Shelley's

It's hard to know what's going on with this place.  In fact, I'd describe it as being schizophrenic.  I've been here on a quiet Saturday afternoon during college football season when the sun is streaming in through the front windows and this dude John is working and he'll whup a mean bloody mary.  Some days he'll charge $8 for it and some days $5.  Either way, it works.

I've been here on NFL Sundays and the crowd, while excitable is fun and the bartenders still hungover from their Saturday nights out seem to be having a blast. The blonde woman bartender can also make a decent bloody Mary.

So that's in Shelley's favor... Not in Shelley's favor are the scattered Friday or Saturday nights I've popped in for a nightcap and barely been able to get the bartender to serve me and it's not that it's crowded or anything it's because I'm not in the elite club of regulars that chose to spend the vast majority of waking hours here.

4 is really a 3.5.  I gave them the bump up because on a day when there were not many options in the area and I wanted to see the Knicks game, they were there and did the job.

The bar did not have many people on the day I went.  The bar is definitely a locals bar.  There were some locals that were friendly, and some that were not, which is fine by me because, well, I didn't like them much either.

The bartender was very nice but seemed rather suspicious of our party.  She did treat us pretty well and gave us our drinks when we ordered them in a timely fashion.   People did their own thing.  If you are in the area looking for a low key bar where people are just doing there own thing and could care less about whether you are there or not, this is your spot.  They have a jukebox.  Bring cash.  No credit.

GOD BLESS THIS BAR

I had to go to Woodside to find a relatively low key bar where I could watch World Cup without the insanity I had found everywhere else in Manhattan.

This was perfect. $2 drafts (bud, bud light and coors light), and around halftime they brought in a couple of trays of FREE (read it again, FREE) wings for the entire bar.

This is definitely a locals bar, everyone we met comes here all the time.  One guy that came to talk to us said he knew everybody because he was there "every day, no seriously, every day."  I believed him.  They also have free food every day around 5pm as well.

Best of all, when the match was over and we stayed for a few more drinks, I expected the pay higher prices, but the bartender said we were all grandfathered in and kept charging us $2.  I want to move to Woodside just to live near this place.

Postscript:  One of my friends may or may not have gone back with a few people about a week later.  And the bartender may or may not have said about someone who wasn't there this time "he could really put away the beer, but once you bought those Irish Car Bombs, it was all over."  Who that person was, I will never say.