I know its been a while since my last posting. I can tell you that the number of events may have died down with the summer months, but there is still a lot of research! Studio Square Beer Garden was on tap for the day!
For those of you who have already been to the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Queens will find the Studio Square Beer Garden in Long Island City (LIC) to be the 21st century version of the beer garden. Let's face it, the place is new. It just opened this spring and you won't find any dust on the tables. They also have park bench type seating with large picnic umbrellas to keep back the sun or rain depending on the weather. There is a large indoor space that people can retreat to during the winter or when it the weather goes south in the summer. This makes this beer garden a place you can go to year round. Although, the closest subway stop is about two blocks away. So if you take public transportation you will have to walk 2 blocks in the rain, snow, or sun! That's not bad because you will definitely be rewarded with the modern look and feel to a german beer garden!
On this day, we arrived around 2 in the afternoon. The place was busy but I wouldn't say packed. The line for food wasn't very long and their food offering wasn't that bad. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich which was about $10. That's actually pretty normal for Manhattan so if you were expecting cheaper eats in LIC, don't expect it here. The very first thing I noticed about this place was that you had to stand in line to order. There was no wait staff out in the garden that can get you drinks and food. I thought that was a little disappointing. The other thing was that this place does NOT take credit cards. So if you come, be sure to bring some cash. They do have ATMs in house, but I wouldn't rely on them to have any cash towards the end of the night/day.
Just like many other beer gardens, the place would be great for a group of people! We ended up sitting next to some Columbia students (maybe grad students). 
They were cool. Have yet to go to a beer garden where the people are not very friendly!
The beer selection was great! They had some beers I never had before! The pitchers of beer were $18 a piece. This is actually a lot higher than the Bohemian Beer Garden in Queens. The pitchers of Sangria were about $22. I personally was disappointed in the amount of alcohol in the sangria. I thought it would keep my buzz going, but I ended up losing my buzz drinking the sangria! LOL! Anyway, the wait for the beer wasn't very long. They have several bars and lots of bartenders ready to give you your drink(s) of choice.
Entertainment? Well... I don't know where they would put the band. There isn't a spot that speaks "the band plays here". Their web site seems to indicate that that they do have bands that play there. The next time I come back I hope to see a band play! So to summarize...
Positives:
+ New! There is something to be said about everything being so 'new'!
+ Lot's of room outside and lots of room inside too!
+ Closer to Manhattan.
+ Good food selection
+ Great for large groups
Need to work on:
- Not happy about the cash only. Who brings a lot of cash when they go out.
- They should have wait staff going out and taking drink and food orders. The food line can take forever on a busy day. Also, they need a better system for calling out food numbers. I feel sorry for the girl who kept calling out numbers.
- I thought the music was too low. They could have turned up the volume a little bit more and I still would have heard the person across from me.
Overall, I would definitely come back! I would like to see how this place is with live music. July 16th may be the date of my return!! Once again... You don't have to be in Manhattan to have a great time!
http://studiosquarenyc.com/main.html
I never really thought I'd post something about a place I've been to outside of Manhattan. As I write that, I realize that I just let myself get caught up into the borough wars they have here in New York City. It's not really a war, but there is that sense of belonging to your 'hood. You know the areas... Brooklyn, the boogie down Bronx, Staten Island, JERZEEY (not really a borough but its in the mix), Queens and Manhattan. Anyway, being in Manhattan I am a 
Manhattanite. Little did I know, I have become a Manhattan snob. LOL! So this post will be my penance for not thinking there would be fun places to go outside of Manhattan.
Earlier in the week a fellow Black Mamba, Nate, thought it would be fun to head over to the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria Queens. I've heard about this place but have never been. So I was very excited to be outside during the day, throwing back a few European beers, meeting new people, and hanging out with good peeps! I invited the usual suspects, and you know how my invites are. They are very informal and pressure free. The last thing I want to do is have someone come who didn't really want to go. Nate was going to be there and he was bringing some peeps too. The DCI peeps are great! Well I ended up going with B-Low. B-Low was here this weekend so he was down for some beer garden fun!
We followed the directions on the web site and took the N subway train to Ditmars Blvd. Having never been to the beer garden we got off the subway and didn't really know what direction to walk in. It was only a block away, but you still need to go in the right direction. Using my handy dandy iPhone, I pointed us in the the right direction.
As we got closer to the place we started to hear live music! What?!?! I love live music! This place rocks already! There wasn't a line to get in but the place was packed! As it turns out, this Saturday was battle of the bands! 
