Walker Schulte Schneider

Greenwich Village is the crown jewel of New York City—an exciting and eccentric neighborhood covered in leafy trees and beautiful old buildings. Although it lies at the halfway point between the bustling density of the Financial District and the glass-covered skyscrapers of midtown, the Village has tenaciously maintained its independent spirit over the centuries—perhaps a bit too tenaciously... RECOMMENDED: Behind the screams: A look behind The Village Halloween Parade Greenwich Village is one of New York City’s most haunted neighborhoods. Tales of murder, witchcraft and grave robbing are etched into its streets. The prosperous, the impoverished, and the free-spirited have all called it home… and many have decided to stick around long after their deaths. These are the seven spookiest spots to visit in Greenwich Village this fall. CHECK OUT: This NYC artist made life-sized ‘Hocus Pocus’ puppets for the Village Halloween Parade

You’ve probably seen The Old Town Bar even if you don’t realize it. Images of its tiled floors, reddish pressed tin ceiling and wooden bar have long been visual staples of the American cultural diet. Its neon sign and welcoming interior were emblazoned across the opening sequence of The Late Show with David Letterman. Its other credits include the movies The Devil’s Own and State of Grace, as well as the music videos for House of Pain’s “Jump Around” and Madonna’s “Bad Girl.”  Old Town’s appeal runs deeper than its classic New York aesthetic, however. True to its name, The Old Town Bar has proudly stood on 18th Street between Broadway and Park Avenue for over 130 years. It’s long been a spot where New Yorkers have come to gather, talk and connect.  This fall, I had the privilege of speaking with the co-owner of Old Town, Gerard Meagher, to learn more about the bar’s history, its patron saints, and, of course, its secrets.  A Bar for Everyone Old Town was originally established in 1892 as a German restaurant called Viemeister’s. The first floor was a saloon for the men while the upstairs dining room operated as a more respectable restaurant for both gentlemen and ladies. To this day, the ladies’ room is still on the second floor while the men’s room is on the ground floor.  For the first 80 or so years of its existence, the fortunes of Old Town were tied to the subway. The restaurant began prospering in 1904 when the now-forgotten 18th Street and Park Avenue subway stop opened

The Ear Inn is one of the last truly old New York bars. Nestled at the western edge of Spring Street, it is the rare drinking establishment that has evaded the touch of both time and tourism. For over 200 years, the inn has served as a welcomed haven for New Yorkers who want to sip their beer in the company of good people, good music, and the inescapable presence of the city’s history.   The Ear Inn is currently co-owned by Martin Sheridan and Rip Hayman, who have stewarded this beloved establishment since the 1970s. On a sunny February afternoon, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sheridan about the inn’s history, its characteristics, and—of course—its secrets.  RECOMMENDED: Five hidden secrets of McSorley’s Old Ale House Photograph: Donald Yip A Riverfront Refuge    The ramshackle, two-and-a-half-story brick townhouse the Ear Inn calls home has been standing for roughly 250 years. It was constructed sometime in the 1770s by a wealthy tobacconist who is said to have crossed the Delaware alongside George Washington during the Revolutionary War.  The townhouse originally sat right on the water. The Hudson River ran a mere 5 feet to the left of the front stoop. Now, a block and a half of landfill separates the Ear Inn from its original neighbor. However, memories of the inn’s ties to the riverfront are hard to forget. When Sheridan and Hayman excavated the cellar, they found mounds of grey riverbed silt and the remnants of a long-forgotten pier laying peacefully alongside 18

I’ll say it with my chest: Pete’s Tavern is the personification of Christmas in New York—and I know it has pretty stiff competition: the tree at Rockefeller Plaza, the decorated windows along Fifth Avenue and the Rockettes. But Pete’s Tavern beats them all.  Every December, year after year, the warm red glow from the windows of Pete’s Tavern beckons to New Yorkers. Unlike the city’s more mainstream Christmas destinations (Rolf’s, Frosty’s and Miracle on Ninth), Pete’s serves as a beacon of holiday cheer for the locals. It provides a warm and festive respite for New Yorkers eager to get away from the teeming hordes of tourists that descend on our city this time of year.   It’s time we discussed the hidden secrets of New York’s truest Christmas destination. Photograph: courtesy of Pete’s Tavern   It was a Grocery and Grog store Pete’s Tavern traces its roots back to 1851 when the building on the corner of East 18th Street and Irving Place was first constructed. For many years it operated as the Portman Hotel. In 1864, the hotel opened a “grocery and grog” store on the ground floor which served cold sandwiches and—you guessed it—grog. Pete’s cherished draft beer, the 1864 Ale, pays homage to these humble beginnings. In 1899, the hotel was bought by two brothers, Tom and John Healy. Shortly thereafter, the old “grocery and grog” store was given a facelift and renamed Healy’s Café. The hotel’s stables were converted into a proper dining room and the Healy brothers started offeri

