As for the furniture, “the turn of the century motif will never go out of style, ” Johnny said while discussing the timelessness of his design choices. The reproductions of old paintings, especially by Rembrandt and De Goya, fit very well in the space, which, being an old carriage house, has fifteen foot ceilings. He opened the Auction House, which earned its name because most of its furniture and art came from the auction houses that Johnny scoured throughout the Northeast. ” After a while, he became tired of the “big, loud, schmaltz-filled nightclubs” and wanted to open a place where people could have conversations and escape the chaos of the city. He prided himself on being “the first person somebody sees on the way in, and the last on the way out. Johnny got his start in 1978 working the door at places like the China Club. Barounis, who explained that when he first opened the bar in 1993, it was the only one of its kind. The bar calls itself a “diamond in the rough, ” a term with which I heartily agree. The cozy drape-enclosed rooms attract locals who enjoy huddling around the fireplaces in the cooler months. The exposed brick walls – now a common feature of New York City bars – and warm, low lighting makes the space seem more like someone’s living room than a museum. Although regal and classic, I found it to be very approachable. With velvet curtains, old art, and gilded mirrors, the Auction House resembles a centuries-old salon. What better way to be given a clear glimpse of the friendships that are born and grown in this welcoming pub. They quickly began asking about their hometowns, inquiring how often they go back, and offering one another candy. They all appeared to know Barry, an Irishmen himself, but did not know each other. " And how fortunate were we to actually witness a meeting of three modern day Irish men as they sat down next to each other. Barry told me that they call it the "three wise men. On the back wall, there is a mural of three Irishmen sitting at a bar. In addition to trivia every Monday and a well-attended happy hour from 5pm-8pm, Barry informed us that the bar offers the chance for charity guest bartending, where the proceeds from a group of thirty or more go towards a charity of the guest bartender's choice. He pulled out the plaque that listed the pub as pouring one of the greatest pints according Guinness consumers in 2008. Barry pointed out some of the signature traits of Trinity. In addition to Trinity Pub, the owners run two other bars in the neighborhood (Banshee and The Gael), and Barry was proud to tell me that they have been able to pay for their children's education thanks to the three bars. He also shared a story of how he had once met an eighty-year-old woman who remembered coming by and pulling her German father out of what was then Schubert Hall. Barry showed us an old photograph of the bar from the 1940s as well as an online list that named Trinity Pub as one of the oldest bars in the neighborhood. In the 1940s and 1950s, the bar was known as "Schubert Hall" and then was a firefighter's bar called "Sidestreets" in the 1970s and 80s - much to the delight of those of us from Manhattan Sideways. I then learned that the space had been a bar since the 1930s, mostly run by German and Hungarian immigrants. After it closed in 1996, they opened Trinity Pub, and the entire Fitzpatrick's crowd showed up to help get it ready for opening night. He told me that they used to work around the corner at a bar called Fitzpatrick's. But he was quick to heap praise on the owners of the bar (Gene, Billy, and Timmy) for their management. With his genuine nature, big smile, and quick wit, he is everything one might want in a bartender. Barry is clearly a big reason why people become regulars. The woman nodded, saying that she had met her husband in medical school, "And he remembers every exam we've taken, " she said, pointing to Barry. "It's the best bar in NYC, or at least the friendliest, " the man exclaimed. Though they had a few other errands to run, they essentially decided to visit the city in order to have a drink in their old pub. " He pointed out a man and a woman who had just taken a seat at the bar, explaining that they used to live in the area, but had recently moved to Westchester. "The kind that's quickly disappearing in Manhattan. "It's a neighborhood bar, " Barry, the bartender, told me. I walked into Trinity Pub just a few moments after it opened at 5pm, and was soon followed by a stream of customers.
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