Marty After Dark - Almost Live...From New York

Entries in Empire State Building (1)

Friday

Sep162011

September 16, 2011

Okay, in the past I’ve whined and moaned about my night job and here I go again. Today was one of those days that felt like I had walked into a wall of shit while getting beaten over the noggin’ with a stainless steel baseball bat. The second half of the night wasn’t as bad and it did settle down, but I’ve really got a headache, I don’t feel like talking to anyone and I need some ice with this white whine. So it’s really going to come as a shock that I’ve decided to got to a bar tonight. And not just any old bar either.

I’ve been thinking about going to the Empire State Building one of these nights and facing one of my many fears and phobias, a fear of heights. When I first moved here I did all the touristy first time New York things and I went to the Empire State Building. On the elevator ride up I had an anxiety attack and was sweating bullets. I took it right back down and got the hell out of there. I’ve never gone back and I recently learned it’s open till two in the morning and might make for an interesting MAD outing to see if I could actually pull it off. And while doing research, I found out there’s a bar on the first floor called The Empire Room. Huh, I never knew there was a bar there and it’s just a few blocks from where I work. So I thought I’d start my way up the Empire State Building the way I live my life: One drink at a time.

And there's tonight's destination, The Empire State Building. Well, actually the bar inside the Empire State Building, let's move on, I get dizzy just looking at the top of that thing.

It's an easy walk over there, just about five blocks.

You know you're close when everything is named "Empire" something or other.

And here we are in front of the Empire State Building.

Okay, we're inside.

A security guard told me to walk down this hallway and I'd find it. Did I mention it's bright in here?

Zingo, here we are...

The Empire Room. Let's go in, I'm dying for a drink or five.

Okay right through the double doors...

And here's the bar. This place has the potential to be an okay bar. It's dark, it's got a nice marble topped circular bar, there's red leather banquettes lining the walls, but the music is blaring in here and it's this song by the Black Eyed Peas that I absolutely hate. And they have one of those sound systems that the bass is amped up like Roger Clemens on steroids. I'd leave, but I really want a drink and there's nothing else around here.

Some of the lit up bottles behind the bar. God, I HATE this song.

The service in here is horrible, it's been over five minutes now and the bartender hasn't even looked my way.

Okay, it's over ten minutes now and this song is on some sort of disco loop and doesn't ever seem to end. Have I died and finally gone to hell?

Finally the bartender came down my way. I ordered two drinks because God knows when I'd get another chance. I got a bottle of Corona and the house drink, The Empire. By now a group of about seven drunken tourists have come in and they're screaming, dancing and singing along to this song that apparently is never going to end. My head feels like it's going to cave in. I chug the drinks, pay the bill...