Brooklyn vs Queens! Sweeeet!!! I'm pretty main stream when it comes to music but I am always open to new tunes. I like bands that can get the crowd going and keep that energy up. There were 8 bands and it was going to be head to head single elimination. Here was the first round schedule.
FIRST ROUND
2:00p La Res vs The Botz
2:30p Aaron LaVigne vs 13
3:00p Whiskey Bravo vs TJ Moss Band
3:30p Illimanjaro vs Audio Fiction
B-Low and I got there around 3:30 and met up with Nate, Mary Rechelle, and Jason. More peeps arrived later. We ended up sitting near the stage and off to the right. It's all park bench seating, which wasn't that bad. They had several huge park bench umbrellas out so if it started to rain some people would be covered.
As I said earlier, the place was crowded, but it looked like you can find a seat. People were friendly. There were people of all ages. I found it interesting that there were little kids there too. One little girl was dancing in front of the stage. Awesome! If people got too drunk and out of control there was a lot of security to keep it under control. I saw people with a deck of cards playing some card game. I guess it's because no beer games are allowed.
You can eat here. There isn't too much to choose from, but you should find something that suits your appetite. We had to order food from the wait staff which was great because it kept the line at the bar for strictly drinks! The pitchers of beer we got were $15, which is about 5 glasses. That's not bad at all!
Overall I think the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden is awesome! This is definitely in the mix for the future. I would highly recommend it for hanging out on the weekend for a lazy afternoon. It's great for a group of people. I would definitely go back if a band is playing because I like drinking beers with friends and listening to live music playing in the back ground. If people didn't want to take the subway back into the city, they had car drivers outside ready to take you back to where ever you came from! I thought that was funny!
The Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
29-19 24th Avenue
Astoria, New York 11102, U.S.A
http://www.bohemianhall.com/
Related Link:
http://www.whyleaveastoria.com/events/battle-of-the-bands-bkln-vs
If your looking for a low key place to enjoy a BIG glass of your favorite German beer, Hallo Berlin is the place for you. Located on 10th between 44th and 45th in MidTown, it's surprising you don't see a few tourist here. I think it's too far west of times square and low on the scale of 'places to visit' when in New York. However, if your a local yocal... you've got to swing by for at least a 'wurst'!!
I came to learn about this place from D Griff (aka Griffster, Davo). He enjoys his beers and always wanted to go to their 10th street location. We ended up going for lunch one day. During our first visit, the thought did cross our mind... Yup! We did throw back a small one from their selection of beers on draft. It was just a teaser for what started to become a tradition. "Humpen" to be exact. This is what I mean.
We ended up going back to Hallo Berlin on a Thursday afternoon. (If you didn't know, people tend to leave the office around 3pm on Thursdays to catch their flight or train home.) This time we would bring some people from work. These days, I hate talking 'shop' outside of work. So we asked a few people who we knew would not like to talk work all day. We still talk work, but it's good to know that we can talk about other things too!! Stay tuned for a posting with our "Humpen Code of Ethics"! Yes... Just like man-laws, there are also things that you should know when you go Humpen with us!!!
I'll be the first to admit. I don't know my beers. I've never been much of a beer drinker, but I know drinking beer for me slows the alcohol in take. So during my time of keeping a nice buzz throughout the night, 
I've come to appreciate Guinness, Bass, Blue Moon, Anchor Steam, and Sam Adams. There are others, but those float to the top of my list. You should know, Hallo Berlin has none of those beers. I knew I had to try a few to figure out which one I liked. So in addition to knowing what beer you want, you need to know what size. I knew what a Stein was and I thought that was a big glass. Hahahaaa... Little did I know!! After seeing my Stein next to everyone's 'Humpen', my manhood went under attack. "You wearing your skirt today Larry?" and "Did you want an umbrella with your drink Larry?" Check out these Humpens!!!
First of all, in my defense. ;o) I needed to try a few beers to figure out what I wanted. I ended up enjoying the Koestritzer Black Lager. I would have to agree with Goliber that it's much better than Guinness. Did I just say that? Yep!! And to get it in a "Humpen" makes it worth while! The Koestritzer is actually pretty popular with our crew.
Going back to my review... Here are some key highlights of Hallo Berlin
+ There is a beer garden in the back.
+ It's very laid back. No need to dress the part. Come as you are and enjoy a Humpen!
+ It's different. You won't find any beers that your used to.
+ If you like a good wurst, they have 'em! I've actually had a few. They are great! However, there isn't a lot of space left with a Humpen of Koestritzer in hand.
Some things they can work on...
