Liquor and literature fit like shoes and socks in the Big Apple, every tavern tells a story. Years ago I trod the boards bartending in Manhattan and every night ended with stories that still circle in my mind.

Some of the better know watering holes in NYC:

Greenwich Village’s White Horse Tavern was frequented by Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer and the lush poet Dylan Thomas, where his ghost is said to appear from time to time.

Pete’s Tavern is where O. Henry wrote The Gift of the Magi over quite a few.

Chumley’s was a favorite from Kerouac to Bogart and was once a speakeasy.

To balance it out for non imbibers the first AA meeting was at Bill Wilson’s house on Clinton Street in Brooklyn and can be visited. For some fascinating information on the history of lit and liquor in NYC click here.