A speakeasy during the Prohibition era, this still-secret tavern behind an unmarked door on Bedford Street has been closed for structural reasons for a few years. Inside, however, it retains its original ambience with oak booths, a fireplace once used by a blacksmith, and a sawdust-strewn floor. For years Chumley's attracted a literary clientele (John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Edna Ferber, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jack Kerouac), and the book covers of their publications still proudly adorn the walls. There's another "secret" entrance in Pamela Court, accessed at 58 Barrow Street around the corner. Watch for the bar's reopening; it's one-of-a-kind.
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