- The wait staff isn't the most attentive, especially if your outside.
- This is the wurst (get it?) place to go to watch sports. Unfortunately, german beer and sports don't work very well.
- Don't come here for the crowd. When we go it's usually empty.
Hallo Berlin is a Thursday afternoon tradition. If you ever hear someone ask you... "Are you Humpen?" You now know what they are talking about!!
Hallo Berlin Food Wine & Garden Beer Hall
626 10 Ave @ 44th Street
Phone: 212.977.1944
Fax: 212.947.9008
11am until 11pm (1am if busy)
http://www.halloberlinrestaurant.com/index.html
Hey 'Bugalugs'!
Isn't this weather a 'beaut'? Well unfortunately tomorrow will be our last Dodgeball game of the season. It looks like it won't pick up again till the fall. Don't get your 'knickers' in a tizzy. I'm sure we can come up with something to 'rattle your dags'! How about roof top happy hours or drinks on the patio!?!? However if you plan to 'skull' your favorite beverage, you'll have to look forward to the 'long-drop'!! Some of these places can get messy. Anyway... don't be a 'wet blanket' and let's have fun Tuesday!
- Captain Larry and iCaptain Dave spent some time last week learning some Kiwi lingo from Kim and Ursula. "I should have passed on the conversation about sheep castration!".
- Rachel skipped out last week. Apparently she was singing! "Up from the basement to my best friend's farm, Where we'll work so hard, we can do no harm... We'll till the land and duck our debts, Underneath soft sun, chewing Nicorette.... This will be a better year.... This will be a better year." [Here is the catchy tune...] Is there karaoke this week Rachel?
- If you like to gamble, bet on Barlow taking out our opponents best people. Don't spend your money on the 181 million dollar lottery!
- Laura plays in her second game tomorrow. I think she is really bummed about missing last week. It's okay Laura, bring us the "W" this week!
- There were a lot of girls playing on the opposing teams last week. We caught Shaun getting their numbers before the game. As a result, I think he took it easy on them. Shaun, wait till AFTER the game!!
Where: Henrietta Szold (PS 134) - East Broadway (near Grand Street)
When: 6:30pm
Directions: Take F to East Broadway Station (Exit subway at East Broadway entrance/exit)
Walk East - You will pass Jefferson, Clinton, Montgomery and a playground on your right. Entrance is right before intersection of E. Broadway and Grand
Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=ps+134+Henrietta+Szold&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.726391,93.164063&ie=UTF8&ll=40.715468,-73.986129&spn=0.004294,0.011373&z=17&iwloc=A
Drinks after the game at Bar 169! It's right near the subway entrance.
The game is early this week, so please plan accordingly. Let me know if you think you'll have issues.
Thanks,
Larry
Hey Everyone! Awesome game last week! I hope you had a great time! Our game this week is Tuesday.
- iCaptain Dave Griffin is back. Have you ever seen someone sing while tagging our opponent on the other side of the court? Watch! He actually takes requests.
- I believed it and then I saw it. Wow! Laura's got skillz. Why did you miss the earlier games?
- Riva may have to play back to back this week. We may have enough though. Warm up the bar for us Riva!
- Cynthia is riding a camel in Egypt! We can't bust her chops about that. I like Dodgeball, but not THAT much.
- I wasn't kidding when I said diversity is in our DNA. The Kiwi's Kim and Ursula return. Although I thought they first said they were Aussie! Are people confused "down under"? I thought Kiwi's don't like to be called Aussie and vice versa. I'll have to find out this week.
- Our Canadian peeps Shaun and Itai were afraid to come close to the 'border', we told them we don't check passports here. Don't be afraid!
- It's always a pleasure to have Rachel join us. I know she's busy so she may need some coaxing..... pitchers of Guinness Rachel, "Pitchers"!! And this is the bar that has PBJ! "*whistle*, *whistle... and we don't care about the young folks, talkin' bout the young style, and we don't care about the old folks, talkin' 'bout the old style too, and we don't care about their own faults, talkin' 'bout our own style, all we care 'bout is talking, talking only me and you"
- Team MVP Barlow came through and guaranteed our only victory last week by nailing the last player on the court on the very last game!
When: Tuesday @ 9:30pm
Where: Robert Louis Stevenson (PS 183) - E 67th Street between York and 1st on the south side of street.
Directions: Take the 6 to E68th Street Station. The school is located 419 East 67th St (btw York and 1st Ave). You do not need to enter the school to get to the gym. Walk through play yard on 67th street!
Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Robert+Louis+Stevenson+PS+183&ie=UTF8&ll=40.765754,-73.95685&spn=0.009003,0.022745&z=16&iwloc=A
Drinks at O'Flanagans (1st b/w 65th and 66th) after the game!
Let me know if you can't make it!!
Although the location is 'Times Square-ISH', the Irish Rogue has really become our Monday night staple when a sporting event is on TV. We were almost always here during football season! Located on 44th, just east of 9th Ave, this place is frequented by people who work in the theaters and people who live in the area. My buddy Nate introduced me to this place. 
He just lives down the street and mentioned they have Monday night specials. How can you pass up a $3 plate of chicken wings!?!? We sure didn't! On one monday night, they ran out of wings! Hahahaaa! Anyway, what kept us coming back was the fact that there was room to move around, always a place to sit, really cool wait and bar staff, table toppers, and really good wings!!
It's hard to describe how the place is laid out. You'll have to check out their website. There are a lot of TVs so you won't have any issues missing a play. There is a space for a band and there is also a booth for the DJ.
The wait staff is great. Shane is usually the bartender on Monday nights with Tina, Neeve, or Nicole taking care of the floor. Although we've been there when they had some other waitress taking care of us. In any case, we knew we were taken care of. When we first started going there, they would give us a free round of shots. We thought we were special, but we knew some bars did that to hopefully get us to come back. We didn't need the shots.
If your ever in New York City and just happen to be in Hell's Kitchen, head over to the Rogue! You can be a tourist and feel welcomed. The regulars are not pompous so you may meet someone new!
http://www.theirishrogue.com/
I'm psyched! After a week of rest, we will finally have the chance to be fully "staffed" for this weeks Dodgeball game!
- iCaptain Griffin could be back in action after throwing out his back several weeks ago. He has a prior engagement, but should be able to make it out after his duties are done.
- Laura makes her Dodgeball debut and will be showing us how they really throw down in Florida!
- Riva likes to cheat on her team. If they don't mind, we don't either!! "disaronno on the rocks" anyone?
- Cynthia continues to avoid it. We ALL can't understand why? Quit teasing us Cynthia!
- Our Canadian peeps Shaun and Itai will finally get to be on the court at the same time!
- Barb will challenge us to shots at 'The Parlour' as she stands TALL at the bar!
- Our most experienced Dodgeball player, Rachel 'Boom Boom' Foster, has played with the rubber balls. Nobody intimidates her!
- Team MVP Barlow, will lead us to victory with his well rested arm and jedi like dodging abilities.
When: Wednesday @ 8:30pm
Where: Sara Anderson (PS 9) - 100 West 84th Street (corner of Columbus)
Directions: Take B or C to 86th Street Station (CPW) or 1 to 86th Street Station (Broadway) then walk a few blocks.
Drink at 'The Parlour' after the game!
Anyway.. let me know if you can't make it!!
-Larry
Hey Fellas, Just wanted to congratulate you guys for another terrific season! As we all know, we this could have been our 3rd in a row. Sh#t happens, so I'm okay with it. I do want to thank Greg, Mo, Kirk and Steve for traveling up from Philly and DC to play!! That's commitment! I hope the Championship makes it all worth while!! Thank you guys! I gotta give props to Rod for coming back up to play in the finals!! I hope it was a pleasant April Fools joke for those who were 'surprised'! Hahahaa! With the exception of Mo, I know it wasn't our best shooting game. We did mix it up and got points inside and outside. Seriously...I'm not sure if there's a team out there who can stop a front court of Smitty, Rod, and Duncan!! We've had it for the past 3 seasons (summer, fall, winter) and should have had 3 titles to show for it! Duncan was killer from the stripe! Not sure why they kept choosing to foul one of our best free throw shooters! We played good defense, but it wasn't our best. Next season we really need to work on not "reaching in" and bailing the other team out on drives to the basket. We also need to get in shape to make our trap even more deadly! I think we all were watching the game prior to our game Wednesday. You saw the best from the other divisions. I know some of us thought it would be a great learning experience to play some of those teams! Well you know what... since we won our division, we have been invited to play in the "Quads". The Quads is their version of the Final Four. These are games that are all played in one night. The winner will be the best team of ALL the divisions in nyurban!! It's scheduled for April 23rd. Our game is at 6:30pm. If we win, we play again that same night at 9pm. I was also told that all the division trophies will be handed out at the Quads. I guess its the incentive to get people to come out and play. This game is in addition to the spring season games. So we may have two games that week. Mark your calendars. I don't expect everyone to make it, but let me know if your interested in playing in the Quads. I do want to field a team and not cancel. Let me know! Here are videos from the finals. Its not the entire game but its a good 7 or 8 minutes of segments. They are in sequential order.
