Lounge Bars

by Amelia Dallis
(Page 2)

Lounge bars are intimately tempered and luxurious. They woo you out in to the evening and the good ones make you feel right at home.

On Mercer, between Houston and Prince is Merc Bar, 212-966-2727. It was the first bar to open with the intention of creating a contemporary space. Rough wood planks panel the walls of the high ceilinged room. The addition of a free standing display of antlers and huge waterfall prints, a canoe suspended from the ceiling and a large photo of an Indian woman finish the visitor's transport to the lodges of Aspen.

The couches? Cow skin. The space used to be a stable, so the rustic Americana tone blends right in with history. Music ranges from rock to disco. No official dance floor, but the music generates a sexy pulse that starts people swaying.

bob Bar, on Eldridge Street between Houston and Stanton, 212-777-0588 is an eclectic mix. The homemade settees have floral cushions, the high back chairs are mismatched, and paisley banquets sweep one side of the room. The lighting is deli-style Madonna candles and, over the bar, sculptural acrobats swing from a highwire carrying tiny spotlights with their feet.

The back bar is an offbeat mesh of plastic vine fruits, dried flowers, empty film reels, a microscope and a small tv playing cartoons and old cult movies. By playing a variety of reggae, funk, groove, acid jazz and hip hop, bob draws an ethnically diverse crowd. Coming soon is an art gallery bar with showings of photographs and paintings, art perforance, poetry reading, and video and interactive computer installations.

On Mercer, between Houston and Prince is Merc Bar, 212-966-2727. It was the first bar to open with the intention of creating a contemporary space. Rough wood planks panel the walls of the high ceilinged room. The addition of a free standing display of antlers and huge waterfall prints, a canoe suspended from the ceiling and a large photo of an Indian woman finish the visitor's transport to the lodges of Aspen.

The couches? Cow skin. The space used to be a stable, so the rustic Americana tone blends right in with history. Music ranges from rock to disco. No official dance floor, but the music generates a sexy pulse that starts people swaying.

bob Bar, on Eldridge Street between Houston and Stanton, 212-777-0588 is an eclectic mix. The homemade settees have floral cushions, the high back chairs are mismatched, and paisley banquets sweep one side of the room. The lighting is deli-style Madonna candles and, over the bar, sculptural acrobats swing from a highwire carrying tiny spotlights with their feet.

The back bar is an offbeat mesh of plastic vine fruits, dried flowers, empty film reels, a microscope and a small tv playing cartoons and old cult movies. By playing a variety of reggae, funk, groove, acid jazz and hip hop, bob draws an ethnically diverse crowd. Coming soon is an art gallery bar with showings of photographs and paintings, art perforance, poetry reading, and video and interactive computer installations.