105 Riv: This spot is part of the trendy Hotel on Rivington, though don't aim for access through the lobby. The hotel doors are barred, and the doorway down the street looks more like the rear exit to a laundromat. This ain't your momma's Lower East Side anymore. Past the steel gray door, you're engulfed in the new era showcasing plush low seating, velvet curtains, and pole dancing. A neon-lit horseshoe shaped bar adds to that plush but tacky seventies vibe, while Celeb DJs spin an eclectic mix. It didn’t take long for the bar to fill up with tourists, but if you’re not used to that in LES by now, you’re probably still complaining about why you can’t smoke on airplanes anymore. Try one of the zany house cocktails guaranteed to start a conversation. How about, Good Night and Good Luck? It's loaded with Absolut vodka, berry puree, Red Bull, and Pop Rocks. It might sound cheesy now, but in the future people will be sitting in a floating eco-thermal café on Rivington, sipping non-alcoholic, soy-based, decaffeinated green teas, asking, “Where’s the Pop Rocks and vodka? This neighborhood sucks now.” |
