Cheers to the East Village couple who got married at McSorley's

McSorley's is currently closed by order of the DOH. However, that didn't stop an East Village couple from still getting married inside the bar as planned on Friday.

Per the Post:

East Village residents Kevin Golden, 44, and Catherine Talabac, 52, had been planning their big day since March. “McSorley’s is just one of my favorite places. I live two blocks away, and I always gravitate here,” said Talabac. “I asked if they do weddings there and they said no. But when I asked if we could, they said ‘ f – – k yeah.’ ”

“Some girls dream about the Plaza,” she said. “That wasn’t me.”

McSorley's can't serve any beer at the moment. So! "[T]he party moved over to the nearby Copper Still for a drink afterward." (And the dinner party was next door on Seventh Street at Porsena.)

Bartender/McSorley's historian Shane Buggy thought it was the first time a wedding ceremony had taken place inside the 162-year-old bar on Seventh Street.

“We’ve had plenty of proposals, but I can’t ever recall an actual ceremony,” he told the Post.

Workers cleaning out McSorley's basement this morning; plus, Minnie McSorley comments

A crew was out early today, hauling some lumber and other items from the basement of McSorley's on Seventh Street near Cooper Square.

As we first reported on Thursday, the DOH temporarily closed McSorley's following an inspection on Wednesday.

The bar, which may or may not have been established in 1854, has had A grades from the DOH in previous years. This time around, though, inspectors found evidence of rats/mice in the basement, according to the inspection report.

Owner Matthew Maher blamed the never-ending Cooper Square reconstruction for the presence of the critters. (A construction storage area nearby on the street was a rat hotspot as anyone who ever walked by noted.)

Per DNAinfo:

"There was a whole load of building equipment here, when the city opened up the pipes and all that, and they just took that away a couple of weeks ago, and that was a haven for rats," he said, noting he had seen the rodents scurrying around near the site during the restoration project from the city's Department of Design and Construction, which included tearing up the pavement in the plaza to install a new gas main.

When a health inspector came by unannounced on Wednesday afternoon, rat droppings were found throughout the basement, said Maher, who suspected the vermin got in when workers installing a new heating system weeks prior failed to shut the basement door on the sidewalk.

And!

But rats are just a part of city living, said Maher — unpleasant, but not uncommon, especially near construction sites.

"Can you imagine New York City anywhere there isn't a rat? Are you kidding me?" he exclaimed.

Maher will appear at the city's Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings on Monday, and hopes to be able to reopen after that.

Meanwhile! Former house cat Minnie McSorley — banished by the DOH — offered her take on the matter on Facebook Thursday (h/t Daily News): "Good thing the health department made me move out, huh?"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: Minnie McSorley's first interview

[Updated] DOH temporarily closes McSorley's

The DOH temporarily closed McSorley's yesterday on Seventh Street near Cooper Square, as these photos by EVG reader Russell Kohn show...



The city has not yet posted yesterday's inspection online.

In 2011, the city made McSorley's dust off the bar's famous wishbones, placed there some 100 years ago by doughboys headed off to war...(McSorley's also had to remove bar cat Minnie McSorely.)

Given the bar's ample presidential paraphernalia, an inspection the day after Election Night seems curious.

Updated 4 p.m.

The inspection report still isn't online. (They had an A, with only two minuscule violation points following the last inspection in May.)

According to Gothamist, The Health Department's inspection yesterday "revealed several critical health hazards, including evidence of rat activity, food held at the wrong temperature, and conditions conducive to vermin and pest activity."

Bar owner Matthew Maher blamed the ongoing Cooper Square reconstruction for the rat mess.

Per DNAinfo:

"There was a whole load of building equipment here, when the city opened up the pipes and all that, and they just took that away a couple of weeks ago, and that was a haven for rats," he said, noting he had seen the rodents scurrying around near the site during the restoration project from the city's Department of Design and Construction, which included tearing up the pavement in the plaza to install a new gas main.

When a health inspector came by unannounced on Wednesday afternoon, rat droppings were found throughout the basement, said Maher, who suspected the vermin got in when workers installing a new heating system weeks prior failed to shut the basement door on the sidewalk.

Updated 11/11

The report is now online.

There were 42 violation points. The main three violations:

1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
3) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.

In the past two years, they've only had two violations points total.

A St. Patrick's Day morning look at the line at McSorley's

On this St. Patrick's Day, the line for McSorley's on East Seventh Street "isn't too crazy" EVG line correspondent Steven noted... this was the back of the line right at 8 a.m., when the bar was opening for the (St. Patrick's) day...



Not even to Cooper Square. Yet!

The McSorley's Militia continue to adapt to our changing times

In honor of the 162nd (or 154th!) anniversary of McSorley's... members of its militia were present to perform a musket salute... just as soon as everyone figured how to pay for parking...



Photos by EVG Musket and Powder Horn correspondent Derek Berg

Happy No. 162 McSorley's!

