The Townhouse Bar of New York

Don’t think twice about the sign requesting proper attire. Baseball caps, cutoffs and tank tops (for guys) are the only truly verboten apparel at this gentleman’s gay bar: The older, designer-suited patrons, however, do appreciate a tony sense of style. First-timers to this converted brownstone may think they’ve entered a hotel lobby: Soft music plays in the front room, which is decorated with prim-and-proper furniture and oil paintings. The scene all but demands the slow sipping of top-shelf Scotch. For a less sedate affair, wander into the back-room piano bar, where a show-tune sing-along might erupt at the stroke of a piano key.