Grieve has written about Donohue's before, and he's got the history down, so I won't repeat it. Suffice to say, the decor--dark booths, red tablecloths, nautical paintings--are straight out of a certain childhood, back before the term "child-friendly" was invented. It's the sort of place your parents took you because they wanted to go for dinner someplace "nice," someplace grown-up. The sort of place where you had to behave yourself, and God help you if you didn't, because your mother would take you for a dreaded trip to the ladies' room where she'd straighten you out good.
But now you're the grown-up and you can go to Donohue's on your own, order a cocktail and a big plate of food, like meatloaf and mashed potatoes with string beans. Classic. This was comfort food before "comfort food" was a "thing." It was just food.
And there's no need to turn on your cell phone here--the phone in the wooden booth in back works just fine.
Now that you've had your meal and called some friends to join you, head down Lexington to 60th Street and the Subway Inn. New York describes it well, "This hole-in-the-wall has been serving up brewskies since 1937, and it looks as if some of the original patrons haven't left their bar stools since it opened."
Alex has a story about the Subway and its volume. It's still loud. The best part may be the weird green lighting at every table. That, and the Christmas decorations, and the crapped-up booths, the checkerboard floor. The Subway Inn will remind you of other bars that have been lost. Especially, for some reason, the topless dive bars.
You'll get into a long, misty conversation about "Remember the Baby Doll Lounge?" and "God, I miss Billy's Topless," where they also had Christmas decorations, it seemed, year round. And because it is Christmastime, you can't help but recall the night when a Billy's dancer dressed up as Mrs. Claus, took off her top, then licked her nipples and stuck dollar bills to them while she shimmied.
You wonder where she is now. Where did all those dancers go? You order another round. The queasy, aquatic green light casts you back in time and keeps you there.
Lovely. Long live Donohue's and the Subway Inn!
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite details from Subway Inn are the sinking drop ceiling, the chairs upholstered with duct tape, the necktie-wearing Godzilla dolls above the bar, and grungy teddy bears and grungy pay phones and pink and green lights on the liquor bottles and cetera.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a lucky old- style night at the Subway Inn, Jeremiah. We've found that over the last few years it usually gets overrun with the kind of frat brats that drink "brewskies" at "dive bars." There is even a bouncer. I'm miss the regular old bar bar we once enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteLove the Dohohue's. We recently began a fine evening with Marty of 365 Bars there (day #336).
Two classic joints! I love them both and hope they never disappear! If you go to Donohue's try the cheeseburger! It's Grade "A" Fancy approved.
ReplyDeleteThe feeling of this restaurant sort of reminds me of Gene's - I think Gene's is on 12th St between 5th/6th Ave.
ReplyDeleteNote that there is a Subway sandwich chain location a few doors down. So make it a theme night. Subway hero. Subway bar. And then--as a close friend noted--you can take the actual Lexington Avenue subway on the corner!
ReplyDeleteGrade A, it was more like a lucky old-style moment. but still.
ReplyDeleteRe: Gene's--yes, that's a good one! you remind me i need to have another meal there. or at least a drink.
jeremiah, how much does that entree cost? are the green beans fresh? or from a can? if they're fresh than no need for the "waverly inn". nice to see straight foward home cooked food. never been to that place, but the interior is beautiful. nice photos, good job.
ReplyDeleteAmazing post, I was just thinking of Subway, after reading the Fedora article and here it is! In the late 90s, I worked as an art handler on the upper east side. After work a friend and I would stop by the Subway Inn for drinks. The bartender, who's name I forget, always wore a white button down, with the sleeves rolled up. I would pump 5 dollars worth of doo wop in the jukbox, and we'd sit at the bar and watch people stream by the front door, going home from work. Covering the entire top of the bar (where the bottles were) was the most incredible black fuzz. which covered everything that was perched up there,an amazing array of stuff... including an E.T. doll, strangely, that you could just make out, buried underneath the fuzz. I am not exaggerating when I say this, but this fuzz was many inches deep, like black snow. In addition, the brass foot rails were completely worn through on the top, and filled with god knows what from years of use and abuse...as well as the floors, the bar, the bathroom.. everything had this incredible dirt and patina on it. I remember all this vividly, because I was very excited by the atmosphere of this place, and I loved drinking there. To me, it was a dusty corner of the city, that somehow had survived. I don't drink anymore, and have no reason to go there. It will occupy the same spot in my mind, free from frat boys...
ReplyDeleteSubway has at times gotten overrun with frat types, but really not that often, which is something a miracle considering the atmosphere in the other bars in the areas.
ReplyDelete