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After a full day—or two or three—of seeing killer music at The Governors Ball, you can’t just go home and go to bed. Maybe you want to keep the party going just a little longer. Or maybe you need to chill, unwind, decompress, have a drink with your buds, and post-mortem the madness. But you’re sweaty and a little grubby from a long day of shaking your tailfeather, so a fancy-shmancy mixological mecca with house-made bitters and barrel-aged cocktails just doesn’t give off the right vibe. No, you need a cup of suds or a shot glass of something strong and amber. Or better yet, both. You need a good old-fashioned dive bar.
There are a lot of ways to get to and from GovBall, from a lot of different neighborhoods and boroughs. These ten dives are all a breeze to get to, depending on which mode of transportation (subway, water taxi, shuttle bus, even bike or footbridge) you use. Have a great time kicking it on Randall’s Island, but be sure to save a little energy for the 12-ounce curl at the end of the night.
American Legion Post 398
Neighborhood: Harlem
Address: 248 W. 132 St.
There’s a sign out front indicating that members and their guests only are welcome, but you don’t have to be a veteran to get in, just thirsty—or hungry—for some of Harlem’s best soul food, which will run you a mere $10 a plate. The beer comes in bottles, and so does the booze. Grab a Bud and a little airline bottle of Jack Daniel’s for less than ten bucks and just chill. On the off-chance you haven’t already had enough music, or you want a change of pace from the GovBall fare, Post 398 also has killer live jazz on Sunday nights.
Subway Inn
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Address: 143 E. 60 St.
Once you’ve gotten back to the mainland from Randall’s Island, hop a downtown express train a couple of stops to get to one of Manhattan’s legendary dives, which weirdly enough stands in the shadow of the decidedly non-divey Bloomingdale’s. The Subway Inn has been open since the ’30s, and from the looks of the place, it probably hasn’t been cleaned since then. With cheap shots, bottled beer, and a no-frills attitude, it’s a throwback to a different time, before gentrification and artisanal cocktails. Not to mention music festivals featuring Skrillex and Tyler, The Creator.
Rosemary's Greenpoint Tavern
Neighborhood: Williamsburg
Address: 188 Bedford Ave.
Billyburg is crawling with bearded bartenders who’ll be delighted to tell you the provenance of the shrubs they used to make your bitters. But after a full day of jamming to the likes of Kurt Vile and Jack White, your ears will probably be ringing too loudly to hear any of it. Instead, head over to this authentic old-school dive, where the Christmas decorations are up year-round, the beer is cold, and you can get 32 ounces of it in a Styrofoam cup for $4. You’ll still see pretentious hipsters, but at least they’ll be drinking with you and not on the other side of the bar, being precious.
Pine Tree Lodge
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Address: 591 1st Ave.
It looks a little like you’d imagine Ted Nugent’s living room to be, with comfy couches and deer’s heads mounted on the wall. They serve food, too—authentic Caribbean fare rather than mountain man-styled eats—and it’s cheap and delicious. But the main reason to come here after a hard day and night of rocking out is the liquid refreshments. The brews and the booze are cheap (for Manhattan, at least) and flow freely, and the couches are a comfy place for post-morteming the day’s action.
The Duck
Neighborhood: East Harlem
Address: 2171 2nd Ave.
A honky-tonk bar in East Harlem? Why not? After a day full of hip-hop, dubstep and alt-rock, a little Johnny Cash on the jukebox and the company of a cold beer is a perfect nightcap. The PBR is $6.50 a pitcher and the Wild Turkey pours are generous. And speaking of generous, the female bartenders are generally well-endowed as well. Which may or may not explain the brassieres liberally festooned throughout the place.
Kelly's Bar & Grill
Neighborhood: Astoria
Address: 3104 Crescent St.
If you’re looking for a sincere dive without any attitude or aspirations to hipness, you’ve come to the right place. Much like Astoria itself, Kelly’s is a no-nonsense, straightforward place. Classic rock on the jukebox, friendly bartenders, cheap bottles of beer and shots of whiskey, even a pool table. And after schlepping from Randall’s Island back to Queens, a cold one and a game of billiards sounds awfully nice indeed.
Ding Dong Lounge
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Address: 929 Columbus Ave.
This dive doesn’t seem quite as… organic as some of the others mentioned here. It’s got its own website, for starters, and the punk/new wave-inclined DJs and live bands are a wee bit hipster for a true dive. But you can get a shot and a can of beer for $7, the music selection is admittedly really good (something GovBall-goers should take into consideration), and it’s close to Columbia should you happen to be matriculating there.
Biddy's Public House
Neighborhood: Yorkville
Address: 301 E. 91 St.
The Upper East Side can be frat boy hell as far as bars are concerned, but Biddy’s is a cut above. A tiny Irish hole-in-the-wall, they’ve got a nice beer selection, including cheap cans of PBR for those so inclined, and of course plenty of Irish whiskey. They don’t serve food, but they don’t care if you order in. The friendly crowd is mostly locals, and the frat boy contingent has largely and miraculously avoided the place. That alone makes it one of the best places for a post-GovBall drink and hang in the ’hood.
Turkey's Nest Tavern
Neighborhood: Williamsburg
Address: 94 Bedford Ave.
The Turkey’s Nest’s bona fides as an authentic old-school dive (as opposed to a newly created “dive” for the youngsters) can be determined by the number of old-school Billville denizens parked inside, drinking $4 Styrofoam cups of beer and checking out the ballgame on TV. This being Williamsburg, you can also get an absinthe margarita. But since the Turkey’s Nest is a classy joint, you can get it to go. Which is probably a good option if you don’t want to use their slightly nasty bathrooms.
K-Lounge
Neighborhood: Mott Haven
Address: 2537 3rd Ave.
If you live in the Boogie Down Bronx, or you just want to walk on the wild side after a day and night of musical bliss, this is the place to go. A party atmosphere is guaranteed, complete with Latin music, Caribbean eats, and most importantly, five beers for $15. Biking home after that much brew isn’t recommended, but thankfully the K is near the 4-5-6 trains as well.