[EVG photo of McSorley's from the other night]

In one of our very first gazette dispatches here at EVG, we noted a new "old ale house" opening at 15 E. Seventh St. near Cooper Square.

At the time, it was not clear if founder John McSorley had appeared before CB3 or bothered collecting signatures of support or had proper permits for the big belly stove.

A few readers expressed displeasure. For example:

"I wish they'd keep their doors closed. I can hear the barkeep dropping nickels into the soup bowl from a block away."

And!

"Don't we already have enough establishments around here in which to drink ale and eat raw onions?"

And!

"Oh great, another place catering to the tanners, bricklayers and slaughter-house butchers."

And!

"I give it 6 months."

And!

"There goes the neighborhood."

Anyway, (I kid because I love), 162 years later, give or take eight years, McSorley's is celebrating today...



And as always when mentioning McSorley's and anniversaries... There are some doubters ("doubters gonna doubt!") about when McSorley's actually opened. Per New York: "Though McSorley’s claims it opened its doors in 1854, NYC historian Richard McDermott used public records to prove it really opened in 1862." Which means Lincoln never set foot in the place.

Still, Lincoln will likely make an appearance here today as in previous years...


[Photo from 2015 by TheDustyRebel via Facebook]

Maybe this year it will be the actor who starred in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."

Updated 2/16

A few photos from the day via Derek Berg... featuring the McSorley's militia...









Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: Minnie McSorley's first interview

Bar wars: Maybe McSorley's isn't the oldest tavern in the city?

Missed this item from earlier in the week… when news came out via the Daily News that Richard Hourahan of the Queens Historical Society unveiled research showing that Neirs Tavern in Woodhaven opened in 1829, almost 30 years before McSorley's on East Seventh Street near Cooper Square … making it the oldest bar in the city.

And what does the current holder of the oldest-bar-in-the-city title, McSorley's, who just celebrated Birthday No. 161, have to say about this? Here's what manager Gregory de la Haba told the News:

"McSorley's is the oldest continuously operating bar in New York City, and it’s the most authentic — hands down. What you are looking for is authenticity and not age.

"It's a fine bar," he said of Neir's. "So is the White Horse and Fanelli's and P.J. Clarke's. It’s not easy making a go of it in this city."

As for Neir's, Mae West allegedly first performed there … it's also known for this scene from "GoodFellas" …

McSorley's is/was 161 today

[Image of old McSorley's via Facebook]

Opened in 1854, as legend has it here at 15 E. Seventh St. near Cooper Square.

There was cake...


[Photo via @ueshawk]

… and Abe Lincoln … and the dudes with muskets …


[Photo by TheDustyRebel via Facebook]

And because someone will bring this up and ruin everything:

There are some doubters about when McSorley's actually opened. Per New York: "Though McSorley’s claims it opened its doors in 1854, NYC historian Richard McDermott used public records to prove it really opened in 1862." Which means Lincoln never set foot in the place.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Happy 155th birthday, McSorley's (or not)

Exclusive: Minnie McSorley's first interview

East 7th Street, 7:30 a.m., March 17

[Photo by Sheila Rothenberg via Facebook]

At the front of the line for McSorley's.

Anyway, the bar is open. Last we heard there wasn't a line to get in ... and even room to stand inside.

Updated 8:30 a.m.

No lines...


[Photo by Christian from 6th Street]

Updated 10:15 a.m.

if you are interested in an ongoing account from inside, then you can check out Eater, who is liveblogging from the bar.

Happy 160th anniversary McSorley's

Hey, the bar on East Seventh Street is celebrating its 160th (or 152st!) anniversary… (There are some doubters about when McSorley's actually opened. Per New York: "Though McSorley’s claims it opened its doors in 1854, NYC historian Richard McDermott used public records to prove it really opened in 1862." Which means Lincoln never set foot in the place.)

Anyway!

Per the McSorley's Facebook page the other day:

February 17th is our 160th Anniversary. So c'mon in and help celebrate. We'll have a fine cut of a man on the squeezebox, another singing song and our civil war era sword behind the bar will slice everyone a fat piece of cake. Are you ready?

Squeezebox!

Updated:

A photo from this afternoon via Bobby Williams… looks orderly enough outside…



Previously on EV Grieve:
Happy 155th birthday, McSorley's (or not)

Exclusive: Minnie McSorley's first interview

[Photo circa 1970 by JP Laffont/Sygma/CORBIS]

The New Yorker's seasonal love for McSorley's

Finally had a chance to see this week's issue of The New Yorker… which features a familiar sight on the cover: McSorely's. The illustration, titled ''Tis the Season," is by Istvan Banyai.

Here's more about it:

“I am almost as old as McSorley’s,” says Istvan Banyai, the artist behind this week’s cover. “It’s a quintessential New York landmark that still has a character,” he continues. … "I loved to go to McSorley’s when I lived in New York, before I moved to the woods in Connecticut. It has a lovely atmosphere, and it’s a good place to talk to strangers … and forget the Internet.

