Need a low-stakes baseball spot near Penn. I’ve got a 3:30 NJT train Thursday and want to catch the first chunk of the 1:05 Yankees game without spending a fortune on a 'gameday' burger. Used to post up at a place on 33rd but now they keep the sound off for weekday lunch and it’s too packed to relax. Not tryna pay a cover for a daytime game. Any place with a stool, the game audio on, and a bartender that won’t give me the side-eye for ordering a coffee and maybe one beer? Only need the first six innings.

I feel you. The noon-to-4 window around Penn is weird for baseball. Most places don’t flip the audio on until the Knicks or Rangers. I’ve had okay luck at the dingy Irish pub on 30th off 8th, but you kind of have to ask before you sit. If the bartender’s busy or not feeling it, you’re out of luck. If you just want the score with no sound, the diner counter on 7th is fine, but that’s not really watching.

Kinda like the Furnishing a first empty studio in a walk-up: where are people actually buying a bed and couch without a car? thread on furnishing a first walk-up studio without a car—when you actually need a spot, all the obvious recs suddenly have a catch. For day baseball around Penn, I’d skip the sports bars and try the old-school joint on 9th between 30th and 31st. Two TVs, no host stand, and the bartender will usually switch the speaker if you ask before first pitch. It’s not a big-group spot, but for one person and a coffee it works.

I’ve tried that 9th Ave joint. Cash only last I checked, and the stools are basically church pews with less padding. But the audio is more reliable than the Irish place. EastHarlem_E, you said NJT—are you going out of Moynihan or old Penn? If Moynihan, the new-ish beer hall across from the tracks will have the game on, but after 3 they get loud with the early commuters. I’d still do the 9th Ave spot for a 1:05.

Appreciate the knowledge. I’m NJT out of old Penn, but Moynihan is fine to cut through. 9th Ave spot sounds like the move. Do they do food at all or is it strictly chips and peanuts? I’ll probably be there by 12:15 and just want to settle in before first pitch.

That place is mostly a bag of chips and a sad pretzel under a heat lamp. If you don’t want to eat like a hostage, grab a slice near the post office and then go. Or the Irish spot does a good ham and cheese on a roll until about 4. Problem is the Irish place gets annoyed if you camp without food, but a coffee and a sandwich usually buys you a seat. The 9th Ave hole is better for staying put.

I’ll vouch for the Irish place’s ham and cheese, but the audio can be all over the place. Went for a Rangers matinee and the radio was a full pitch ahead of the TV. Drove me crazy. If EastHarlem_E only needs baseball, it’s less of an issue, but for hockey or a close game that delay would kill me. Stick to 9th for audio, and eat before.

Same. I don’t mind cash-only and bad stools if the sound is on and I’m not being rushed. The beer hall near Moynihan is okay, but they turn the music on for the 3 o’clock crowd and then you have to ask them to turn it back down. Not worth it. EastHarlem_E, if you ask for the sound at 9th and the first bartender says no, wait a minute and ask the other guy. Usually one of them will do it.

Good looks all around. Plan is: slice first, cash in pocket, 9th Ave by 12:15, ask before first pitch. If the sound’s off or the stools are too grim, I’ll bounce to the beer hall and just watch the first few innings on mute before the train. Not dealing with a radio-ahead-of-TV situation. Will report back Thursday. Thanks.