Third Avenue Bars have them drinking early
Murray Hill, one of the lowest crime, highest income areas in New York, is quietly drinking its way to the top of the city’s binge-drinking ranks. Part of the reason for that is the lineup of bars along Third Avenue in the 30s, which cater to a crowd that includes a lot of freshly-minted college grads, who bring their Fraternity and Sorority experience with them to Midtown East.
New York Magazine ran this parody video about Murray Hill residents, which shows their rowdy behavior after a long night of hitting the Third Avenue strip of bars. According to nyc.gov, the area’s binge drinking rate is the second highest in all of New York City and almost the same as the highest–23%.
Even on a Sunday afternoon, Third Avenue in Murray Hill is a jam-packed with bar patrons watching sports, sipping suds and more.
At Patrick Kavanaugh’s, the arch-shaped windows are open and the bar is so tightly packed that people are sitting on the sills, while others stand on the sidewalk looking in. They are crowded around the televisions watching the Jets and keeping the bartenders and waitresses busy.
A patron at another bar, Shawn Reagan, only visits Murray Hill on Sundays during football season. He lives on the Upper East Side and says he isn’t a fan of the rowdy nightlife in Murray Hill because of the drinking and also the pickup scene, which, he says, is even apparent on a Sunday afternoon.
Residents of the neighborhood, like Hilary Pecheone, also come out to the bars on Third Avenue to watch sports. Pecheone is dressed head to toe in football paraphernalia, from a numbered jersey to knee high tube socks and she is carrying a football. She says she only goes to The Wharf on Sundays because it’s an Ole Miss college football crowd. At night, she says, Murray Hill is known for having a certain atmosphere.
Taylor Dupree is also at The Wharf, but he says he doesn’t go there often, only when his friends invite him. He graduated college last Spring and says the crowd, especially at night, is mostly his age. He says it’s upbeat and can be fun and that people go to Murray Hill to have a certain kind of experience.