Know the Rope

There was a time, not that long ago, when getting a drink on Myrtle Avenue was a tall order. It was an edgy part of Fort Greene few amenities.

was the de facto local dive because there just weren’t many other options. They had a $1 PBR special on Mondays (sadly discontinued) and life was good.

I left the neighborhood for a few years and recently returned to a few surprises. You can get Thai food and a holistic massage on Myrtle Avenue now, but Rope is still the same.

“We get a lot more folks in here asking for fancy cocktails nowadays,” said veteran bartender Erica Wilson. “But it keeps things interesting.”

I have enough stories related to Rope to write a novel, or at least a pretty entertaining short story. I spent at Rope and I spent New Years at Rope. Sometimes things get rowdy. Now that my best drinking buddy lives on the block, I might need to buy my own stool.

The news that salty bartendress Aubrey Edwards will no longer be pulling the taps is a bit of a crushing blow, but I’m sure the bar will survive. Watching her laugh a dweeb to the curb for ordering a bourbon & root beer cocktail is a Rope memory I might never forget.

The bar itself is somewhat tasteful. The arrangement is spacious and the lighting is just right. There is also plenty of seating and a nice long bar. The music is unrivaled and the bathroom is filthy. I’m getting thirsty just thinking about all of it.

Rope is surprisingly well stocked for a bar that caters to broke writers and art students. The draught usually has a couple fun micro-brew surprises and they keep my Bulleit Bourbon in steady supply. Hot toddies are a staple through the winter and even the newbies always seem to pull a decent pint of Guinness, a rare find at $5 a pint.

The walls are covered in American Classic tattoo art, a feature also in full display on French-born owner Frank Moe. Moe opened Rope in 2003 and he also owns local summer favorite Hot Bird up on Clinton Avenue. Needless to say, it appears that he has the Midas touch for cheap and homey establishments.

Rope is the true definition of a neighborhood bar, which is to be expected at any place that is uncomfortably inaccessible, even from the G train. But as cabin fever sets in for stranded residents of northern Fort Greene, the value of a well-seasoned venue cannot be overstated.

The pioneer sheen may be long gone on this hip dive, but rest assured, Rope will be putting smiles on drunken faces for years to come.