Bar Profile: Rudy's Bar and Grill

Rudy's Bar and grill, located in Hell's Kitchen, opened it's doors in 1933 by the Rudy family and was one of the first bars in New York City to receive a liquor license after prohibition had ended. Not much has changed since then including the original wooden front door which is still fully functional today. If you are lucky, you'll get to hear about this historical bar firsthand from the present owner Jack, who has been a regular at Rudy's since 1943. As you arrive at the entrance, you are greeted by a giant pig statue, which has become a landmark of the bar as well as a red neon sign displaying the bar's name. Inside, you see exactly what you'd expect from the winner of best dive bar by AOL-City Guide. Bar stools and tattered red banquettes up against beer stained tables furnish the bar for the most part. But just as you'd expect from a great dive bar, you also get cheap drinks, a great jukebox, and best of all FREE hot dogs.
Rudy's has 12 beers on tap including the house beer Rudy's red, which has a watered down taste but at $3 a pint you have to take what you can get. Other great deals include $7.50 PBR pitchers and McSorley's Ale cheaper than AT McSorley's! Catch the early bird special and pay only $4 for your cocktails and shots from 8am to 5pm. It's no wonder that Danny, a manager at the bar said “Rudy’s won’t match neighborhood Happy Hours. We refuse to raise our prices!” The jukebox, which blares all types of music from jazz to classic rock to mainstream music is also an attraction at Rudy's. To accompany your dirt-cheap drinks and good tunes you also have a complimentary hot dog which has lured in customers time and time again.During the warmer months the "backyard" (a tented concrete area) is open for fresh air and extra space. This does not prevent the bar from being extremely packed and noisy all the time so keep that in mind. Every Thursday the "Drinking Liberally" social group stops in at 7pm to discuss left-wing politics, which may intrigue/sway some of you away from stopping by the bar at that time depending on your political affiliation. Either way, Rudy's Bar and Grill is a historic landmark for bars in NYC and should be visited by all locals and tourists alike. With cheap prices and free hot dogs it's hard not to consider this a first-stop bar for the night.
To learn more about Rudy's Bar and Grill, be sure to check out their main site here.

For even more history, stories, and free drinks, dont forget to book the Hell's Kitchen Pub Crawl with Uncle Sam's New York Tours today!

Bar Profile: White Horse Tavern

Located in the West Village at 567 Hudson street, this historic bar is frequented by tourists and locals wishing to sit in the same stool as famous artists of the past. The pub lives up to its name by displaying an overwhelming amount of white horses as the main decor. Go ahead and try to count the number of white horses in the bar, I dare you.The bar was founded in 1880, and you can certainly tell that some of the bar hasn't changed at all since then. This is definitely a cool aspect of the bar, making you feel just as Jim Morrison or Bob Dylan did, who saw this bar in a similar fashion years ago. In its early years, the bar was mainly frequented by longshoremen up until the 1950's where a Bohemian culture took over. The Clancy Brothers, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, and James Baldwin are some of the other greats who enjoyed a drink here. Dylan Thomas, however, is the artist most associated with Whitehorse Tavern. The Welsh Poet enjoyed his whiskey at "the horse" and legend has it he took 18 shots one night which is linked to his death. There is a whole room dedicated to Dylan Thomas where you can admire the poet and try to match his 18 shot record, although we do not recommend it. The Catholic Workers spent time at this bar and the idea for the Village Voice was stumbled upon here as well. The White Horse enjoys a rich history that you can only truly appreciate by wetting your whistle here firsthand.
Check out what other people are saying about White Horse Tavern here.

Get the full experience of the history of White Horse Tavern and plenty other historic bars by taking the West Village Pub Crawl Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Bar Profile: Kenny's Castaways

Kenny's Castaways, located on 157 Bleecker Street, is a legendary bar that has been opening its doors to live music since 1967. Patrick Kenny, the founder of the bar, gave up and coming musicians their chance to shine up until his death in 2002. Patrick's legacy still continues today, however, and his son says "the visible traces of Kenny's history and my dad's presence are preserved in stories told on our bar stools and the smell of the whiskey soaked floors."

If you think rockstars start off selling shows in giant venues right off the bat, think again. Most spend their startups in small venues like Kenny's Castaways waiting to be heard. Kenny's itself has welcomed Aerosmith, Blues Travleler, Lynard Skynard, upon hundreds of over bands before they hit it big. In fact, Bruce Springsteen played his first gig here. Check out the flyer below and note the mispelling of his name. You can be certain that wouldn't happen today!The bar has a cozy feel to it and offers tons of live shows multiple times a day. The stage is quite small but the upstairs offers a great view performances when the downstairs is crowded, making it a great experience for everyone. It's a casual bar so no need to dress up. Let's face it, rockers play here so it's what you'd expect. The coolest part about this bar is the sign above the entrance to the stage area which reads "Through these portals, walk the famous." It's a great way to remember all the talent this bar has seen over the past 40+ years, and also a way support the talent of today.

The clip below features the band Relentless 7, formed in 2008 featuring Grammy award winner Ben Harper as the lead man. It's a great cover of the Led Zeppelin hit "Good Times, Bad Times" and shows the talent of today paying tribute to the past.



To reminiscent on the greats who started off here, grab a cold one, and maybe see the next big thing, book the West Village Pub Crawl today and explore other historic bars while you're at it.

Bar Profile: McSorley's Old Ale House

McSorley's Old Ale House, located in the East Village at 15 E. 7th Street, is a historic bar that has attracted locals and tourists for over 150 years. An Irish immigrant by the name of John McSorley opened up the bar after being driven out of his homeland shortly after the potato famine. The play "McSorley's Inflation" opened on Broadway in 1882 and essentially put the bar on the map. Since then, the bar has been an inspiration for the works of artists like John Sloan and writers such as E.E. Cummings and Joseph Mitchell.
If you come here to drink, you must like beer, and you must like McSorley's Ale because that is all they have. The good thing is that it's pretty damn good! The beer comes in 8 oz steins in two varieties, light and dark (very creative). When you order one you get two, not a bad deal right? The only catch is that you have to keep drinking. You'll be shown the door if you stop drinking as they don't take kindly to freeloaders. They even adopted the slogan "Be good or be gone" as their motto.

McSorley's, has welcomed many celebrities over the years including Teddy Roosevelt, John Lennon and the New York Rangers who drank McSorley's Ale from the Stanley Cup after their victory. The bar is also home to priceless decor including the last photo of Babe Ruth, an original invitation to the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, and an original Wanted sign for John Wilkes Booth. One cannot walk into McSorley's without noticing the incredibly dusty ancient gas lamp up above. Supposedly, soldiers hung wishbones on this lamp before heading off to war only to be removed if they returned. It now serves as a memorial and a sign of respect.The bottom line with McSorley's Ale House is that it's a old fashioned bar with rich history. It's not a place for a nice meal, cocktail, or quiet conversation. The forms of payment is still primitive, accepting only cash and the urinals in the Men's bathroom hasn't been renovated since 1911. Can you tell? It's nonetheless a historic New York City bar where one can enjoy the game, the unique decor, and a damn good beer. It is clearly a must-see in New York.
For more on McSorley's Ale House be sure to check out Sean Parnell's article with the Chicago Bar Project.

To LIVE the history of this bar as well as others in the East Village, book the East Village Pub Crawl with Uncle Sam's New York today!