Hisoric New York City Bars - The White Horse Tavern

The purported last words of the poet Dylan Thomas at the White Horse Tavern in 1953 were: "I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that's the record." (Dying words of famous people.) In actuality, Thomas made it back to the Chelsea Hotel and finally expired days later at St. Vincent's Hospital, so it's not unlikely that his last words were considerably less memorable (perhaps the final utterances were complaints about the cut and style of his hospital gown). Nonetheless, Thomas, who frequented the White Horse Tavern when he was in town on poetry-reading tours late in his life, left an enduring mark (The White Horse Tavern, 567 Hudson Street - 212-243-9260). Established in 1880, the White Horse is sometimes called the second-oldest bar in New York. It has slick black painted beams and is broken up in to a number of small rooms, like a British pub. In nice weather a hamburger at an outside table along scenic Hudson Street can make for a nice lunch.

Drawn to the Dylan Thomas legacy, the White Horse was the place to be for beat poets. Bob Dylan frequented in the early 1960s, followed by others including John Belushi. Belushi's SNL partner, Dan Akroyd, is said to have visited the White Horse at closing time after Belushi's death. He had the doors closed and bought the house a round.