We love Mad Men and can’t get enough. In addition to the character development, plot twists and 1960s period costumes (which are totally back in style), we love seeing some of our favorite locations in New York City depicted on the show.
From Madison Avenue to Waverly Place, many of the locales that Don and the rest of the characters frequented are still around and just as successful as they were in the ’60s. In anticipation of Season 6, here’s our Mad Men Guide to New York City with our favorite locations featured on Seasons 1-5.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store in Sunday’s Season Premier, and add Season 6 locations to our Mad Men Guide.
The Oyster Bar at Grand Central
In Season 1, Don gets back at Roger for flirting with Betty by egging him on to eat a couple dozen oysters and drink one too many Martinis, and then having the elevator attendant say the elevator is out of service. By the time the two of them walk the twenty-three flights up to the office, Roger is so sick that he vomits at the feet of a client.
We don’t recommend overdoing it like Roger, but we do recommend stopping at the Oyster Bar for a drink before boarding a train upstairs. In fact, for an even more sophisticated period atmosphere, head downstairs to the Campbell Apartment, Grand Central’s hidden bar, famous for the Prohibition Punch. We can only hope it will be featured in Season 6. Read more on our guide to NYC’s hidden bars.
P.J. Clarke's
When Peggy successfully writes copy for the Belle Jolie campaign and gets promoted from secretary to copy writer, she invites everyone out for a drink at P.J. Clarke’s to celebrate. A New York City staple that has been around since 1884, the original P.J. Clarke’s on 55th and 3rd is still a popular spot for a happy hour drink and serves up a menu of all American classics.
You can still see mementos of the bar’s past with a broken pay phone, human leg bones over the door (apparently an Irish good luck talisman), and Skippy the taxidermied dog. It was once a haunt of Frank Sinatra, Jackie O and Elizabeth Taylor. How’s that for authentic?
Henri Bendel
It’s been suggested that Menken’s Department Store from Season 1 may be a fictionalized version of Bergdorf Goodman, but we think it more closely resembles Henri Bendel. Menken’s is portrayed as a classy, upscale but intimate department store, much like Bendel.
The flagship on Fifth Avenue is home to original Lalique windows, making it an architecturally interesting place to see even if you prefer not to shop there.
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