Thursday, May 31, 2012

NYC Walking Tour- The Bridge Cafe


The Bridge Cafe at Water and Dover Streets in NYC


The Bridge Cafe is a historic New York City restaurant and bar located at 279 Water Street in the South Street Seaport area of Manhattan The site was originally home to "a grocery and wine and porter bottler," opened in 1794, and has been home to a series of drinking and eating establishments. In the nineteenth century the building was describes in city directories variously as a grocery, a porterhouse, or a liquor establishment. Henry Williams operated a brothel there from 1847 to 1860 and the prostitutes were listed in the New York City census of 1855. In 1888 the building's exterior was altered to its present form. It is the city's oldest continuous business establishment and has been under its current ownership since 1979. The cafe has been reported to have paranormal activity that is currently being reported  to involving: moving shadows, the sound of footsteps from the above floors, strange feelings of being watched, and the smell of perfume or lavender, the source of which can never be adequately explained.

While in office, Mayor Edward I. Koch regularly had dinner at the Bridge Cafe and declared it to be his favorite restaurant.

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