White Horse Tavern

Established in 1880, the White Horse Tavern is the second oldest continuously running tavern in New York City. It was originally popular with longshoreman, but in the 1950s it had started to be frequented by writers and artists. Among them the famous Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas, was quite fond of the bar—a bit too fond, in fact. On November 4th, 1953, Thomas came into the bar for a drink and left 18 shots of whiskey later. Thomas, who had already been ill, fell into a coma and was admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital at 1:58 AM; he died four days later, having never awoken from the coma. A post mortem exam revealed pneumonia to be the primary cause of death, with a fatty liver contributing to his ill health. Though Thomas was not able to return to the White Horse again in life, he is rumored to still make the occasional appearance in death. Visitors have seen his spirit hanging out in the bar, and he even seems to have a favorite table.