[H/t Spike and Anton]

Distinguished men in hats were in McSorley's earlier today

Ale! #gogodididonyc @TwoPlaysInRep pic.twitter.com/qghQ1frQLc

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) October 16, 2013

Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, appearing soon together on Broadway, were in McSorley's earlier for a photo shoot ... per a Facebook post by Minnie McSorley: "McSorley's Old Ale House: Now wheelchair accessible, and mutant friendly."

H/T @fnytv

At 9:12 a.m., there were 7 people waiting for McSorley's to open

The other two people were across the street having a cigarette. Anyway, I expected more people by now.

The bar opens today at noon.

What times does McSorley's open on St. Patrick's Day?

Noon. Because someone asked.

And today they opened at 8 a.m. No line. At 8:45 anyway.



And not all that boisterous inside...



...and the McSorley's bus idles outside to take people to the St. Patrick's Day today...



And no — the driver doesn't take requests to drive people out to the middle of nowhere and leave them.

[And yes on that headline.]

Watch Abraham Lincoln give the Gettysburg Address at McSorley's

Well, in honor of Presidents' Day, McSorley's Day (Feb. 17) ... and the Oscar-busting "Lincoln" ... we give you the above video, in which, according to the YouTube description: "Greg Nissen portrays Abraham Lincoln [Ed Note: What, you expecting Daniel Day-Lewis?] on Lincoln's Birthday Feb. 12, 2011. Captain Zorikh is the Union soldier announcing him as he visits McSorley's Alehouse in New York City to recite the Gettysburg Address."

According to legend, Lincoln did actually visit McSorley's back in the day... reportedly after his famous Cooper Union Speech at Cooper Union's Great Hall on Feb. 27, 1860 ... which, according to scholar Harold Holzer, helped propel Lincoln into the presidency.

Find out more about Lincoln and the Cooper Union Speech here at the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation.

A few years ago, The Examiner offered details about Lincoln's visit to McSorley's in 1860. Do with this information what you please. There's zero sourcing for it:

Later, several men took him to the nearby McSorley's Old Ale House at 15 East 7th Street. Sipping an ale, Lincoln looked around curiously. The "Men Only" pub, with its sawdust covered floors, pot-bellied stove in the middle of the room, and friendly Irish bartenders gave him a comfortable feeling.

His confidence was renewed by his tremendous success in New York. Both the speech at Cooper Union and his visit to McSorley's helped to make his political career.

Using public records, historian Richard McDermott has pointed out that the bar really opened in 1862 and not 1854, according to New York magazine. Makes a good story nonetheless.

[Updated] McSorley's Day is Feb. 17

Speaking of McSorley's... there is an ad in today's Post noting that Feb. 17 is McSorley's Day in New York... The 17th would be Sunday, though the ad states "Friday February 17."



In any event! The bar is also celebrating its 159th (or 151st!) anniversary... (Per New York: "Though McSorley’s claims it opened its doors in 1854, NYC historian Richard McDermott used public records to prove it really opened in 1862." Which means Lincoln never set foot in the place.)

Anyway! A flashback to last year's 158th (or 150th!) festivities...

Updated:
Oh, despite what the ad says, turns out that the celebration is today, Feb. 10.. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Happy 155th birthday, McSorley's (or not)

Exclusive: Minnie McSorley's first interview

Let's take a look inside McSorley's on Aug. 1, 1970

And outside... two protestors from NOW ...

Women were not allowed in McSorley's until Aug. 10, 1970.

[Photos via a reader via JP Laffont/Sygma/CORBIS]

Beer bard back with 'Light or Dark' at McSorley's

The Daily News has a feature today on Geoffrey Bartholomew, the poet bartender at McSorley's since 1972.

Bartholomew, who took writing classes at City College where his teachers included Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller, just published his second collection of poems, titled "Light or Dark."

Here's a sampling via the News:

from “Restaurant Inspection”

They come in all shapes & sizes

both guys and gals

thermometers and test strips

eyeballing it all

protecting your health

The violation reads:

I did see 9/10 live flies

Well, effing bully for you

but at $100 a fly

that’s an even grand

On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Bartholomew and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Franz Wright will be give a reading at McSorley's.

You can find the McSorley's Poems website here.

And later at McSorley's

Late afternoon... Photos by Bobby Williams...

Earlier.

This was the line for McSorley's at 8:56 a.m., March 17, 2012

Hey, it's St. Patrick's Day. In case you didn't know already because your neighbors have recently discovered the Pogues.

Anyway! Forgot to check when McSorley's opens today... 9? 11?

... and around the corner... Leprechaun bus!

If you don't feel like waiting, then you may go to the Village Pourhouse on 11th Street and Third Avenue. They were open earlier. You may need a backpack to get in. Many people we saw entering the bar had backpacks. (Unfortunately, not depicted so well in this photo...) Change of clothes? Provisions? Textbooks? Stomach pumps?

If you are brave enough to venture out today (we recommend that you stay locked in your bathroom), then say hi. We'll be wearing a disguise from Gem Spa...