Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall

Union Hall,* located in the lovely brownstone-laden neighborhood of Park Slope, is my favorite bar in all of the five boroughs of New York City. The main floor has cozy couches, shelves of books that give it a great homey feeling, a fireplace and a great beer selection (plus the drink prices are pretty good to NY - a well drink will cost you $5-6). In the back they have a small space you can reserve for private parties. They also have pretty decent bar food. But of course, one of the things Union Hall is most known for is its bocce ball courts. There are two courts and if you're there on the weekends, get their early to sign up. For those of you who don't know, bocce is an Italian lawn sport where you have a small ball (the polina) and you try to get your teams balls closest to the small ball. In the case of Union Hall, you play on sandy courts inside the bar (see below). It's a laid back game, perfect for playing with a drink in your hand. It can also be a fun way to meet new people. There are some players who take the game a little too seriously though - once I played a duo who brought their own balls! Also, you have better chances of getting on the court if you stick close. A lot of people put their name on the list and then walk away and don't really bother checking back in, so you can usually hop in on one of their spots if you stick close by. For those of you bocce enthusiasts looking to play more often or without the crowds, you can join their bocce league.

And I haven't even gotten to the downstairs yet... Downstairs is a concert venue where they have some pretty great shows (and some not so great ones of course). I think they also have poetry, comedy and even a science night there sometimes. The best thing of all though is Friday nights: Karaoke Killed the Cat. It's the best karaoke I've ever been to (although Live Band karaoke at Webster Hall in Manhattan comes pretty close because with an actual band behind you, you really feel like a rock star). Most of the people who go up are great entertainers. Irony seems to be key to the entertainment - you get two of the whitest white hipsters rapping or you get a tattooed metal head singing a ballad, etc. All in all, it's a really good time and people are very supportive of each other. It's always packed pretty shortly into the night and everyone in the audience is dancing and singing along. The only downside is that you also need to get there pretty much right when it starts though in order to get your name in line to sing.

*NOTE: not to be confused with Union Pool, a hipster bar in Williamsburg, OR Union Bar, a yuppy bar in Manhattan.