The McKittrick Hotel looms above West 27th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. To a passerby, there is nothing about the building’s façade that hints at the haunting world that lies within—except, perhaps, for the line of shifting individuals that nervously snakes along the curb.  The McKittrick Hotel is home to the world-famous production of Sleep No More, a “site-specific, immersive experience” that blurs the line between audience and actor, stage and seating. It began previews in March 2011 and has been continuously extended over the past decade. The show was created by the British theatre company Punchdrunk and produced by Emursive Productions in association with Rebecca Gold Productions.  But as the lights fade out on its 5,000th performance, in January 2024, Sleep No More will conclude its nearly 13-year run. The pioneering performance has hosted over two million guests and has a sister run still ongoing in Shanghai, China.   For those in love with the McKittrick Hotel, this is not a final “goodbye”: the venue’s other performances will continue on at West 27th Street … and we hear that Punchdrunk already has another large-scale production in the works.  Ahead of the closure, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ilana Gilovich-Wave, Emursive’s Chief Storyteller, and Stephanie Geyer, the publicity envoy of the McKittrick Hotel, who shared some of the McKittrick Hotel’s lesser-known facts and closely guarded secrets so you can enjoy it all the more before it’s over

As I stepped out of Lafayette Avenue station and into Fort Greene, I could have sworn I had walked into a sitcom set in New York City. The neighborhood looks and feels like a highly curated set—in the best way.  As a Manhattanite, the first thing I noticed was the beauty of the neighborhood’s elegant brownstones. Then there were the sidewalks, which were crowded with toddlers and dogs. People were stopping to talk to one another outside stores. Gaggles of septuagenarians chatted and laughed on the corners. Children played unsupervised in the park.  Fort Greene is one of the few remaining slices of a bygone New York. One where the neighborhood is your entire universe—not just a place you come to lay your head. One where you actually know your neighbors. Where you really, truly live and not just exist. It’s even been named NYC’s coolest neighborhood for 2023 and 15th coolest in the world! But don’t let this idyllic setting fool you. Fort Greene has its secrets and its scars. It’s witnessed war and loss, gentrification and resistance, and even a candied catastrophe. Here are the essential secrets you should know about Fort Greene.  RECOMMENDED: A guide to Fort Greene, Brooklyn 1. Fort Greene is named after an actual Revolutionary War-era fort  The tranquility of Fort Greene’s leafy, brownstone-lined streets belies its dark origin story. It was here that the Continental Army suffered its worst defeat of the American Revolution.  In late August of 1776, the British attacked Brookl

Down in the heart of the East Village, tucked around the corner from the imposing Cooper Union, lies McSorley’s Old Ale House, arguably the greatest Irish pub in New York City.  Since its establishment in 1854, McSorley’s sawdusted floors and tchotchke-covered walls have beckoned countless New Yorkers and visitors alike. It’s been home to presidents and poets, scallywags and scribes—and just about everyone in between.   RECOMMENDED: The best St. Patrick’s Day events in NYC The bar is known for many things: its unchanging appearance (the last time its decorations were changed was in 1910 when the founder “Old John” McSorley died); its limited drinks selection (patrons are challenged with a choice of light or dark beer); its literary fame (New Yorker essayist Joseph Mitchell called it a “Wonderful Saloon” while e.e. cummings described it as “snug and evil”); and a certain magic that its communal tables seemingly conjure every night when they manage to turn strangers into close friends—if only for a fleeting moment or two.  But that’s what is commonly known about McSorley’s. After nearly two centuries of operation, the bar has compiled its own canon of secrets. Now, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, I’m going to share of few of my favorites with you. 1. An original John Wilkes Booth “wanted” poster  Photograph: Walker Schulte Schneider High on the wall above the bar, angled a few degrees towards the ground, hangs an original wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth, the actor and