Tartan Day in New York 2007

This is last year's page - the 2008 page is here

That's another year over - thanks to everyone who made it to all the events and we'll see you again next year.

Click here to see the photos

Quick Links

The Parade - Saturday, April 14th, 2pm

We're the Famous Tartan Army and we're off to Central Park

Join the parade! March up 6th Avenue as part of the Tartan Army group - everybody is encouraged to join in, visitors and locals alike. Marching up 6th avenue amongst the massed pipers, singing and waving to the crowd is quite a surreal experience. When you hear the noise...

As you can see from the video and photos from last year's parade (and the year before), the Tartan Army section has been growing each year (despite the weather!).

We'll be meeting between noon and 1pm at St Andrews, on 44th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway. The more Scottish the attire the better (but please no club colours). Most of the parade meets up here beforehand, but we should be pretty easy to spot as we will undoubtedly be the scruffiest bunch in the place and one of us will be at the bar either getting a round in or, more likely, trying to scrounge one from somebody else. We won't publish our mobile numbers here, but if you email us, we'll sort you out. Ask around for Kenny, Colin or Malky.

Send us a note if you want to take part so that we can get a rough idea of numbers.

After the parade... it's traditional to retire and recuperate at a local tavern, then on to the official post-parade party at Stout This kicks off at 4:30pm and has live music from Scocha and MacTalla Mor - see tartanweek.com for details. Note that advance tickets are required/recommended.

The 5th Annual NYC TA Tartan Day Party - Saturday, April 14, 8pm

This is the place to be on the Saturday night. It'll all get going about 8 and last all night (well, until 4am).

We'll have a Scottish DJ playing the best music from Scotland, including a lot of selections from the Top 75 Scottish Singles of all time (as voted for at jocknroll.co.uk). If we're feeling mischevious, there may also be some tunes from the Top 20 Worst Tunes (especially if we can find those old Krankies and Kelly Marie 45's).

As usual, we'll try and have some Irn Bru on hand for the homesick and the banter will be quality, for sure, although what kind of quality is debatable.

Lucky Jack's (downstairs lounge)
126 Allen Street OR 129 Orchard Street
(Between Rivington and Delancey)
map
Saturday, April 14th, 8pm - 4am
FREE ENTRY
21+

Second Annual Tartan Army Football Match - Friday Evening, April 13th

Last year's inaugural match was a great success with the NYC-based Scots hammering the Visiting Scots 4-2 in front of a half-decent crowd, and only one broken bone (pictures here, video of the piped procession to the match here).

Pier 40
W Houston Street and West Street [map ]
8pm Kick-off
Meeting point: 6:30pm at Lederhosen, 39 Grove St (between Bedford St and Bleecker St - map)

There will be a piped procession (alright, a walk) to the pitch.

If you aren't playing, come along to meet the teams and watch the match - it may be the only game you'll ever see where Scotland are guaranteed to win! (or at least draw, for the smart-arses).

Afterwards, we'll be heading to Botanica, a Scottish-run bar on Houston Street. They'll have some drinks specials on the go for us, so there'll be no need to go thirsty. If you can't make the game, head along here from 10:30pm onwards to catch up with the teams.

The match is supported by:

Urban Soccer
.

Tartan Balls
.

First Touch Online
.

What Else Is On?

The official New York Tartan Day site has a comprehensive list of all the Scottish events going on. If we hear of anything particularly interesting, we'll list it here.

Scottish bands playing NYC:

To find out what non-Tartan Day events are on, the best bet is to buy a copy of Time Out New York. If you want to catch a good local or touring band playing in the city, the best site is ohmyrockness.com.

For some local football action, the Metrostars New York Red Bulls season kicks off early April (match schedule). They no longer have Mo Johnston or Peter Canero but you might recognize this guy.

It's also the second week of the baseball season for the Yankees and the Mets.

Scotsman Tartan Week News

NYC Visitors Guide

Or more accurately... where to get a pint and some good cheap food.

Most likely, you'll be staying in Midtown as that's where most of the hotels are, but unless you want to spend your entire time talking to tourists, you'll want to head to where the locals go - and for eating and drinking, everything worth visiting is downtown, below 14th street. For drinking in particular, the East Village and the Lower East Side are good bets.

Bars

The following are a few 100% tried and tested bar crawls to get you started:

• The East Village
• Noho & Nolita
• The Lower East Side
• The City's Best Dive Bars
• Williamsburg (take the L subway from Union Square - 10 minute ride to this cool Brooklyn neighbourhood)

It's not difficult to find a bar in New York, but here are our surefire recommendations:

The Scratcher (209 E 5th St, between 2nd Ave & Bowery)

Irish, but without the faux decor. Probably the best bar in New York.

