I hate to be this guy, but I need a quick recommendation. Going to NYC on Monday for business, and I'd like to find a cool beer bar as well as a decent spot to grab a few bottles. I'm staying at the Doubletree on West 36th. Help!
I'm not sure about shops, but the bars you should hit are Rattle n Hum and The Ginger Man. Both are very close to you. Hell, even the Pony Bar isn't too far. Just check their websites and/or beermenus.com for lists. And here, to give you an idea of where you're at: http://goo.gl/maps/NxCDH EDIT: In case you care, my order of preference for these places (without looking at their beer lists) is: 1) Ginger Man - knowledgeable staff and great environment 2) Pony Bar - knowledgeable staff and another great environment. it's small though. but pretty inexpensive. 3) Rattle n Hum - the times I've gone the staff was not very helpful and was a bit overpriced (even for NYC standards). Place is pretty cool though. EDIT 2: Couldn't help myself but look at the beer lists. Pony Bar has CC Jai Alai on right now.
The already mentioned bars are definitely the closest ones to you worth checking out. There's also Beer Authority on 40th and 8th. Not my favorite place, but they get some solid beers on tap. Definitely worth checking beermenus to see what they have since it'll be so close to your hotel. For bottles, the best/easiest trip would be to go to either the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle or the Whole Foods in Chelsea (24th and 7th). Both are walkable, or just a quick train ride away, well priced and have good selections. If you want more of a bottle shop, there is Beer Culture on 45th btw 8th and 9th, and Ninth Ave Vintner on 9th btw 46th and 47th. They'll be slightly more expensive than Whole Foods and probably less of a selection. Now if you want to venture to other parts of the city, we could give you many more recommendations, but that list should cover the area you'll be in quite well.
Not to thread hijack, but this is along the same lines. I'll be at 44th and Park from Nov 8-12. Should have access to anywhere the subways go, if there are any suggestions for bars/bottle shops. And, I can bring some goodies from Texas if anyone wants to trade or bottle share.
NYC Whole Foods stores are generally great and miles cheaper than any specialty shop. New Beer in the LES is fun if you want to fish for treasures.
