R.I.P. Chumley's?

So I've been a little out of it when it comes to news in my own city. This is what happens when you hardly venture below 14th Street. I didn't know until I read Marianne's blog that Chumley's had closed due to a
chimney collapsing inside the building while people were still inside! According to the website Curbed demolition of the building is not being considered. Buildings was working with the owner and shoring company to stabilize the collapsed area, but Marianne noted that the building had been condemned. However, I recently read on Curbed that it might be able to be saved.

I have to confess that I haven't been to Chumley's in about 5 years. The last time I was there it was full of NYU students, and the bartender claimed to be out of cream and couldn't make me a white russian, so my friends and I went to a restaurant down the block and hung out.

But I have fond memories of the place. I once tried to fix up two of my friends at Chumley's. Ex sweetie pie and I, two of my girlfriends and their potential dates spent a lovely evening having dinner at Chumleys. Well, it was good for one of the guys, who I shall call Ted (I met him at one of my temp jobs), since he ended up at one end of the table with my two girlfriends, while the other guy, IHBF, was at the other end with ex sweetie pie having to listen to him talk about how much he loved me. Oops!

The last time I ate at Chumley's, we sat in a booth all the way in the back near the kitchen, where I had the misfortune to see Minnie the mouse nibbling on a loaf of bread which was sitting at the waiters station. I had a funny feeling that the unnibbled part was going to end up in someone's bread basket.

Chumley's had a rich history. It was a speakeasy during prohibition. The food was never that good but there was something to be said about standing in a bar that had been around for over 80 years. Since the demise of Gage and Tollner, Luchows, and a host of other New York institutions, it would be a shame if a landmark piece of New York history disappeared for good.

Thanks for reading,

EKM