MacDougal Street

Gas Light Café/Kettle of Fish bar

Though popular and important as a gathering place, it is probably most notorious amongst Beat Generation enthusiasts and “Kerouac-eans” for a series of photographs taken of him outside, in front of the red neon bar sign that was in the window. The photographs were taken for a publicity shot after On the Road was published. In at least one of the photos, Joyce Johnson, Kerouac’s girlfriend at the time On the Road was published, is in the background looking pensive. I have read that she didn’t realize that she was in the photo. I have not included the photograph on the site because I do not want to infringe on copy-right; however, it is relatively easy to find on the web.

San Remo Café:

The San Remo was one of the more popular bars of the Beat era. Kerouac spent a lot of time there and was beat up outside on more than one occasion. The San Remo’s days are long gone. The building’s structure has changed too, though the main corner post that was once covered in wood and had the bar’s name printed on it, is still there, which gives perspective for anyone trying to visualize any Beat ghosts.

MacDougal Street in the west side of Greenwich Village has been linked to bohemianism for most of the last century. It is also tremendously important in the history of the Beat Generation. The bars and cafés that lined the streets were stomping grounds of Beat poets, writers and artists. They were important gathering places and forums for the youth of the generation who congregated to discuss and exchange ideas; brought together by their mutual dissatisfaction with the conservatism of contemporary America. Though it has become a bit trendy, and many of the bars and cafés are now apparently owned by the same person (from what I have heard), some of the same verve and swing still exists on MacDougal Street.

Beat Facts:

The Bar Sign:

The red neon sign behind Kerouac in the photograph still exists and is inside of a bar after the same name - Kettle of Fish bar on Christopher Street near Sheridan Square. I have included a photograph of myself posing like Kerouac in front of it. While I was at the bar, I talked to some of the regulars regarding the history of the bar and the sign. The following is the scoop I got, though I cannot completely verify it’s accuracy considering there was a fair amount of alcohol involved...:

The bar moved a couple of times. The first time it moved only a block from MacDougal street. It remained there for about twenty-odd years until the owner decided to sell. One of the barmaids apparently did not know that it was for sale until it was too late to purchase it herself; however, she did procure the rights to the name and opened a bar on Christopher Street. The former owner gave/loaned her the neon bar sign and it is proudly displayed in the side-room, visible in the window to passers-by. The promotional photograph of Kerouac with Joyce Johnson in the background is also on display across from the bar.

Interestingly enough, the location of the current Kettle of Fish bar was already important in the saga of Beat Generation history. It was formerly “The Lion’s Head”, a popular bar from the era in its own right. There is still an old sign in the entrance.

My First Introduction to MacDougal Street:

The first time I went to MacDougal street I had no idea where I was or that it had any relevance to the Beat Generation. Some friends in NYC had brought me to a restaurant near Café Wha. It wasn’t until later, when pursuing Beat footprints, that I realized I had been on the street already.

I am especially fond of the Café Reggio, one of the oldest cafés in the city. Each time I visit NYC I always spend at least a bit of time in the Figaro bar, which contrary to belief, was a Beat hang-out. I typically sit at the bar and peer across the street at the former location of the San Remo, trying to picture it “back in the day”.

**Update:

The Figaro is apparently now closed. I’ll update once I have more information.

This is most unfortunate.

Incriminating Evidence: