Best 5 Bars in 2006

5. The Paris/P.J. Carney
Paris Tavern and P.J. Carney have to share this place because they play such similar roles in our lives. The Paris is our base in the downtown Financial District, P.J. Carney serves the same purpose in Midtown. Both are essentially Irish pubs, but not typical ones. And both we have been frequenting for a very long time. The Paris since end of 2001 and P.J. Carney even longer, since our 1998 honeymoon.
The Paris and P.J. Carney serve decent pub fare, although they are not dining destinations. And both have a huge beer selection, including our favorites Sierra Nevada and Brooklyn Lager.
The Paris
P.J Carney: 906 7th Ave (@ 57th St) - 212-664-0056

4. Lolita
We always come back and after a break for a couple of month last year, where we were drawn into Vasmay Lounge, Lolita again has its fixed place in our bar rotation. Lolita has been our favorite for so long and it's so much laden with stories that it will be hard for any other place ever to catch up.
Lolita is an unpretentious neighborhood bar that is just pleasant to hang out in, especially during happy hour, before the large crowds hit. We had our share of fantastic evenings there, when we met people with whom we chatted the night away. Lolita doesn't serve food which naturally limits the time you can spend there before dinner, but they welcome you to order from a delivery service.
Lolita: 266 Broome St (@ Allen St) - 212-966-7223

3. Bar On A
We like bars where we feel like friends rather than guests of the house. Bar On A carries a record: it took only a couple of minutes until we felt like at home, thanks to Yvette, the charming and beautiful bartender with an excellent taste for music. That's enough to pull us in many Tuesdays or Fridays.
Besides Yvette, Bar On A is an interesting place: they serve bar food, a rarity in New York. Also there's a small stage for live concerts and the weird, snake inspired interior. Certainly a place to hang out far too long.
Bar On A

2. Lotus Lounge
Lotus Lounge is best in the afternoon or early evening. You will find most patrons illuminated by laptop screens, most of them adorned with the white apple. And most of them doing exactly what Apple commercial would like to suggest us: blogging, working on the website, video editing or uploading songs to the MySpace site.
So much creativity is contagious and so we always have good discussions and ideas at Lotus. Of course a unusual and excellent beer selection helps as well as the fact that there is only a single, small TV screen that rarely shows sports but rather quirky movies or Spanish game shows.
Lotus Lounge: 35 Clinton Street (@ Stanton St) - 212- 253-1144

1. Magician
The Magician kind of sneaked up there to the number one spot. It's our favorite place for Mondays and sometimes Wednesdays and usually we seek only one or two relief beers after a hard working day. But in a way the Magician is always comforting and relaxing, albeit rarely exciting. But, again, this is not what we're looking for in there. It's rather a chat with bartender and manager Kelly or with one of the other regulars, a nice Brooklyn Lager or IPA and then heading home with the feeling that we're not alone in the big city.
Magician: 118 Rivington St - 212-673-7881