A trip to New York for a week had been organised and one of the first priorities for Avril, Richard and I was to have a brunch on a Sunday morning, 31 May, with bottomless drinks. After much research, we opted for Diablo Royale in Greenwich, a rather rustic and no frills Mexican type place doing reasonably priced quesadilla and the like, plus watery bloody Marys. Not bad though for a start and a damned sight cheaper than some of the trendier places around.

After a bit of a wander around we were thirsty and popped into Blind Tiger for a pint. This is a craft brew place which apparently has been around for longer than trendy hipsters have liked craft brews, and it is a happier place for it. Lots of brewing apparatus around the place, lots of wooden stools, a huge array of beer, although the usual American problem of making them too strong and/or too flavoured was prevalent over much of the menu. But there was enough choice and this place would certainly merit an extended stay.

A bit more of a walk followed, to Bayard’s, another ale house. This place was deceptive because it has large glass windows and a big awning, more akin to a French restaurant, and this atmosphere permeates inside a bit, especially as it is more like table service. But the beer is good and again this is a good place to stop for a glass or two.

The Spotted Pig is just up the road which was quite fortunate as thunder clouds were beginning to loom. This pub has an even more bistro kind of vibe - it has tablecloths. It was also heaving but we were lucky and managed to park ourselves in the window seat whilst sodden folk walked by. There was even enough beer variety for more than one pint as we mustered courage to leave.

Braving the rain, we happened upon the Jane Hotel and decided that the Rooftop bar was the best place to be. Especially on a rainy day this is an atmospheric place to be, with its octagonal shape, art deco plaster walls and peripheral seating. Apparently, it is quite exclusive and had only just been made non-reservation. We went outside when the rain abated to get a good view. Only downsides are that it is quite expensive and the focus is cocktail, not beer. Nice lift ride to the top too.

Because it was late on a Sunday and pissing it down, there were very few people at the Biergarten of the Chester @ the Gansevoort Hotel. This also meant that we perhaps did not view it in as much splendour as we should have, but it was still a most pleasant place to have a few drinks, and their beer selection was pretty good. It is rather large and looking at their website quite grand inside though I was more preoccupied with finding the toilets in that maze. The outside was done well, with German style benches in a nice patio complete with plenty of trellis supported foliage, so I imagine rather good on a nice day.

Final stop for a nightcap was the roof bar at the Library Hotel - Bookmarks. Normally this would be a bit of a sun trap but we had to stay indoors at the main bar area which is probably not where they want you perched on a stool even though they are placed there. Far better to go to either end of the roof, either the Poetry Garden which is mainly open with a small conservatory and plenty of outside tables and chairs plus plants, or the Writer's Den at the other end with is more winter themed and indoor though does have a little bit of outdoor space. As one might imagine a great place for a drink, but not the cheapest or quietest and on sunny days there is no shade.

On the Monday I ventured out to the Financial District to meet Rich for some more refreshments. There is a little road with several bars on it and we started in Ulysses. It was a pretty traditional English (or perhaps more Oirish) pub type thing, with a variety of beer but the service was lacking even though it was empty. We sat by the window to plan our next move, which was over the road to the far more interesting Growler. This had a much more visionary selection of beer, to the point of being a bit trendy, but it was much more welcoming and a decent and relaxed place to drink. Some of the beers were excellent and they seemed to do decent cocktails too.

The Fraunces Tavern was just around the corner and is a well-known and established landmark in these parts. It is a sprawling pub with several rooms though fortunately one of these rooms is a main bar with a good selection of beers on tap and a huge selection in bottles. We however made ourselves at home in the very cosy and twee Dingle Whiskey bar. Rich had a whiskey and I think I had a beer.

The interesting named Dead Rabbit was next. A very good pub with a lively clientele and not much space. Loads of tat all over the place and quite tastefully done. They have loads of good beer and cocktails too, and their website, which might be a little too cool for school as most things in this area seem to be, says that it is spread over three floors. We only tried ground level because of how busy it was, and on a Monday night! Last call was for the Pound and Pence, which was a kind of cavernous sports bar done on an English pub theme, as if the Americans want that and as if anything looks like this in the UK. Solid enough though and on several levels, with pool tables away from the nicer areas that to be fair were rather cosy. Reasonably good beer as well, if unremarkable. A safe bet.

All three of us decided to meet up somewhere on the Upper East Side for lunch the following day. Chosen venue was Jones Wood Foundry. This was also a pub in the English mould, but this time far more refined and more of the gastro variety. Good solid food and reasonable beers, a high point being proper hand pumps, but a bit pricey and not that busy on a Tuesday lunchtime. We had walked there which seemed a bit excessive really, but if you are nearby then worth a visit. Certainly cheaper than Bemelmans at the Carlyle Hotel which was about a 5-minute walk away. This was unashamedly expensive and you will not get change from $20 for a cocktail, and cheapest beer is pissy Bud for $9, but it is still wonderfully atmospheric and traditional in an art deco style and with Bemelmans pictures round the walls. Just only stay for one...

Getting a taxi back into Midtown, we made the Park Avenue Tavern our next stop. This appeared to be an unashamedly corporate sports bar type of place, with a huge island bar and extensive tables and booths around the periphery plus more TVs than is sensible, and some very large windows. A bit of decent beer but noting to write home about. A place that is something to write home about was the Ginger Man, Midtown, where we met fellow Elsevier colleague Carrie Christensen. This pub was very good with just the right balance of tradition, real world and hipster. The beer selection was by far the largest on the trip, with samplers available, and the food is also good. Trouble is that it is not cheap and we stayed for the whole evening, so the final bill was eye watering.

Next day Avril and I stayed local and though we met up with Rich later on, we did pubs already done on the trip. There was one exception however, for lunch, Madison and Vine, at the bottom of the hotel. This is really a restaurant, but it does enough drinks, and you can order at the bar, to make it worth a visit in its own right.

By the last day, Rich had already left, so Avril and I took a trip to the Upper West Side to visit Jacob's Pickles. This was another pub that was a little bit more trendy than our normal haunts, but it was highly recommended and quite rightly so. Wide selection of interesting beers though as the food is Southern style, pickles, biscuits and chicken, the fairly gassy and rather strong ales can be a bit much. We still managed to fill ourselves up, and I even had room for a devilled egg!