A New York City Irish Pub Tour

Husband and I love to visit New York City, so when we had the chance to extend a layover there before our most recent Winter Break trip, we took it. We’ve been several times over the last few years, especially while we were lucky enough to live nearby. That means we’ve seen a lot of the common touristy stops and often find ourselves looking for something new to do.

That’s how our Irish Pub Tour came about. It was a cold, wet, day. We had spent the morning exploring some museums, which I’m all about. However, the cold, wet day seemed to send everyone inside to museums, so Husband was a little grumpy about the crowds. Understandably seeing as they were absolutely insane. But I know a surefire way to cheer him up, and that’s to find a good Irish pub. So I took him to the nearest one, where we decided to finish our afternoon and evening on an Official (well, Shane and Shannon official at least) New York City Irish Pub Tour. And now, I’m going to share it with you.

Stop #1

One of the things I love most about Irish pubs, besides the (usually) friendly staff and yummy vegetable soups, is that they almost always serve coffee and/or hot chocolate. Our first stop, Cassidy’s Pub, did not disappoint. I got to feel delightfully cozy while drinking a delicious hot cocoa and watching people outside in the rain. We didn’t get anything to eat here, but this is the place we hatched our master plan.

Stop #2

We decided to pick only our next pub, and then decide each stop as we went. So, leaving Cassidy’s, we knew we were heading to McGee’s Pub, and that we kind of wanted to stay away from Times Square, but that’s it. McGee’s Pub was my favorite of our stops, which surprised me. It is the pub featured in the TV show How I Met Your Mother (which I’ve never seen), so I thought it might be kind of cheesy. I was wrong. We ate a spinach dip there that wasn’t super greasy like I’d expect to find at a bar. I wanted to eat 3 more and then order another appetizer, but we had a long night ahead of us. Husband also wanted me to make sure to talk about the beer he got, because apparently it’s worthy of mention. He ordered their house red beer, which is their own version of a Smithwicks, and seemingly equal in quality.

Stop #3

From McGee’s, we headed to McCoy’s. This pub didn’t serve food, and was Husband’s favorite. I ordered a hot chocolate that was not quite as good as the one at Cassidy’s, but still provided some much needed warmth. The bartender was friendly and it seemed like a place that was home to many “regulars” which is always a fun vibe to be a part of.

Stop #4

We ate some potato skins at the Playwright Celtic Pub, which was decidedly our least favorite of the Tour. So I’ll leave it at that.

Stop #5

We ended Shane and Shannon’s Official New York City Pub Tour at McHale’s Pub. It’s a wonder we could keep all these Mc-names straight. A nice way to end the night, I’m pretty sure I got some fries and enjoyed the people watching. Honestly, though, at this point I was so full of hot cocoa I can’t totally remember what I ordered (which is a solid reminder to write this stuff down, Shannon!).

And a Bonus Stop…

We concluded our Official New York City Irish Pub Tour with giant plates of noodles at Topaz Thai, because that’s what made sense to us. It was delicious, plus it was right next to our hotel and I was humongously pregnant with sore feet, so it was about all I could take at that point.

Classroom Impact

Teacher friends, as far as classroom impact goes, I’m not sure what I can tell you about an Irish Pub Tour. I think this is more about your own personal wellness as a teacher. We all know that we need to fill ourselves up in order to give all that we can to our classrooms, and part of that is finding what lights you up and makes you laugh when you’re with your favorite people. My favorite person loves pubs and I love eating, and it’s a great way for us to take time to talk and laugh and relax together. So find what does that for you, then bring your rejuvenated self back to your kiddos.