Mc Sorley's admitted ladies in the late sixties..68 or 69, says a lady who was there in them days.. (remember, drinking age used to 18) Actually, i was there the very first year woman were permitted to grace the place.
McSorley's is always on my walking tour of grand old NY bars, (most of which are irish), and it has a fine history.
its only steps away from Cooper Union, at it was at the Lincoln Douglas Debate, held at Cooper Union, that Lincoln made a national reputation. Afterwards, he was invited to have a bit of refreshment, (i think it was Whitman. (walt, not juan) who invited him) the chair he sat in was hoisted up to the ceiling, to preserve it, but the wood joints dried out, and its all in pieces now.
like many NY bars, it didn't quite close during prohibition. but became a members only club. it never became a wild famous speak easy, but keep a low profile, and bribed the cops, and went about its business.
the beer is sold in pints or pitchers, and $5 a pint sound high, but its alway buy one, get one free, so its not too dear.
NY law requires (since prohibition) all bars to serve food. MrSorleys serves cheese and onions on crackers, or liver sausage and onions. more elebrate fare is offered, but no one goes there to eat.
one of my favorite bars, is cross town, the EAR- it used to just be BAR but, during prohibition, the neon sign was painted and BAR became EAR. its just a block north of canal, almost at the river (North River) and build on land fill, over time the old piling have rotted, and the floor resembles a roller coaster.
the old Eagle bar on 14th and 10th Ave-- the poor irish end of chelsea, is now the villiage idiot. gone are all the folk singers, and warmth of old friends. now its trendy.
but up a few blocks, you can still go to Moran's, on 10th and 19th street, deep in the old meat packing district. a warm fire will great you on a cold night, and when the buffet has roast beef, the carver always has a spoon handy, for those of us who still ask "Can i have some of the blood too?" as we called the deep red juice of a rare roast of beef.
on the sunday Juan was working his way uptown (about 8 years ago, when St Patrick's day was on a Sunday, or an anniversay of the same) I was uptown, at the Museum of the City of NY, to see Gotham, a history of the irish exhibit. Frank and Malachi McCourt were there, acting out skits based on some of the information in "Angela's Ashes" and other material. (left, i guess, on the publishing equivilent of the cutting room floor.)
I walked down town, as the parade worked its way uptown, from 100 street down to Penn Station (about a 5 mile walk)
It was a beautiful day, clear and crisp, with enough of a breeze to keep the flags moving, but not so much that they gave a fight.
Nowadays, open bottles and drinking are discouraged (by police men with nylon loop handcuffs and summumes.)
