Cash Mob At Odessa
Last Monday there was a post at Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York about a cash mob at Odessa. I’ve never heard of the phrase, “cash mob” and was intrigued. It seems that what it is, is a gathering of as many people as you can gather with the sole intent of infusing some cash into a local store. I think that’s a great idea and a fun excuse to meet people, have fun and help out the local community. Tonight’s first cash mob takes place at Odessa in the East Village. It’s going to start out for dinner and drinks at the light Odessa and then the crowd will move next door to the dark Odessa for more drinks. It sounds like a good plan to me!
And here we are at the "light" Odessa. I'm early as usual, let's see if anyone else has shown up yet.
Odessa is a classic diner with great people working here.
And here's Spike seated at a booth. Not quite a mob yet, but the two of us are enough to cause a little trouble in here!
After I sat down with Spike I found out that they were setting up an area in the back for us. Goggla had talked with Danny earlier and told him there'd be a group tonight and this is the space for us. Very nice!
Here's Danny, the friendly fellow who manages Odessa. He's a great guy.
And here's Spike at the table. Now where's this mob?
Okay, here we go, people are starting to show up. That's Claire to the left and Melanie playing dueling cameras with me. Let's sit down and get to business!
And here we are. We were a couple people short of a mob, but it was a great group of people to meet for dinner at a classic East Village spot.
The food starts to arrive, here's Goggla and Melanie seated across from me.
I got the EV Grieve Special a.k.a. the grilled cheese on Odessa's homemade Challa bread. Delicious!
Just as we were finishing dinner the Duncester showed up to help us mob up.
And here's Danny with the cash from tonight's cash mob dinner.
And it's over to the dark Odessa for a few nightcaps.
This is a nice, relaxing bar. Classic rock plays in the background and it kind of feels like you're sitting in someone's basement bar. A nice place to hang and shoot the shit with friends.
Leon was one of the bartenders on duty...
And Mike was the other. Nice guys and quick with a bottle of beer!
And the mob grows as Lindsay shows up...
Along with Shawn. Alright, let's get this party started!
I love the red ceiling and half-lit chandeliers in here.
A shot from the other end of the bar.
The cash mob at the bar.
Lindsay, Shawn and I were the last ones left at the end of the evening and Mike poured us shots on our way out.
Cheers!
And it's out the door to greet the evening.
One of the great things about Odessa is that it's right next door to another East Village institution, Ray's Candy Store.
And here's the man himself, Ray with the night's final nightcap, an egg cream.
Ray dug out a photo of Lindsay and Bob Arihood, a nice moment to end a nice evening! Thanks to Jeremiah and Goggla for setting this up. It was a great excuse to hang out with nice people and spread a little cash around to businesses that need it. See you all tomorrow!
Odessa
117 Ave. A (Near 7th St.)
212-253-1470
Further Reading: My Private Coney Presents: It Was Her New York, Musings by Melanie. Gog in NYC and One More Folded Sunset.
Tunnel to the other side,
It becomes daylight,
I say he's mine.
(Hat tip to Duncester for the link!)
Cash Mob, East Village, Odessa, Ray's Candy Store Posted on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 10:52AM
Reader Comments (27)
Thanks for coming, Marty! And, thanks to everyone else who participated - I'm hoping that in the future, this can be a benefit to the community and many local businesses.
What was in those shot glasses....pink champagne? sparkling wine?Off hand, I can't think of any high tension booze that comes in pink....
Attention all fans of 'TrippingwithMarty'... don't be afraid to visit the sponsor's page and do a little 'cash mobbing' there! Support the community of fine people who support TWM! Buy some of Marty's books while you're at it. There you go Marty, a little shameless promo, just for you!
Great tour and I am in it!!woo woo. It was fun and great to see everyone.
@Goggla: Thanks for organizing this, Goggla! It was a lot of fun and hopefully the mob will grow in the future! I look forward to doing it again!
@Jaws: I don't know what those shots were, they were kind of sweet and not too strong, but I'm not complaining, they were free! And thanks for the promo! Here's one for you: Visit and buy something at Jaws Printfection store! And don’t forget to check out “Two Fisted Cab Driving Tales,” By Jaws!
@Melanie: So glad you came for this, great to see you as always! I hope we can do this again soon!
Odessa has been there for a long ass time.
Bonus points to those who wore black to make it a Johnny Cash Mob.
Those 'Kinda sweet and not to strong' drinks can really sucker punch you if you don't watch it. Last time I got into those, I woke up under a strange couch with a dust kitty up my nose.
