NYC - East Village: McSorley's Old Ale House
McSorley's Old Ale House stakes a disputed claim to the title of oldest bar in New york City, maintaining that it first opens its doors in 1854. A historical document from 1904, in founder John McSorely's hand, though, declares it was established in 1862. Old insurance maps, census data and tax assessment records concur. All of these dates date should be good enough to best Pete's Tavern (1864), but other documentation places it out of the running. A New York Tribune article from 1895 states it "has stood for 40 years", which would make it one year Pete's junior.
McSorley's was one of the last "Men Only" pubs in New York, keeping its door closed to women until 1970 when the National Organization for Women, behind attorneys Faith Seidenberg and Karen DeCroew, took their case to District Court and won (Seidenberg V. McSorley's Old Ale House). It still took another sixteen years until a ladies room was installed, displacing the galley.
Don't ask for a Bud or Miller or Samuel Adams at McSorley's. They serve only two ales--light and dark, served in tandem half pint glass. Not a piece of the aged artwork, memorabilia or old newspaper articles covering the walls has been removed since 1910. Above the bar, wishbones gather many generations worth of dust from their perch on the old gas lamp. Look closely and you'll spot an original wanted poster for Abe Lincoln's assassin as well as Babe Ruth's farewell photo from Yankee stadium (a donation from the photographer-a regular himself). There are no stools, which means you have to stand up at the bar...if you're lucky enough next to the pair of Houdini's handcuffs linked to the rail. The original taps are still on display, if no longer in use. A dust-covered set of turkey wishbones hang from the light fixture--a tradition dating back to World War I when soliders going off to war hung them there. Those that returned came back to claim their wish. Your money won't find it's way into a cash register--there has never been one. Back in the old days, they relied on four soup bowls for change--one for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.
The legendary backroom--where the ale flowed during prohibition, is adorned with a fireplace and the infamous portrait of a nude with her parrot. A coal burning stove has been a fixture for as long as McSorley's has been in business, providing warmth for patrons on cold winter days. The bathroom doors are made of transparent glass. The floor is covered with sawdust and the waiters and bartenders, authentic Irish.
In his 1923 poem "I was sitting in mcsorley's," poet E. E. Cummings described McSorley's as "the ale which never lets you grow old." McSorley's has seen its share of famous patrons, from Teddy Roosevelt to Boss Tweed. The bar claims Abraham Lincoln stopped in when he gave a speech at nearby Cooper Union in 1860, which depending on the opening date can surely be questioned.
Two of McSorley's most famous mottos include "Be Good or Be Gone", and "We were here before you were born". Prior to 1970, the motto was "Good Ale, Raw Onions and No Ladies." The raw onions can still be had as part of the famous McSorley's cheese platter. The prime condiment is some extremely spicy hot mustard found on each table in a beer mug.
NYC - East Village: McSorley's Old Ale House
McSorley's Old Ale House stakes a disputed claim to the title of oldest bar in New york City, maintaining that it first opens its doors in 1854. A historical document from 1904, in founder John McSorely's hand, though, declares it was established in 1862. Old insurance maps, census data and tax assessment records concur. All of these dates date should be good enough to best Pete's Tavern (1864), but other documentation places it out of the running. A New York Tribune article from 1895 states it "has stood for 40 years", which would make it one year Pete's junior.
McSorley's was one of the last "Men Only" pubs in New York, keeping its door closed to women until 1970 when the National Organization for Women, behind attorneys Faith Seidenberg and Karen DeCroew, took their case to District Court and won (Seidenberg V. McSorley's Old Ale House). It still took another sixteen years until a ladies room was installed, displacing the galley.
Don't ask for a Bud or Miller or Samuel Adams at McSorley's. They serve only two ales--light and dark, served in tandem half pint glass. Not a piece of the aged artwork, memorabilia or old newspaper articles covering the walls has been removed since 1910. Above the bar, wishbones gather many generations worth of dust from their perch on the old gas lamp. Look closely and you'll spot an original wanted poster for Abe Lincoln's assassin as well as Babe Ruth's farewell photo from Yankee stadium (a donation from the photographer-a regular himself). There are no stools, which means you have to stand up at the bar...if you're lucky enough next to the pair of Houdini's handcuffs linked to the rail. The original taps are still on display, if no longer in use. A dust-covered set of turkey wishbones hang from the light fixture--a tradition dating back to World War I when soliders going off to war hung them there. Those that returned came back to claim their wish. Your money won't find it's way into a cash register--there has never been one. Back in the old days, they relied on four soup bowls for change--one for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.
The legendary backroom--where the ale flowed during prohibition, is adorned with a fireplace and the infamous portrait of a nude with her parrot. A coal burning stove has been a fixture for as long as McSorley's has been in business, providing warmth for patrons on cold winter days. The bathroom doors are made of transparent glass. The floor is covered with sawdust and the waiters and bartenders, authentic Irish.
In his 1923 poem "I was sitting in mcsorley's," poet E. E. Cummings described McSorley's as "the ale which never lets you grow old." McSorley's has seen its share of famous patrons, from Teddy Roosevelt to Boss Tweed. The bar claims Abraham Lincoln stopped in when he gave a speech at nearby Cooper Union in 1860, which depending on the opening date can surely be questioned.
Two of McSorley's most famous mottos include "Be Good or Be Gone", and "We were here before you were born". Prior to 1970, the motto was "Good Ale, Raw Onions and No Ladies." The raw onions can still be had as part of the famous McSorley's cheese platter. The prime condiment is some extremely spicy hot mustard found on each table in a beer mug.