The Merchant’s House Museum is a restored 19th-century row house that is located in the now eclectic East Village.  The house, built in 1832, was the former residence of the Tredwells, a prosperous merchant family.

The architecture of the house is considered a transitional architectural style.  The outside is in the federal style while the inside is one of the best examples of Greek-revival style in the United States.  

Much of the family’s personal effects and memorabilia fill the house.  Furniture, unfinished needlework, and family photographs are displayed in the house, leaving the house as one would have found it in the 1800s. 

The Treadwells lived in the house for nearly 100 years and the final member of the family, Gertrude, passed in an upstairs bedroom in 1933, lending credibility to the urban legend that the house is haunted.  Opened as a museum in 1936, Merchant’s House Museum has survived as the only material link to the ever-important 19th-century era when New York City marine commerce flourished. 

Location: Merchant’s House Museum, 29 East Fourth Street, (map) 212-777-1089

Subway: N, R to 8th Street; 6 to Astor Place

Hours:  Monday, Thursday-Sunday Noon-5pm.  Closed Monday and Tuesday. 

Cost:  $8 adults, $5 Students & seniors 65+

Check out last week’s Museum Monday post on the National Museum of the American Indian.  Museum Monday continues next week with a post on the Museum at the Fashion Institute of America (FIT).

Photo credit (top to bottom): flickr; flickr 

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

There are a number of free events virtually everyday.  Highlights of the summer festival include:

• Otis Clay and Ryan Shaw June 11  Free
• Sonic Youth  July 4  Free
• Folk Music Festival on Governors Island  July 26  Free
• The Big River Project: The Music of Johnny Cash  July 26  Free
• Seaport Music Festival  August 8   Free
• Latin Giants of Jazz  September 3  Free

For more information, a full list of events, and to sign up for mobile alerts, check out the River to River event sight.    

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

Nicky’s traditional Vietnamese sandwich ($4.50), or bánh mì, is made with pate, Vietnamese ham, roasted ground pork, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and mayo on a baguette.  The sandwich is perfection, touching every taste bud in your mouth: the salt of the ham and pork, the sweetness of the carrot, the fresh crunch of cucumber and carrot, tastes spectacular on the freshly toasted baguette.  When the counter asks if “you want spicy” they’re referring to jalapenos on your sandwich.  Go for it!  The hotness of the pepper rounds out the taste of the sandwich nicely.

Though the classic Vietnamese sandwich is the star on the menu, there are also four other sandwiches, including the vegetarian-friendly Portobello Mushroom Sandwich ($5).  Other Vietnamese classic dished such as Rice Vermicelli with Chicken ($6.50) and Summer Rolls ($3.50) are also on the menu. 

Nicky’s is a grab-and-go restaurant; there are only 3 tables with ample room for only 6 people.  With the Manhattan spring weather getting better, grab a sandwich and enjoy it while relaxing in nearby Sara D. Roosevelt Park. 

Location:  Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches, 150 East 2nd Street, (map) 212-388-1088 (Nicky’s also a Brooklyn location, check their website for more information)

Subway:  F, V to 2nd Avenue-Lower East Side;

Days and Hours:  Monday-Saturday 12 noon until 9pm; Sunday 12 noon until 7pm

Photo credit: personal collection

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

Uptown

• The Kinsale Tavern (map), an Irish bar on the Upper East Side, is my personal favorite bar, if only for the fact that they serve Brahma, my fave Brazilian beer. Don’t worry, they have all of the normal standbys included on their 30-beer-long draught list. Just remember that you are on the UES when you see the Zucchini Rounds on the menu!
• Those that say there are no neighborhood bars left in Manhattan obviously haven’t been to Abbey Pub (map).  Tucked away (way) uptown in Morningside Heights, this bar still believes in buybacks!   

Midtown

• At Molly’s Pub and Restaurant (map) you can pull up a chair by the fireplace and chow on Shepherd’s Pie while downing Guinness by the pint.  The sometimes lackadaisical waitresses just add to the laid back atmosphere.  It really feels like you’re at a proper pub in Ireland.
• Maggie’s Place (map) is on the upper-end of Irish restaurants and bars in Manhattan.  This small family-owned restaurant serves everything from Dublin Fish & Chips to Irish Lamb Stew.     

Downtown

• I recently featured McSorley’s Old Ale House (map) in my Tavern Day post.  This no-fuss bar in the East Village serves two types of homebrew beer:  dark and light and both are delish!    
• Swift in Greenwich Village (map) will at least make you feel like you’re at mass as you sit in the church pew booths.  The backroom that has enough space for you and your entourage.     

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Post from: The New York City Traveler

McSorley’s Old Ale House, has had ale flowing freely since it was founded in Manhattan in 1854. Famous patrons are said to have included Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, among others. The famous bar has found itself to be the subject of countless books, songs, paintings, and even the e.e. cummings poem, i was sitting in mcsorley’s. In the poem, cummings refers to the famous McSorley’s beer as “the ale which never lets you grow old.”

In the more recent sorted history of the tavern, it is worth noting that McSorley’s was one of the last “men-only” bars that did not allow women patrons. That all came to a crashing halt with the rise of feminism and in 1970 when the court case Seidenberg v. McSorleys’ Old Ale House was taken to the District Court. The court ruled against McSorley’s and the bar was obligated to allow women through the doors.

Located in the middle of East Village, a stone’s throw from New York University, there isn’t a college frat boy in sight at this bar. The sawdust floors and walls that are covered in memorabilia made me forget that I was in the middle of East Village.

The drinking menu at McSorley’s is very simple: McSorley’s own recipe dark beer or light beer, both of which is served in two half-pint glasses ($4.50). Just a note, the “light” beer isn’t really that light. From the food menu, you can expect some very “down-home” and thoroughly unpretentious snack options. The most popular offering, the Cheese Plate (small $2, large $3), is served with a sleeve of saltine crackers (not kidding), sliced raw onions, hot English-style mustard, and contains what looks like Kraft singles. I have been assured my many people that it is quite delicious.

Location: McSorley’s Old Ale House, 15 East Seventh Street 212-474-9148

Subway: 6 to Astor Place; N, R to Eighth Street

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am-1am; Sunday 1pm-1am

Tavern Day can be enjoyed by anybody, anywhere in the world. Check out fellow b5media bloggers in D.C., Las Vegas, Paris, San Diego, Sydney, and Europe to see their suggestions on where to best celebrate this Tavern Day.  Even the Geeky Traveler chimes in and tells us about a device that finds the nearest bar by using GPS technology.  Sign me up for that service!

Photo credit: Personal Collection (Taken after three rounds of McSorley’s Dark Ale)

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Post from: The New York City Traveler