Post #368134 by Urban Tiki on Thu, Mar 20, 2008 11:27 AM

For any TCers in the NYC area I plan to initiate a series of evenings that will constitute the classic bars of New York. Each evening will focus on a particular part of town in which we will visit 4 or 5 classic New York bars. These aren't pecifically all tiki bars, but we can get tiki drinks at most of them.

The first evening will be Saturday, March 29:

Classic Bars of Midtown West

The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel

2 E 55th St

Claims to be the originator for the Bloody Mary and features the famous mural by Maxwell Parrish behind the bar.

The Monkey Bar at the Hotel Elyse’

60 E 54th St

The Hotel Elyse’ was home to many glamorous stars in the 40s and 50s including Tallulah Bankhead, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, and was reportedly where Tennessee Williams discovered Marlon Brando and had him cast in “A Streetcar Named Desire”. It is virtually unchanged since those days, with its walls painted with caricatures of monkeys, and has a menu of classic cocktails including The Godfather, Brandy Alexander, and the Champagne Cocktail.

The Peacock Bar at The Waldorf Astoria

301 Park Avenue (between 49th and 50th)

The elaborate 30 foot long bar with tan leather bar chairs reveals cast-glass female silhouettes, commissioned by Brooklyn’s Flickinger Glassworks. A relaxing lounge area behind the bar reveals cozy seating, with a peacock mural reclaimed from the former restaurant.

21 Club

21 W 52nd St

Formerly an elegant speakeasy, now a classic New York Bar and Restaurant.

Rainbow Room

30 Rockefeller Center (Between 49th and 50th)

Elegant rooftop bar with art deco décor and spectacular views.