How to Find Old New York

A guide to the grubby, thrilling New York of old. It's our attempt to chart what's left of the Manhattan we fell in love with; places to gladden the heart of jaded natives and quicken the pulse of visitors.
We've listed lunch counters where Oscar Madison may be slouching behind a newspaper a few seats away and stores where Rhoda Morgenstern can be heard just one aisle over; there's Keens Steakhouse where Buffalo Bill's pipe hangs from the ceiling, JG Melon where preppies queue for cheeseburgers and Bloody Bulls, and timeless McSorley's Old Ale House - still laying claim as the oldest bar in New York. What unifies these disparate places is that they're the real thing; whether glamorous or down-at-heel, they're linked to old New York in a way that sham Blarney Stone bars and phoney speakeasies can never be.
Treat this map as a starting point, showing some selected highlights of this crowded island. There are still many more places to enjoy.

Jon Hammer and Karen McBurnie distill and decant the best of New York City at Grade "A" Fancy. They are also co-creators of The Hardboiled Apple and several other guides published by Herb Lester Associates.