Thanks to the organizers!!!! It's a great idea, just have to tear people away from their computers and come out! hahaha
Odessa and Ray's, a couple of the best places in the city!! Wish more people could have made it out but it's better than nothing and it was great seeing you guys! It's a good start!! Such amazing experiences at both. Everyone at Odessa is super wonderful and nice!
PS- still trying to figure out what those shots were... ahhaha!! He was a great bartender!
Yay, Jaws!! I second that!!! Cash Mob Marty!!!
Wish I had been able to stick around longer, but glad I was able to make a cameo. This is a great idea, and with time and additional planning, I believe it will grow into something wonderful. Happy to have missed the pink shots!
@csp: Odessa has been there for a long-ass time and hopefully it will continue on! "Johnny Cash Mob" would be a great name for a band!
@Jaws: "Last time I got into those, I woke up under a strange couch with a dust kitty up my nose." Ha ha ha! I hate it when that happens!
@Lindsay: Thanks so much for coming out and being part of this. I hope we all can do it again soon and maybe the mob will grow as time goes on! And thanks for seconding Jaws' thoughts!
@Spike: Thanks a lot for stopping by. I know you had plans and that was cool that you squeezed it in! Next time you can't leave till you do a pink shot!
Odessa looks like a real nice place - clean, accommodating, and, judging by the scene in that booth behind Spike, not afraid to serve french fries to jockeys. And the bar part looks nice, too (do I spy, with my little eye, a boombox on the corner of the bar? SWEET!). It's a great idea to get together and support local establishments like this. And I'm happy to see that Ray's is still there, keeping things real. Also, your cool-ass Blondie clip reminded me of this little gem: apparently, the paparazzi mobbed Debbie Harry the other day, thinking she was Lindsay Lohan. I can't wait to hear the song that comes outta that one.
Looks like a great night out.. and loving that new shade of purple Goggla is sporting!
It’s revolutionary! Europe can learn from you guys! That's the start how to beat an economic crisis, that will hurt the small businesses the most. And also a great way to flip the middle finger to the horizon polluters. A.k.a Suckways and TMI Fridays ;) Great post Marty!
@Biff: It was a great night out! And yes, that is a boombox on the bar, nice job Eagle-Eyes! And Duncester sent me a link about the Debbie Harry/Lindsay Lohan mixup. Clearly an insult to Debbie Harry!
@Gidget: It was a fun night out and some great food too! And yes, Goggla's hair is looking great as always!
@Ruben: Thank you! It wasn't my idea, kudos go out to Jeremiah Moss and Goggla for orchestrating the whole thing. And I love the names "Suckways and TMI Fridays!" Ha ha ha!
LOL. That shade of purple is called "Purple Haze". I've been known to mix in a little Pimpin' Purple and Joyride.
Is it just me or has the EV Grieve toasted cheese sandwich been burnt and then scraped? Not good enough. I've busted the chops of many fellow chefs/cooks for doing that. You can never get rid of the burnt taste....on a lighter note, what an awesome idea! A cash mob! If I get back to NYC, book an extra 2 seats.
I've never heard of a “cash mob” either. What an awesome concept.
And BONUS - to be inside of a nice, relaxing bar with classic rock plays in the background!
@Goggla:To Purple Haze!
@Clacky: it wasn't burnt, just exceptionally well done! Get back here and your seats will be booked! The mob would love to meet you!
@meleah: It was a great thing to be part of and I hope we do it again!
Thanks to Goggla (yes, great hair) & Jeremiah. It was a miniature, high-quality mob. Good people!
wow! next time I'm definitely having the grilled cheese AND going over to the dark side!!!! a great post, Marty!!!!
The cash mob sounds like a good idea. Although, like you, I hadn't heard of it previously.
Guess the whole concept is that people will go to a store they were not aware of, and then continue to patronize that business in the future. Personally, I always wanted to be the target of a college girl mob.
@onemorefoldedsunset: Thanks for coming out to it! You had the longest trip in and we appreciate you being part of this!
@co: Really great to meet you and your blog is great! Thanks for coming along and I hope to see you at future mobs and elsewhere!
@DaveW: I think it's a great idea and hope it happens again, it's a lot of fun. I never was the target of a college girl mob and sadly, I think it's too late for me now! But one can dream!
Egg Cream..................................................................................No Thanks
@Reggie Thistleton: It's the best egg cream in New York!
So glad the 'mob' went so well! Let's all funnel our hard earned money back to the people who actually DO work hard for the moola. :)
@kim: Thanks! I agree!