• Some bars haven’t kept pace with the times—thank God. Here’s where to go for some cheap, liquid relief after . . .

  . . . Splurging at a Nolita boutique
  The Mars Bar (25 E. 1st St.; no phone). A couple bucks will get you a Rheingold, though you may identify a bit too closely with some of the graffiti (go kill yrself). The infinitesimally more genteel Milano’s (51 E. Houston St.; 212-226-8844) has $3 PBRs and a stellar selection of potato chips.
  
  . . . Braving a sale at Bloomingdale’s
  The Subway Inn (143 E. 60th St.; 212-223-8929), where a shot of brown spirits will set you back $4. Deserves landmark status.
  
  . . . Noticing another New Duane Reade on 14th Street
  The drab Blarney Cove (510 E. 14th St.; 212-473-9284), which sells mugs of Bud for $1.25 to a serious drinking crowd from 8 a.m. on.
  
  . . . Dodging baby carriages in the Slope
  O’Connor’s (39 Fifth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn; 718-783-9721). Though it may look forbidding—clearly a no-stroller zone—it achieves a friendly neighborhood vibe with its $2.50 Buds and year-round Christmas lights.
  
  . . . Seeing the skyline from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade
  Montero’s (73 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn Heights; 718-624-9799). A pool table, mysterious nautical bric-a-brac, $3 beers—if you can’t forget your troubles here, you’re probably stuck with them.

From the 2004 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine