Mad Men Tour of Midtown Manhattan

3. Sardi's

New York, NY

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When the core staff of Sterling Cooper became the staff of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, the move from the East to the West Side was probably a big adjustment. Even though it is just a couple of blocks, Manhattan can be a surprisingly provincial place, especially when it comes to the East Side and the West Side -- with Fifth Avenue being the dividing line between the two. Traditionally, the East Side was the more "upscale" side of Manhattan, to put it simply. In the past, the East Side was much pricier in general, and it was home to wealthier New Yorkers, while the area west of Fifth Avenue was more middle class, and at one time even working class. These days, pretty much all of Manhattan is increasingly expensive, and the priciest neighborhoods -- including Tribeca and the West Village -- are actually on the West Side. During the time of "Mad Men," the East Side was still the elite section of Manhattan, for the most part. However, there were exceptions, mostly in the Broadway Theatre District. The Times Square area has been the theatre district in New York since the 1920s, and although Times Square itself has been through numerous changes, there are some things which have remained constant, including the continuing existence of Sardi's. Italian immigrant Vincent Sardi and Jenny Pallera opened Sardi's here on West 44th Street in 1927, when the Theatre District was still in its early years. However, even then competition for the patronage of Broadway theatre-goers was fierce, and Sardi knew that, in addition to a menu of great Continental cuisine, Sardi's would need a unique gimmick to stay afloat in the area. Inspired by the caricatures of celebrities that had attracted customers to Joe Zelli's club in Paris, the restaurateur hired artist Alex Gard to draw similar caricatures of Broadway personalities. As Gard's drawings helped build Sardi's enormous popularity over the following decades, the Russian artist received one meal per day from the restaurant for his work, and refused any additional payment. Sardi's became the restaurant in the Broadway district for theatre critics, theatre stars, theatre-goers lucky enough to get a table, and executives with enough influence to get a table. During season 2 of "Mad Men," in the episode "The New Girl," Don leaves work in the middle of the day to meet Bobbbie Barrett at Sardi's, and ends up running into former mistress Rachel Menken along with her new husband. Sardi's is not a good place to avoid running into people you know, especially if, like Don Draper, you happen to know a lot of powerful New Yorkers. [Photo credit: Noah Axelrod]