Doing the Charleston

© Gabrielle Sierra / RumBum.com

The Charleston is a classic old school Williamsburg watering hole. Located a stones throw from the Bedford Ave L train stop, the bar features the tried and true dive bar atmosphere as well as the ever enticing cheap drinks and live music.

One of the best features of The Charleston is that every Tuesday at 9pm, they have “Trivial Dispute” during which the DJ takes the mic for a few hours of game playing. Sheets are passed out and teams established; the experience levels range from newbie walk-ins to die-hard players, who show up each week ready to win prizes. The questions stretch from movie trivia to current events, and there is even an audio round. If you choose to pass on the writing portion of the game you may still walk away lucky and/or drunk from the “Shots Rounds”, during which the answers are simply shouted by the fastest mind and instantly rewarded with a shot.

Another big pro of heading to The Charleston is that they offer a free personal pan pizza alongside every beer, with the option of dropping an extra dollar for toppings. The pizzas are large enough to appease any hungry belly, and if you are in need of another helping simply order a second drink. Since this bar is far less populated than its fellow free pizza givers (Crocodile and Alligator Lounge), the wait for food is half as long and you are guaranteed a piping hot pie.

When it comes to atmosphere The Charleston possesses all the dive bar decorations but without that run down dirty feel or smell. On the street level the taped up booths wrap around gratified wooden tables. Dirty mirrors reflect half-lit sconces and bathe the space in that so dark everyone looks attractive glow. Odd emblems decorate the walls, bearing images of shovels and arrows and other such random stone-cutter-like symbols. Small out of place touches like low arches, a long and thick bar, and fancy ceiling detailing give The Charleston some ‘new Williamsburg’ (clean, contrived, designed, hipster) feeling, without shifting from the old school attitude.

The downstairs space is nothing short of a dungeon; dark and small with very little means of escape. This is where The Charleston showcases a plethora of unsigned local bands and hosts “live band kareoke” nights.  Although the quarters may be less than ideal this space provides young talent a low-key place to improve their performance skills, test new songs, and gather a new fans. Of course this also has its drawbacks- some of the acts are less than desirable and thanks to shoddy acoustics the entire bar is permeated by whatever noise is going on downstairs.

The Charleston’s crowd is a melting pot of all Williamsburg types. Metal guys in leather jackets take a seat next to hipster chicks in headbands while across the bar they are getting the eye from hippie musicians. There is no sense of a contrived atmosphere or attitude, just a group of young people aiming to have fun and take a break. The staff is in their own world but generally friendly and accommodating to whatever domestic beer you choose to indulge in. Best bet is to go with a friendly low matinance group and get sloppy on the cheap.