they walked out. Balanced against that, though, was a number of people who were curious as to what we were playing (Carcassonne:The City) and were watching and asking questions.