Mad Men Tour of Midtown Manhattan

11. P.J. Clarke's

New York, NY

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In the mid-1600s, New York was a much different place in many ways. It was then known as New Amsterdam, and it was governed not by a mayor but by a governor-general known as Peter Stuyvesant. However, even back then Stuyvesant knew that the people of the city would not tolerate the banning of alcohol, and had to settle for taxing it and restricting its sale after 9 pm. Alcohol has always been popular in New York, with bars often playing an important role in history. Bars such as Fraunces Tavern, where George Washington said his goodbyes to his Continental Army officers in 1783, or the Stonewall Inn, which was the epicenter of the Stonewall riots in 1969. Even during prohibition, New Yorkers loved their bars, even if they were illegal speakeasies. As popular as these establishments are in the city, there is always plenty of competition, and when a place lasts as long as PJ Clarke's it must have something remarkable going for it. As you can see, PJ Clarke's is still here in Midtown and it is still doing well. The bar was here in 1960, and it makes an appearance in the first season "Mad Men" episode "The Hobo Code." In that episode a number of the Sterling Cooper staff make the short journey to the venerable Third Avenue establishments for some drinks, and to do the twist along with Chubby Checker on the jukebox. Peggy and Pete, both still in their early days at Sterling Cooper, are there as well. As "The Twist" plays in the background, Peggy sashays from the partying office workers over to Pete, who is sitting alone at a table. Pete, naturally, refuses to join Peggy with a cold rebuff. The use of PJ Clarke's in this early episode was one sign that "Mad Men" was serious about being authentic. In the 1960s this bar was hugely popular with advertising executives and office workers in general. These days, this classic Manhattan bar -- still standing here on Third Avenue looking much the same as it always has -- PJ Clarke's has been an East Side institution since opening in 1884. Some famous regulars throughout the bar's history have included Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Dick Clarke. This is the place where Charles Jackson wrote most of "The Lost Weekend" in 1945, and Buddy Holly proposed to his future wife Maria Elena Santiago in 1958. PJ Clarke's, which resides in a structure that was built in 1868. is now an anomaly in the area, surrounded by contemporary skyscrapers. [Photo credit: Noah Axelrod]