Vintage Barrooms in New York City

There are some beautiful old watering holes in the city, loaded with character and history. This expanded list continues the original list of downtown vintage barrooms at: (http://www.streetadvisor.com/new_york/forums/vintage-barrooms-in-downtown-new-york-city)

1. Ear Inn
326 Spring Street (btw Greenwich and Washington)

Founded circa 1871, the Ear served as a halfway house for runaway slaves during the Civil War. It's now a beautiful historic landmark building, open for late-night meals. The crowd is rowdy and eclectic, and spills out into the sidewalk in the summertime.

http://earinn.com/
2. Fanelli Cafe
94 Prince Street (at Mercer)

Definitely on the finalist list for one of the oldest and best taverns, nothing beats that original dark wood paneling and a bartender who used to be a prizefighter in his youth. It served as a speakeasy during Prohibition, and the days is best enjoyed late at night, once the tourists and shoppers have gone to bed.

http://nymag.com/listings/bar/fanellis/
3. The White Horse Tavern
567 Hudson (at West 11th Street)

Also a former speakeasy and hangout of artists like Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, and Bob Dylan. Dylan Thomas drank himself to death right here in 1953, for whatever that's worth to you. Good for beer and a tuna melt on lazy Saturday afternoons.

http://www.whitehorsetavern.us/
4. As of this writing, Chumley's is closed! But it was hard to resist not including it here for old times' sake.

Chumley's
86 Bedford Street (btw Grove and Barrow Streets)

Sawdust covered former speakeasy where you can carve your sweetheart's name into the tables. Early evening it's overrun by frat boys, but late and on snowy evening nights you can cozy up to the fire and enjoy a pretty great selection of local and imported beers.

http://nymag.com/listings/bar/chumleys/
5. McSorely's Old Ale House
15 E 7th Street (btw 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

This place hasn't changed much in the last 70 years or so. It's still dark and gloomy and a good place to get a little melancholy with one of two beer selections available: McSorely's own light and dark.

http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/
6. Old Town Bar and Restaurant
45 East 18th Street (btw Boradway and Park Avenue South)

Sweeping view of the mahogany bar is part of the opener on Late Night With David Letterman. The serious drinkers go early and sink into one of the intimate booths opposite the bar.

http://www.oldtownbar.com/index2.html
7. Pete's Tavern
129 East 18th Street at Irving Place

Yet another bar that claims to be "the longest continuously operating saloon in New York". Two staples of American literature were created here, O'Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" and Ludwig Bemelman's "Madeleine." What is it with beer and writers?

http://www.petestavern.com/
8. Bemelmans Bar
35 E 76th Street

This place is so much more upscale than the other bars on the list, and yet deserves it place in the vintage NY watering hole list. Named after Ludwig Bemelmans, creator of the Madeleine books for children, this bar features his only surviving commission open to the public. The place is an Art Deco jewel box, with a gold-leaf ceiling, and draws the upper echelons of NY society.

http://www.thecarlyle.com/dine4.cfm
9. The Brooklyn Inn
138 Bergen Street at Hoyt Street (in Brooklyn)

Legend has it the original wood paneling in this bar was shipped over from Germany. This place is a gorgeous, low-key neighborhood bar that draws Boerum Hill's celebrity residents as regulars. I love this place so much I almost don't want to give it away to others by listing it here.

http://nymag.com/listings/bar/brooklyn_inn00/
10. Fraunces Tavern
54 Pearl Street

According to ajadeidealist: "The site where Washington famously bid farewell to his troops, Fraunces Tavern is today a mix of odd historical memorabilia and old-world pub culture. How's 1776 for vintage?" This place is definitely on the upper end of the tavern scene, and features a museum, as well as the option to book a "Colonial Wedding."

www.frauncestavern.com/