Gridskipper

Once famously called "Blogger High's Peach Pit" in these very pages, the Magician now draws mostly blogging… fogeys and has-beens rather than hot new 22-year-olds. Still think it's cool? Shut up, 2005! [link]

Still absurdly popular despite succumbing to noble rot some time ago. Yes, it's an LES institution of sorts, and yes, the lights are too goddamn bright, and yes, everyone has had bad nights here. But we all had… nights here, right man? You know, right? [link]

A German bar and biergarten that serves decent wursts and such, the chief draw is the garten in back during warmer months. Said garten was once a popular postwork takeover spot for blog nerds, but it's so well known… these days that even the pajama-clad crowd can rarely get here soon enough to claim tabletop real estate. Still good for smaller groups though, both beer- and brat-wise. [link]

Von may look like nothing special from the street, but it's got an excellent, large, dim back room that's an ideal habitat for blogger infestations. Pours are reasonably strong, and bartenders are reasonably friendly.… Plus, it's a short walk from Gawker Media's office, among others. [link]

Had my first drink with a real live blogger here, so it makes the list for sentimental reasons. Sammiches ain't too bad neither. [link]

They used to make mayonnaise here, and that seems somehow relevant. Galapagos is an "art space" that serves as a Romper Room for art nerds, particularly those of the Dave Eggers variety. Indulgent to the point of… sadomasochism, the performance schedule is eclectic, and the space (if not the art) is impressive. [link]

A loungey LES drinkery favored by bloggos desiring a step up from the usual divey swill. Played host to "Gothamist House" a couple years back. (photo)… [link]

T&J's "real" name is supposedly the 288 Bar, but use that moniker and no one will know where you mean. It's another popular after-work stop for Silicon Alley denizens due to its cavernous space, long bar, and… decent draft selection. [link]

No, fool, not this place — Shark Bar is nominally called Spring Lounge, but Alex Balk made a … href="http://gawker.com/news/the-metro-desk/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-san-gennaro-festival-299651.php">habit of popularizing the already more-popular name for the place whilst at Gawker. There are sharks, there is a bar. That's all you need know. [link]

One of the foci for the Lower East Side Brasseriezation Project, Schiller's lures bloggers primarily with free wifi, late afternoon coffee, and the legendary donut feasts brought out round that time. Though few… cool kids would be caught dead inside during rush times, they've been known to stumble in for last rounds at the wee hours. [link]

This bar enjoyed only a brief spurt of bloggy populism, though lil' gatherings still take place on weeknights when the douche factor is relatively low. An acceptable local when LESers aren't in the mood to work… too hard for their booze. [link]

Long since overrun with awful creatures on weekends, you can still occasionally scrape out a decent evening on weeknights. Still no liquor here… last time I checked, but not bad for a swill with the right crowd. [link]

The first time I saw a line behind a velvet rope waiting to get into Pianos, I thought it was a hilarious traveling art piece. But no. The line was real, as was the velvet rope. There was no big-time secret show… in the performance room. It was just Saturday night. That was a year ago, or more, and a couple years before that, bloggers were already sick of this place. [link]

A trendoid suck-hole of the first order, Happy Ending nevertheless draws a regular procession of happy blogtards to its various reading series and afterparties.… The rooms are not unpleasant, but the crowd goes from zero to douchebag in nothing flat. Avoid unless you're going to support your pals onstage; even though the cocktails are passably good, it's otherwise dead or heaving. [link]

The legendary long copper bar really is worth checking out for nightlife aficionados, though the narrow setup leads to frequent bottlenecks. The downstairs event room works well for parties and big groups, and it… hosts the odd bloggy event or reading. [link]

Four words: Lockhart Steele birthday party. That is all. [link]