...That Funky Monkey
Last night was apparently a birthday bonanza for Stern! Isaac was celebrating his birthday and picked the Brass Monkey (http://brassmonkeynyc.com/) as the meeting spot. I have heard about this spot for a long time but never quite made it over. I first saw it on The Real Housewives of New York when Bethenny and Kelly met to discuss their awkward "friendship". It is clear that Bethenny has moved on to better things, not including Brass Monkey.
The venue reminds me of the type of place a ton of people end of going that don't want to deal with the hassle of covers and VIP lists but want to go to Meatpacking - such a hot spot. The crowd seemed to be heavily skewed to the B&T (Bridge and Tunnel) population, which is never a good sign. This crowd tends to be very annoying and a hallmark move is the always reliable "I have somewhere more important to go than you so I'm going to shove through the crowd with my massive purse and you're just going to have to f-ing deal with it because I drove here in my new outfit" move. It is super annoying. The bar lets in WAY too many people, so everyone is shoving and moving about, especially to make it up to the rooftop.
It was nice once I escaped the frenzy of the first two levels. The rooftop had places to sit. It was also two other classmates' birthdays: Trent and Lilian. It was nice to catch up with each of them in an area that lent itself to conversation. It sounds like I'm asking for a lot, but I like to hear what the other person is saying during a conversation.
Overall, Brass Monkey will not be on my list of places to return. There are far too many other great places to go to in the city that aren't jam-packed with people. I'd rather pay $15 for a cocktail at a nice spot than return here for a vodka & soda (all they can really make) that I will likely spill on myself because of the B&T move described above.
Cheers,
Liz