LUNA PARK

CLOSED - renovations in Union Square Park currently underway

Union Square Park
50 East 17th Street

(near Broadway)
212/475-8464

AL'S REVIEW: Located at the north end of Union Square Park, this seasonal bar offers the perfect summer spot for happy hour or grabbing a quick bite. I've ended up here a few times randomly and once with Ms. Emily. The food is so-so and over priced for what it's offering. The same can be said for the crowd, which consists of an abundance of bridge and tunnel folk (probably since it's right on top of a major subway stop). AND I don't recommend using the dirty/dodgy bathrooms that seem to tell a story of their own. Luna Park is usually open from mid-May through September.

THE BARON'S BABBLE: I can't really comment on the food; normally, Luna Park conjures up enough disgust to kill my appetite. For starters, on Thursdays, Fridays, and assorted sunny days, the venue can not handle the apres-work crowd. This means that a line builds up, not a velvet-rope-selective line, just a Oh-Shit-Our-Bar-In-The-Park-Can't-Handle-The-Crowd line. I am not a fan of lines, and the characters to be found are this line are... well, they suck. As mixed as a pousse-cafe, the crowd consists large of twenty-something men who loudly aggrandize menial jobs in finance and long to be home wearing a white "UVA Lax" cap, not to mention the women that find this archetype sexy. Better company, can be found in the collection of shoeshines, street performers, homeless men, and wild squirrels who prey upon the patrons. The drinks inside are expensive, and the rats eye view of union square is nothing special... if you make it that far. Try Coffee Shop, Blue Water, Heartland, or any other outdoor cafe on the Square for a far better experience!