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2miTwFPPops
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUqD4qHUZrc
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTzbMIkmVzM
4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXOSpwnFtNA
5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cFrhNiPyLU
6) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poASqPuosRA
7) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJoVpvJUASU
8) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK0cgAtGMZg
Spring season starts next week! Our first game is Tuesday April 7th. The cost is $119 per person! If you've committed to the Spring please get me the money as soon as possible. I have to pick up the league shirts and pay our dues.
Black Mambas - Spring Season Game One
Tuesday April 7th @ 8:10pm
Park West High School - 525 West 50th St. Between 10th & 11th Avenues. Gym is on the 5th floor.
If you didn't know, we will be getting some Nike throw back jerseys! They are scarlet (red) and white. The name on the jersey will be 'Apaches'. It's my high school team. They have already been ordered through Nike. We will still use the Mambas Jerseys and on occasion wear the throwbacks. Here are the numbers I got for us. There will only be 12 Jerseys and I tried to keep the numbers and sizes the same as your Black Mamba.
Number Size
50 XXL
4 XXL
5 XXL
43 XL
11 XL
23 XL
2 XL
7 L
22 L
31 L
20 L
24 L
I own all the tops (home and away). My time in NYC will eventually come to an end and I plan on taking the throw back jerseys with me. I will pass on the extra Mamba jerseys to the next mamba captain so the team can carry on. However, if you want to buy your top, you can get them individually on your own. We will have to go to a local shop to get the number and team name on it. Since these are yours, you can even put your name on the back if you want.
Jersey Top (optional)
Scarlet/White
Product: 77771657
Price: $43.99
http://www.eastbay.com/catalog/productdetail/model_nbr--72554/sku--77771657/cm--GLOBAL%20SEARCH%3A%20KEYWORD%20SEARCH/
I do ask that you buy the shorts! These are way better than the Mamba shorts.
Ohio State Game Short (required)
Scarlet/White
Product #: 77772657
Price: $39.99
Link: http://www.eastbay.com/catalog/productdetail.cfm?model_nbr=72556&sku=77772657&cm=GLOBAL%20SEARCH:%20PRODUCT%20NUMBER%20SEARCH
We won't wear the throw backs until we all have the shorts!!! So get them now before they run out of a size!! Once again, thanks for a terrific season!
-Larry
Alright boys and girls.... this is the game you can't miss!
Tonight at 7:30pm the stars will align nothing like you ever knew!! The red and white dodgeballs will now be black and blue. I can't believe Venu sent that last email! I'm comin' after you Medra-Nu!! Don't pay attention to what it said, he's trying to recruit you.
"Oh man... here we go again! I'm wearing pads this time." -Vijay KP
"Will there be any cute boys?" -Ester
"Will there be any cute boys?" -Venu
"I threw my back out last week. Wait till you see what I throw out tonight!" -DGriffin
"The first game I play in is this one? I can't wait!" -Laura
Untoucha-Balls vs Bi Bim Ballz vs Ballcohollics
Time: 7:30pm
Where: Henrietta Szold (PS 134) - East Broadway (near Grand Street)
Directions: Take F to East Broadway Station (Exit subway at East Broadway entrance/exit)
Walk East - You will pass Jefferson, Clinton, Montgomery and a playground on your right. Entrance is right before intersection of E. Broadway and Grand
If you've never been there before, try to get there earlier.
Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Henrietta+Szold++PS+134+new+york&sll=40.719046,-73.988092&sspn=0.00901,0.022745&ie=UTF8&ll=40.714623,-73.986408&spn=0.004505,0.011373&z=17
Untoucha-Balls - Let me know if you CANNOT make it. You can send me an email directly.
Thanks,
Larry
On this day, we arrived around 2 in the afternoon. The place was busy but I wouldn't say packed. The line for food wasn't very long and their food offering wasn't that bad. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich which was about $10. That's actually pretty normal for Manhattan so if you were expecting cheaper eats in LIC, don't expect it here. The very first thing I noticed about this place was that you had to stand in line to order. There was no wait staff out in the garden that can get you drinks and food. I thought that was a little disappointing. The other thing was that this place does NOT take credit cards. So if you come, be sure to bring some cash. They do have ATMs in house, but I wouldn't rely on them to have any cash towards the end of the night/day.
They were cool. Have yet to go to a beer garden where the people are not very friendly!
