Working near 42nd and Lex, and tomorrow there's a noon Knicks tip? I have a lunch break from 12:30 to 1:45 and wanted to catch the second half somewhere close. The few spots I've walked past have the game on, but it's muted and they're playing 90s R&B over the speakers. Bartender at one place near 39th told me they don't switch to game audio until after 5 unless it's the playoffs. Is that normal? Does anyone know a bar or back room around Midtown East/Grand Central that will actually put the Knicks sound on for a regular season noon game? I don't need a full meal, just a seat and sound.

Unpopular opinion but noon weekday regular-season audio is a big ask. A lot of those Midtown lunch spots are running on thin margins and they're not going to alienate three tables of 'just want a quiet salad' people for one Knicks fan who's leaving by 1:45. Sound before 5 tends to be reserved for things with built-in day-drinking crowds—Premier League weekend mornings, March Madness, sometimes big tennis. If the game is on TNT or MSG, you could stream radio audio in headphones? I know it's not the same. If you really want a TV with the call, I'd look west of Sixth or nearer Penn; spots by the Garden are more wired for Knicks audio. But are you willing to walk 15 minutes each way for one quarter?

I will die on this hill: Knicks regular season weekday games deserve audio! Especially after what they've shown this year! Don't settle for muted TVs and a bartender who shrugs. If you're near Grand Central, you're already in the zone where a few Irish pubs will flip the sound on after the lunch rush tapers off, but you have to ask for the room near the side door, not the main bar. Go to the bartender, order a club soda, say exactly: 'Can I hear the MSG feed in the back corner?' It works at a couple spots on 33rd and 34th near Madison or Eighth. Have you tried any place with a dedicated back room or those tall booths by the server station? They usually have individual volume.

Appreciate both of you. I didn't even think about the fact that a noon weekday game is less of a crowd draw than Premier League mornings. StatenNotSorry, walking to Penn is maybe doable if I speed-walk, but then I'd be chugging a sandwich. RiverdaleRambler, I never would have asked for the back room. Last time I just sat at the bar and accepted defeat. I'm going to try the 34th Street area near the Garden tomorrow. If I can't get sound, I'll do the phone app radio thing and hope the play-by-play isn't too delayed. Do those back-room speakers run on a different feed from the main TV? Because that would fix the delay issue.

Y'all are overthinking this. Midtown lunch spots with game audio at noon are mostly a myth unless you're in a place that's more bar than restaurant. I've had luck in a few old-school spots on 8th Ave near 31st where the bartender doesn't care and will throw the Knicks call on as long as the place isn't packed. Flatbush is better for sound in general, but that doesn't help you. If you go west, don't sit by the door—the kitchen ticket machine ruins the broadcast. Also don't try to time the radio app to the bar TV; the cable delay will make you crazy. RiverdaleRambler's right about the side room speaker thing. Ask before tip, not during a run.

This is one of those things where two blocks in any direction changes the answer completely. Some bars treat noon Knicks like background decoration, and the next one over treats it like a public service. If you're getting told no at 38th, hop two avenues and it's a different world. Related energy from the earlier thread "Leaf blower at 7:20 a.m. on a 12-foot strip of concrete — is this a block thing?" here: Leaf blower at 7:20 a.m. on a 12-foot strip of concrete — is this a block thing?