Well another one of many late story's from the island of Manhattan. It wouldn't be a trip to New York without going to one of my favorite bars, Chumley's. This was only my second time there, but I was just as impressed with it the second time as I was the first. My first time I was brought there by Cerone and when we got out of the cab at the corner he pointed down the closely lined apartment 
buildings and said alright its over there. What, where, over there, where only apartment buildings stood. As we started to walk down the block it sounded and looked as though one of these Greenwich Village residents was having a party and as one person came out of their apartment and the door shut behind him showing a great old wooden door with a gold 86 on the front and a metal gate over the small window, Cerone said alright go on in. It wasn't an apartment at all. I couldn't believe what a great place this must be. I could only assume, if the outside was this great what was the inside like. As we entered you immediately walk up a few steps still not really being able to see what you are going into. After walking through a second doorway you can now grasp what this place really is. As you look across Chumley's standing atop the three stairs that lead into the seating area you can really take in the old feel, its like you are in back the 1920's. The first section you see is for people trying to grab a bite to eat. The whole area is covered in packed booths with waitresses running around trying to serve everyone. I wasn't here for the food so I walked through this section to get to the center room. Here they have a few small tables but it is mostly a standing room. 
The bar is along the wall and behind the bar coming straight out of an old cooper wall there are taps serving only Chumley's special brews. Every beer is brewed by them, but they do have quite a nice selection, red, amber, pale ale, stout, they have what you need. In the center of the bar is a statue of a bulldog which is there representing the marines, somebody must have been a marine because there was memorabilia like that all over. Sitting on a ledge above the taps there is a pint of beer and above that beer is a giant picture of a fireman. When asked what the beer was for the bartender said, "for him" and pointed to the picture, 
Cerone then asked, "when do you take the beer down?", "when he's finished" he replied. This was not the only representation of firemen, it was all over the bar along with the entire history of the neighborhood and Chumley's. There are pictures of many authors, artist, and poets among them Ernest Hemingway. There books, in the original covers line the walls, this places walls are in themselves a history lesson. After trying all their beers we decided it was time to leave and the way we do that is of course through the back door which leads into an open courtyard
which I am told was an old stable, then out through a gate and out you come onto a street around the corner from where you went in. This place is especially famous because of this back way out. Supposedly during prohibition when this bar was a speakeasy when the cops came knocking on the front door everyone would sneak out the back, leading to the phrase "they 86'ed the cops". I love Chumley's.
buildings and said alright its over there. What, where, over there, where only apartment buildings stood. As we started to walk down the block it sounded and looked as though one of these Greenwich Village residents was having a party and as one person came out of their apartment and the door shut behind him showing a great old wooden door with a gold 86 on the front and a metal gate over the small window, Cerone said alright go on in. It wasn't an apartment at all. I couldn't believe what a great place this must be. I could only assume, if the outside was this great what was the inside like. As we entered you immediately walk up a few steps still not really being able to see what you are going into. After walking through a second doorway you can now grasp what this place really is. As you look across Chumley's standing atop the three stairs that lead into the seating area you can really take in the old feel, its like you are in back the 1920's. The first section you see is for people trying to grab a bite to eat. The whole area is covered in packed booths with waitresses running around trying to serve everyone. I wasn't here for the food so I walked through this section to get to the center room. Here they have a few small tables but it is mostly a standing room. 
The bar is along the wall and behind the bar coming straight out of an old cooper wall there are taps serving only Chumley's special brews. Every beer is brewed by them, but they do have quite a nice selection, red, amber, pale ale, stout, they have what you need. In the center of the bar is a statue of a bulldog which is there representing the marines, somebody must have been a marine because there was memorabilia like that all over. Sitting on a ledge above the taps there is a pint of beer and above that beer is a giant picture of a fireman. When asked what the beer was for the bartender said, "for him" and pointed to the picture, 
Cerone then asked, "when do you take the beer down?", "when he's finished" he replied. This was not the only representation of firemen, it was all over the bar along with the entire history of the neighborhood and Chumley's. There are pictures of many authors, artist, and poets among them Ernest Hemingway. There books, in the original covers line the walls, this places walls are in themselves a history lesson. After trying all their beers we decided it was time to leave and the way we do that is of course through the back door which leads into an open courtyard
which I am told was an old stable, then out through a gate and out you come onto a street around the corner from where you went in. This place is especially famous because of this back way out. Supposedly during prohibition when this bar was a speakeasy when the cops came knocking on the front door everyone would sneak out the back, leading to the phrase "they 86'ed the cops". I love Chumley's.pics here
