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ECK-2188 t1_j4ih0ma wrote

In my mind still made famous by Garth Ennis’s Preacher GN

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sleeptrain123 t1_j4iul3v wrote

Yeah it’s a tourist trap but still one of my favorite bars on earth

168

fuhgdat1019 t1_j4iz4nx wrote

Crazy. They were there before I was born.

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Danimal_House t1_j4j86r5 wrote

Replying to sleeptrain123 (#1,372,322)

Perfect description of it

Edit: not sure why you jabronies are downvoting a compliment. I have extremely fond memories of that place, before it was a really bad tourist trap and even now. It’s probably the only “tourist” trap in the city that feels genuine at the same time.

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fletcherkildren t1_j4j8ae2 wrote

Fuck I love this place. When I lived on St. Mark's in the 90's I was there almost daily

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intoxicated_potato t1_j4j9ny5 wrote

I was a tourist, someone recommended going here. I went and got 2 light...and didn't know they only take cash. Luckily I had exactly $7 for the beers. That was the last of my cash and I flew out the next morning. Charming memory

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ogbubbleberry t1_j4jacdd wrote

One of my cringe memories is the first time I walk in there and ordered a Heineken.

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likerazorwire419 t1_j4jd0ki wrote

I got my two 18 year old coworkers in this place without a blink from the door guy haha.

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darklost t1_j4jfpas wrote

I got kicked out of this bar. Old staff dude's a surly wanker.

10/10, been back many times since.

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nocturno65 t1_j4jfts1 wrote

I used to work at NYU and went there for a beer with coworkers at lunch time the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We left at 7 hours later drunk beyond belief. Good times were had at that place.

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JetmoYo t1_j4jln8v wrote

John Sloane made some paintings of McSorley's in the early 20th century (link below). Sloane was part of the Ashcan school of painting that sought grittier slices of modern and city life. George bellows' boxing paintings are a famous example. Edward Hopper was affiliated with this group but transcended it in many ways. Coincidentally there's a large NYC focused show of Hopper at the Whitney that people shouldn't miss.

https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/john-sloan-paints-many-moods-of-mcsorleys-bar/

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pegs22 t1_j4jp6rz wrote

This place means a lot, to many. Many memories with family and friends.

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leg_day t1_j4jproj wrote

NEAT. Check out the flags. They have the old 48 star grid (8 wide by 6 tall) from before Alaska and Hawaii were added as states. Fun fact: our current flag was only adopted in 1960.

If you ask most Americans to "draw the stars" of the flag, they will almost inevitably draw an even grid and try to make the math work. Our current flag requires the rows to be offset, so there are not an even number of stars per row.

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waveball03 t1_j4kr6tc wrote

Place is already old in this photo.

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KillroysGhost t1_j4kv5w6 wrote

My first time there I did what I did at every new NYC bar and asked for a drafts list. The bartender said “Look, we serve light ale and dark ale. Pay in cash.” That was it and I was sold immediately. Thank you to Andrew, Sean, Ryan, Brendan, and all the others for keeping a fun bit of history alive

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borderskitz t1_j4kvaxp wrote

If you want to know their story, read Up In The Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell, one of the best books you'll ever read.

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suitcase88 t1_j4kyknp wrote

Read the old New Yorker Magazine story by Joseph Mitchell. It gives the history of the place. McSorleys Wonderful Saloon.

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Ok-Strain-9847 t1_j4kym76 wrote

Try the chili. Comes with an entire sleeve of saltines.

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Ok-Strain-9847 t1_j4kypyc wrote

Was there in the 70's. Asked for an ashtray. Was told, 'why? We have a floor'.

They also had ONE bathroom and no one had a problem with it, until.....now the ladies bathroom is a literal broom closet.

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shroomthumb t1_j4l3ivb wrote

Wonderful place! Didn’t allow woman in the place until 1970!

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paddyshousealeslager t1_j4lg01b wrote

Looks like Matty Maher himself having a mug out front. RIP. Matty was so welcoming which I always thought was special. Even though I've only been there a dozen or so times, I always felt like a regular thanks to Matty's way with people.

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jericho74 t1_j4lmb97 wrote

Wow. That puts life into perspective.

1

mulvi747 t1_j4lpm6x wrote

Nothing like ordering a light and a dark and getting them back half filled and half foam. Love the cheese plate there.

1

jumbod666 t1_j4luola wrote

You know you go here too much when the waiters know you by name and have your favorite seat ready.

1

thedifferenceisnt t1_j4m44ti wrote

Replying to kjuneja (#1,377,551)

This unfortunately wasn't unusual so I wouldn't hold it against them too much. Lots of bars in Ireland were the same up until the 70s also. Or they had a snug and sometimes allowed women in that part.

1

kjuneja t1_j4m9juv wrote

Replying to thedifferenceisnt (#1,377,827)

The owners pushed this into court. They were unusual in their stubbornness:

From the link above

>However, the judge concluded, 'The answer is that McSorley's is a public place, not a private club, and that the preference of certain of its patrons is no justification under the equal-protection clause of the United States Constitution.'"

And how about this:

>Female customers were admitted to most bars by about 1960, but McSorley’s was the last bar in New York City to admit only men. Despite pressure from the women’s movement, it fought to maintain its exclusivity, which was a common practice established long before Prohibition. The women presented their case with a lawsuit in 1970, Seidenberg vs. McSorley, that ultimately resulted in “McSorley’s law,” prohibiting sex discrimination in bars, hotels, restaurants, airplanes, golf clubs, and other public accommodations. Because the law stated that establishments only needed to provide “sanitary facilities” for their employees, McSorley’s only had one bathroom until 1986, when a women’s restroom was finally installed. https://www.6sqft.com/the-urban-lens-inside-mcsorleys-old-ale-house-nycs-oldest-bar/

#1986.

I stopped going here after I read into it.

−1

Packer12121212 t1_j4mihwh wrote

Get me some of that spam and crackers w about 20 darks

1

angryWinds t1_j4mwrig wrote

Replying to MILF_Lawyer_Esq (#1,374,943)

I think the rationale is so that they can pour them faster. Giving one full pint, they'd have to pour, let it settle a bit, then top it off. That process takes a few minutes. So insted, they just crank out two small ones that are both 1/4 foam, but still adds up to about a pint.

Would appreciate it if someone 'in the know' could confirm or deny my theory.

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MILF_Lawyer_Esq t1_j4mx2fl wrote

Replying to angryWinds (#1,379,353)

More like half foam but they go down easy.

No idea if you’re right or not but it makes sense. My assumption was that way back in the eighteen hunnerds “a beer” was smaller than “a beer” today but they’re sticking with the glasses they’ve been using for over a century and just doubling up instead of making you ask for beer twice as often.

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