Jaunted

World Cup NYC / → All Tags

World Cup NYC: Argentina v the Netherlands

This was out first visit to a bar where it was a complete bust. We butted up against our first cover charge, at Novecento, an Argentinean restaurant on West Broadway in Manhattan (very near La Streghe, coincidentally). While it wasn't a horrible deal--$20 got you in the door with a two drinks and food--it seemed kind of pointless to be ordering food where there wasn't a single place to sit in the whole joint a half-hour before kick-off. No wonder Argentina's economy is collapsing, what with cover charges being imposed left and right.

We ended up at Slainte on Bowery near Houston; and it made us realize that there's something to be said for watching World Cup matches at an unaffiliated bar. Especially when we could have paid $20 to watch a scoreless tie.

You don't have to worry about wearing the wrong colors; you are free to shrug off a loss of the team you support without being dragged down by the despair of your fellow fans; and there's usually a place to sit without someone blocking you view. That last one hasn't happened anywhere else yet.

Still, we hope it's the only time we are unable to get in somewhere, and we'll likely try Novecento again, in spite of their cover charge. Next time, though, we'll get there early, wearing a snazzy powder-blue number we've been saving for the occasion.

Related Stories:
·   World Cup Coverage [Jaunted]
·   Germany World Cup [Official Site]