Located at 211 Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn’s Bushwick, Three Diamond Door is a semi-craft beer bar. One notable retro quality about this place includes some old neon beer signs. Outdoor area was not open yet during our visit. The space has a long bar with window seating and some booths opposite the bar and strikes as a spot that is both good for winter and summer.

Located in the Chelsea Market Building (at 15^th St. & 9^th Ave) in Manhattan’s Chelsea, Corkbuzz opens its second location.  Much smaller than their Union Square location, Corkbuzz Chelsea Market has a small bar area in its front half; and a seating area in back that consists mainly of three stairs of stadium-style seating.  The space felt a bit cramped during our visit.  Open from 1pm until 1am, Corkbuzz Chelsea Market offers 24 wines by glass and nearly 50 out of the bottle; a small selection of beer and wine available as well.  Food menu offers small bites.  The spot is worth a visit next time you’re at Chelsea Market.

Located at 234 Starr Street in Brooklyn’s Bushwick, The Sampler is a beer bar/beer store just steps away from the Jefferson St. L train stop.  Offering 20 taps from which to sample, The Sampler sells growlers of beer and has some chillers for single beers/six packs.  The spot offers panini, meat/cheese plates for snacks.  A good stop for the Bushwick craft-beer bar crawl.

Located atop the Hotel Hugo at 525 Greenwich Street in Manhattan’s west Soho, Bar Hugo offers panoramic views, including south to the Financial District, west to the Hudson River and north to Midtown.  About a dozen low-lying tables and seating scattered around the indoor bar area.  There’s also a standing-room only terrace looking out across the Hudson River and into Jersey City, NJ.  In good weather, the open windows offer a nice cross breeze.  Eight house cocktails are available (at $18 a piece).  While this spot is a bit pricey, it’s worth a visit the next time you are in this nabe.

Located at 896 Broadway in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Divine B&G is a small neighborhood bar with a friendly staff and a small backyard (though there were no seats in the back area during our visit).  Divine B&G offers a limited selection of Hookah and has a pool table.

Located at 198 East 54^th Street (at Third Avenue), Crimson & Rye may be the first ever lobby bar for an NYC office building.  No joke, Crimson & Rye is located in the north section of the lobby of the Lipstick building.  Crimson & Rye is a cocktail bar with a good selection of amber-colored liquids; wine and beer also available.  Food consists of mostly small bites.  The oval-shaped bar takes up most of the space and seating along the windows looks out onto the 54^th & 3^rd intersection.  Our only beef with the place is the bathroom situation. Remember how it’s in the lobby of an office building?  Well, there is no bathroom in the lobby of that building (at least one for the bar patrons).  Therefore, bar patrons must go through building security, take an elevator down one flight, exit the elevator, take a couple of lefts to get to the facilities.  Perhaps, since Crimson & Rye just recently opened, such a situation is temporary.  Either way, Crimson & Rye is worth a visit.