Besides Whole Foods... do any of you east side residents have any good spots to buy bottles? Forget Beer Pantry ... their prices are absurd. There is a bodega on 2nd and 39th that is decent but that is about all I can think of. Sadly, the west side seems to have a lot more options.
I'm not sure how many good bottleshops are in Midtown, but if you can make it to Top Hops in LES they've got a nice mix of stuff plus some taps. Noble Grains in UES is a small, but cool spot that does growler fills. Good Beer in the East Village is always worth a visit, but not particularly close to the train. Happy Hunting!
You mentioned a bodega on 2nd and 39th, I'm assuming you mean the one at the SW corner. There's another one at the NE corner of 2nd and 38th called 710 Quick Stop that has a big selection for a bodega and usually has some interesting bottles. This store used to be located at the location of the other bodega at 2nd and 39th but moved across the street about two years ago. The only other place I know of in this neighborhood with a big selection is the Gristedes at 3rd and 32nd. If you are looking for value, try the Duane Reade at 3rd and 34th.
Midtown East is pretty scarce when it comes to good beer shops and I would imagine it has to do with the absurd rent hikes were seeing now. Imagine how many bottles of beer you'd have to sell or the prices you'd have to charge to cover a 20k-30k rent?! It's sickening. That being said I can usually find everything I'm looking for at City swiggers & whole foods @ 57th. I'll head down to New Beer or Whole Foods beer room if I'm looking for something specific.
Yeah, it'd be nice to have a place to stop by on the way home from work. With a 6 or 12 pack on the 1.5 mile walk home from Whole Foods, it's quite a trek. Not much better on the subway... makes me miss having a car. I've known about City Swiggers but have never checked it out. I'll have to sometime.
