Lolita

Lolita is not only a book by Nabokov about an old man by the name of Humbert Humbert becoming sexually obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl named Dolores Haze, but it’s also a adorable little bar on the corner of Broom and Allen in the Lower East Side.

With a few inches of fresh snow on the ground this past Friday night, it’s becomes increasing difficult to motivate to go out. After a new friend invited me to come out and meet him at Lolita, I realized it would only be laziness keeping from going out (Lolita is only six blocks from my house) and so me and the lovely Sophie trekked the six blocks.

I’ve been wary of the LES on Friday and Saturday nights as some of the even divest bars (e.g. some of my favorite bars) have been overwhelmed with Wallstreet personas, or those sporting Gotti Jr. hair do’s (e.g. a bottle of gel applied and spiked sky high) stripped shirts and frat boy attitudes. It feels a little bit like out of towners who have heard about this quaint little ‘downtown scene’ and want to find out what it’s about. Either way it’s not exactly a sexy crowd. I warned Sophie that it might be the same at Lolita.

With Sophie looking like a black version of the sexy French actress Bridget Bardot there was no shortage of attention for her. “People are really friendly at this bar.” She said with her charming French accent. She is still blissfully unaware of the attention she commands. She orders us a round of their signature drink “The Lolita” (passion fruit and vodka) and we join my friends and a group of his friends and co-workers.

We were pleasantly surprised that the crowd was not what we suspected. It was instead ranging from indie rock to LES regulars, with a little downtown business mixed in. My friends’ friends were a mix of film editors, successful clothing designers, and record label associates, and music managers. It was an accomplished crowd, but unpretentious.

It was the perfect way to unwind on a snowy Friday night.