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Tracking New York's literary spirits

By Kristen V. Brown | Special to amNew York

4:22 PM EST, January 17, 2008

Arthur Friedlander, of Riverdale, gets his usual extra dry martini at Kettle Fish Bar on Tuesday evening, January 15, 2008. Friedlander has been a regular at this bar since the 1970s, formerly known as The Lion's Head, and remembers many famous writers and intellects frequenting the establishment. "Jessica Lange used to be a waitress here, but she was only the second prettiest," laughed Friedlander while reminiscing with some friends. (Photo by - Kristen E. Olson)

The dark caverns of New York City's bars have inspired such great works as Pete Hamill's "A Drinking Life," Hunter S. Thompson's "The Rum Diary" and James Baldwin's "Previous Condition." While many of these old haunts have since bitten the dust, a handful of places remain where you can still have a beer while channelling your favorite literary hero (or heroine). Check out some of amNewYork's top picks:

White Horse Tavern As the third oldest bar in Gotham, White Horse Tavern has played host to a slew of famous faces, from Steve McQueen to Andy Warhol. Thompson even wrote about the White Horse Tavern in his chronicles of mania and alcoholism, "The Rum Diary." Perhaps the most famous patron, however, was the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who drank himself into a fatal coma one night at the bar. According to some, Thomas' ghost still haunts the White Horse. But fret not -- he's probably just enjoying the impressive selection of bottled and draft beers. (567 Hudson St: 212-243-9260)

Minetta Tavern Hidden amongst the tourist traps and NYU territory that currently makes up MacDougal Street, the Minetta Tavern is a bit of an anomaly. Little has changed at the Minetta since its days as a speakeasy -- yellowing caricatures of celebrity bohemians adorn the walls, reminders of patrons like the eccentric homeless author Joe Gould, who would sit in the bar while writing "An Oral History of Our Time," waiting for patrons to buy him beer. It's also rumored that DeWitt Wallace started Reader's Digest in its basement. The tap is limited, but authentic Italian cuisine and friendly bartenders make up for it. (113 MacDougal St: 212-475-3850)

Kettle of Fish Not only does Kettle of Fish have a storied literary past -- everyone from Jack Kerouac to Bob Dylan used to drink there -- their new location has an even greater one. The current site, formerly The Lion's Head, used to be known as "the writers' pub." Norman Mailer was a regular, gathering daily to sing Irish folk songs and discuss the latest world happenings. Other fun features include darts, pinball and the classic Ms. Pacman arcade game. (59 Christopher St; 212-414-2278)

McSorley's Old Ale House Joseph Mitchell first drew attention to McSorley's with a series of articles in The New Yorker, and his subsequent book, "McSorley's Wonderful Saloon." Since then, McSorley's has become one of Manhattan's most well known (and oldest) bars. McSorley's was frequented by literary greats like LeRoi Jones, Paul Blackburn and E.E. Cummings, who paid tribute to the haunt in his poem, "I was sitting in McSorley's." Of course, McSorley's is also famous for their house brand ale.(15 E. 7th St; 212-473-9148)

Pub Crawl

If you're too lazy to put together your own tour de force of Manhattan's former literary hotspots, no worries -- the Bakerloo Theatre Project has already done it for you. Every Saturday, actors from Bakerloo host a pub crawl of some of Greenwich Village's most storied literary hangouts, starting at the White Horse Tavern and working their way west, divulging history as well as performing some of the writers' work along the way. Profits from the tour go to help produce the company's productions of Shakespeare and other classics. Drinking is encouraged, of course the actors insist it makes them funnier but don't forget you still have to get home afterwards.