Botanica (47 E Houston St, at Mulberry St)

Owned and run by Mark from Edinburgh (formerly of the Scratcher) - say hello and tell him we sent you.

St Andrews (120 W 44th St, between 6th and 7th avenues)

Traditional gathering point for the Tartan Day parade which kicks off just outside. More of a restaurant than a pub, so if it gets too busy we also recommend Jimmy's Corner a couple of doors down, an old school dive bar run by former boxing trainer, Jimmy Glenn.

Nublu (62 Ave C between 4th & 5th Sts - no sign, so look for blue light bulb)

If you're looking for something a bit different, this is a nice lounge and a good late night place all week long.

Lakeside Lounge (162 Ave B, between 10th & 11th St)

A great jukebox featuring classic rock'n'roll, soul, rockabilly and blues, a cheap photo booth and a couple of pac man machines.

Bars with Scottish connections... apart from Botanica and St Andrews (mentioned above) there are two other Scottish-themed (but Irish-owned) bars that are worth checking out: Deacon Brodies in midtown and Iona in Brooklyn.

The legal drinking age in New York is 21 and you will need ID in a lot of bars, even if you're an auld yin. Tip $1 for every drink - this is how bar staff get paid, but if you're friendly and hang around long enough, they'll probably buy you a round back once in a while. No smoking in bars, and no dancing either unless it's a licensed nightclub.

The Tartan Specials enjoy a New York pint

Restaurants

Shake Shack (Madison Square Park, Madison Avenue & 23rd Street)

It's outside and the queues are really long, but this could be the best burger you ever eat. And they sell beer.

Boca Chica (13 1st Ave, at 1st St)

Latin American food with killer margaritas. Seriously good.

Benny's Burritos (93 Ave A, at 6th St)

California-style burritos with 50s kitsch decor. Cheap, tasty & plentiful.

Great Jones (54 Great Jones St, at Bowery)

Tiny Cajun/Creole place with excellent food.

Spice (60 University Pl, at 10th St)

One of the better Thai places around (there are many, and they are mostly good)

Momofuku (163 1st Ave, at 10th St)

Small but exceptionally good Japanese(ish) noodles.

Chickpea (23 3rd Ave, at St Marks Place)

The best kebabs (shawarma = donner) and falafel (or go for the shawafel combo)

Two Boots Pizza (44 Avenue A, at 3rd St)

Cajun pizza - an odd idea but it works.

Other than St Andrews, the only restaurants we can think of with Scottish connections are Gordon Ramsay and Angus McIndoe

To work out the tip, double the tax on the bill (comes to about 17%), but check first that they haven't already added a service charge (sometimes done when serving tourists). All of the above restaurants are low key and inexpensive. If you want to splash out on something more swish, pick up a copy of the Zagat's Guide and pick a restaurant from the Top 50.

If 4am closing time doesn't impact your sightseeing, there is plenty to see in NYC. The Empire State Building has spectacular views, particularly at dusk, but the lengthy queues for tickets can be off-putting. For a free cruise past the Statue of Liberty and a great view of the downtown skyline, you can't do better than the Staten Island Ferry. Times Square is worth a quick look, and fortunately it's near the Tartan Day parade (and St Andrews). Also recommended are Central Park and walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Walking around the various neighbourhoods is probably the best way to see the city, particularly the East Village, Soho, the West Village, Meatpacking, Chinatown and Little Italy. Feeling adventurous? Check out the Brooklyn 'hoods of Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, Park Slope or Carroll Gardens.

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

Safety & Crime

New York, especially Manhattan, is very safe these days and there is much less petty crime compared to, say, Glasgow or London. But as always, take normal precautions as it's likely that a hoard of kilted up Scotsmen and women might stand out as not being local. Take care around Times Square where pick-pockets work.

Getting Around

The subway is fast, cheap and safe. Buy a metrocard at any station for either a set amount of money (at $2 a trip) or unlimited use ($7/day or $24/week). Metrocards will also work on the buses which are slower but let you see more of the city.

Taxis are plentiful and reasonably priced, with most trips costing between $5 and $15, and can be quite a thrill-ride given the driving styles of NY cabbies. Taxis take four passengers.

Weather

The weather in April is pretty unpredictable - the last few Tartan Days have all been blessed with typical Glasgow weather but maybe this year we'll get a scorcher. Check the forecast at weather.com.

Useful Links

• Citysearch.com - directory of bars, restaurants, hotels etc. with user reviews
• Google! Maps
• Transit Authority (subway maps etc.)
• Getting to and from JFK airport
• Getting to and from Newark airport
• Craig's List - if you need to buy tickets for any sold out events

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