The Library

New York, New York

Field Note

Life across the street from the almost pulsating Double Down Saloon could result in being a bit overlooked, but The Library is anything but, a dive bar that complements the punk vibe Double Down with classic, divey ambiance. The signage, the amenities, the look of the bar itself, they all look like they’ve been ripped out of a typical Midwestern strip mall bar, in the best possible way.

Manhattan is built on businesses that create oases away from the intense density the city can sometimes lop on top of locals and visitors alike. The LIbrary is one such oasis, in this case a dive bar that contrasts the Alphabet City concrete outside with the friendly confines of wood paneling and dim lighting inside. Be sure not to confuse The Library with The Library Bar at The Public, a much fancier, much more expensive option that can easily come up in a location search.

The Library’s dive bar pedigree runs deep, the ownership group in charge of the space also the purveyors of fellow New York City dive bars Milano’s and Doc Holliday’s. The bar’s calling card may just be a devotion to B-movies, reflected in a slogan sometimes attached to The Library’s social media accounts reading “Beer. Booze. B Movies.” The bar has been known to set up a projector inside to screen B-movies on selected evenings, adding to the space’s old school ambiance.

Always a benefit in Manhattan, The Library devotes significant window space to a street-viewing beer ledge that probably qualifies as the best seat in the house. Select stickers have crept outside the confines of The Library, edging into the windows, the door, the various edges of The Library’s exterior. Inside, a combination of black ceiling tiles and deep red walls creates a calming vibe, punctuated by rows of plush, similarly-colored booths found in the rear of The Library.

The counter behind the bar is about as classic as a dive bar view can get, aged wood carved into a series of cabinets punctuated by glass and a center-set mirror. Stickers have found their way to these surfaces as well, a set of dive bar-typical odds and ends perched atop. In addition to the books that can be found throughout The Library, this wall-top perch is home to an owl statue or two as well.

The beer menu can be found suspended from the bar’s ceiling, all options served on a buy-one-get-one-free special during happy hour. Bursts of graffiti can be found along the walls as they stretch to the rear of The Library, mounted bookcases playing up the bar’s theme in a way that adds to the calming vibe very much welcome in contrast to Avenue A outside. Within the patches of wall space where the graffiti has subsided, small patches of artwork have been added.