The New York bar McSorely’s Old Alehouse was opened in 1854, but it was recently shut down by the New York City Department of Health. Luckily it was able to reopen pretty quickly and is now back to business as normal.
The shutdown occurred because of “evidence of rat activity,” which interestingly followed the Department of Health forcing the establishment to get rid of their resident cats, who were kept around for that very reason.
Luckily the rat issue seemed to be the result of some nearby construction that was being done, meaning that it was possible to get it under control pretty quickly. The bar fixed what needed fixing and then passed their inspection to reopen the spot, and one blog noted that when they did there was “a small group of patrons waiting for the doors to reopen.”
The historic pub is a favorite in the area of Manhattan that it is located. The bar has self proclaimed that it can be called New York City’s oldest continuously operated saloon, and that legends such as Abe Lincoln and John Lennon have spent time there.
