Grear bars in NYC: Campbell Apartments, when you need to class it up.

Campbell Apartments is the nicest bar I have ever frequented. This bar/lounge was originally Robber Barron John Campell’s office and prohibition era salon, and the décor has stayed the same since those Roaring Twenties. It’s a large cozy room with dark lighting, comfortable seating, and even a mock fireplace. Its location, inside Grand Central, makes it a hot spot of well off commuters. The drink menu specializes in Martinis and Prohibition era cocktails. The Flapper’s Delight, a mix of Amaretto, Champagne, and Papayas juice, is a personal favorite. Their Chocolate Martini is also well ranked.

I was introduced to the spot by my old college roommate Kingpin, whose taste this bar served perfectly. He loved the class of the joint, and the fact that they would serve minors if the minors dressed the part and did not balk at the bill (average drink price, $16). When I lived in Westchester, the bar served as a lovely spot for a drink before catching a train. I was having a drink there one time, waiting for a train and in a particularly depressed mood, when a woman, not a girl or a lady but very much a woman, started hitting on me. It became clear that her advances was more to do with getting rid of the sketchy dude hitting on her than any interest in me, but I am a man of manners and played along. After the other guy took the hint and moved on, the woman began telling me about her divorce and her concerns about finding another great love in her life. Heavy stuff for a 23 year old kind who just wanted a drink before catching a train. Still it was a neat moment when two random people can have a brief connection in a dark bar.

Clearly this is not a bar for crazy stories, but I have a great history with the joint. Its cocktails are amazing and its atmosphere is fabulous; its just not a bar I will go to more than once a quarter.

P.S. my other favorite bar in Grand Central, the beer stalls that see 2 dollar Coors Lite tall boys. Because no one should take a train sober. Hell, Brownsox and I are known to just go to Grand Central and walk around drinking Coors Lite killing time. It’s a nice change of pace from Campbell’s, to say the least.