BYOB Karaoke in Manhattan

Tinga Tinga is a little hard to find, since it's on the 6th floor of a nondescript building on Madison Ave between 32nd and 33rd streets in Manhattan. There is a sign, but it's easy to miss. Once you've braved the sketchy elevator ("No more than 6 people allowed") or hiked up the steps, you'll find yourself in dark, dank Karaoke heaven. To sing as many songs as you'd like in the comfort of a private room where only your friends are judging you eliminates all of the most frequent complaints about the public spectacle of karaoke.

The walls are covered in industrial metallic wallpaper, boughs of fake flowering trees descend from holes in the ceiling, and you're better off not thinking too long on how sticky the floors are. A lazily friendly employee at the counter will greet your group, reservations are recommended on weekend nights, and assign you to a private room based on the size of your crowd. Rooms are painted various bright colors and furnished with couches and chairs in a style that Martha Stewart might refer to as "frat house basement chic."

A giant television with a remote control device will help you to pick the songs that you'd like to sing, and books with a decent (but not awesome) selection of songs can be circulated around the room. Many of the classics are there, lots of Bon Jovi and Journey, but it seems like the popular song selections are updated until sometime around 1999, or with N'Sync and Britney Spears. Some new songs would be an improvement to the options. Hip hop, rap, and soul are lacking and if you're a hipster looking for some Arcade Fire you're completely out of luck.

Lyrics are displayed on the TV as the song plays and are generally accurate. Some give the definite impression of having been transcribed phonetically but it's nothing that will significantly damper the enthusiasm of a soused singer. More entertaining than inaccurate lyrics are the images that will appear on the screen during your songs. Korean families on vacation, water skiiers in California, snow-covered mountains in Switzerland, and children riding bikes at scenic parks are among the hysterical pictures that migrate across the television.

Ice, cups, plates, napkins and limes are available with your room. You can order any food and bring in as much alcohol as you'd like.

Helpful tips:
Make reservations on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
Collect money up front from your guests, especially if you're in a large group. If people leave in a scattered fashion the last ones left will get stuck with the bill.
Remember to BYO alcohol to avoid paying inflated prices from the deli downstairs.
Read korean, since all of the buttons on the remote and most of the song book are written in Korean. Or get the guy at the front desk to give you a lesson on how to work the remote programmer.
Don't put more than 6 people in the elevator. The sign is no joke. I had to help pry the doors open and watch 10 people jump 3 ft down to the ground floor.
Tip the desk person when you settle your bill, especially if you leave the room a mess.

Prices:
$40/hour for the first 4 people, PLUS
$5/hour for each additional person
e.g. For 10 people, $70/hour