In praise of the neighborhood bar

Good morning, Friday. Nice little start to the weekend but admittedly looking forward to a rainy day tomorrow so I can catch up on "Stranger Things". I'm officially obsessed with that show and think it's a brilliant take on 80s film. Love. Not sure what's up with Winona Ryder's face though- go easy on those fillers and injectables, kids. Yikes.

So I live in Brooklyn and have told you all ad nauseam how much I adore it here. I'm specifically on the border of Boerum/Cobble Hill and completely adore this neighborhood. Even though it's gotten completely out of control price rise, it's a magical place full of trees and brownstones and maybe one too many families, but it's all good.  It's such a happy spot and it's made living in NY this time around so very pleasant. Which is weird in itself (NY as pleasant I mean), but it's so good.

One of my favorite spots in said neighborhood is a sweet little bar called Robert, over on Bond and Pacific. I've always liked Building on Bond next door (same owners) for outdoor rose soaked dinners in the Summer time with the pooch, but since they've opened Robert, I've been thrilled.  For many of us in Brooklyn, I think we're wary of Brooklyn the brand at this point, but good is good and this place is a perfect example of what makes a neighborhood great. 

Because it's a cute little bar with a killer DJ most nights- my fav is Thursday where Yana spins Brit pop flavored goodness- always a great chance to hear your fav music and wax rhapsodic about the Stone Roses show. I love the bartenders there as well- drinks are good, there's always a free round if you stick around long enough, and it's the quintessential neighborhood bar. What I love about this type of bar is you could walk into a bar like this in any city anywhere- it would be a perfect expat bar in Tokyo, it could stand alone in Paris, and it would be a welcoming beacon in Austin. It's the perfect little good vibes spot and because of that, it could very well be everywhere- it's the everybar really and I love that about it. It's not that it's not unique- it's totally got it's own flavor because of the peeps who work there and spin there and hang there and they do serve a lot of local spirits- but really, it's universal in such a perfect way and that's why I love it. And by calling itself Robert, it's a genius way to speak to a name we all know- who has not known a Robert at some point? The familiarity makes this place so great. I'm sure you have one in your neighborhood- the type of place you could go after work, to meet a pal and chat late into the night, or just shoot the shit with some locals when the feeling strikes. For me, that feeling strikes more often than not and I'm very stoked that Robert is there for the majority of my gin and conversational needs. So I dedicate this post to the neighborhood boite- long may it serve drinks to thirsty people around the world, and may we always feel welcome when we pull up a stool at the bar. Love this place- it's not too much this or that, and it's just right. You may not come from another neighborhood to hang here, because hopefully you've got your own spot that allows a good stumble home with very little effort. If you do live around me, I hope to see you there.

Check them out here.

And hope your weekend is full of drinks at your favorite spots in your hometown or beyond. Wherever you may find yourself, there you are. Cause that's what's up this drinks on me kind of Friday in the boroughs. Yours, in starting the weekend, and starting a tab. XO