Films · Haven Nº 006 · Upper East Side, New York
Bemelmans Bar: the film
Bemelmans Bar, inside The Carlyle on New York's Upper East Side, is the room Ludwig Bemelmans painted. Come at half past four, take a stool under the murals, and order before the pianist sits down.
A 74-second film, made with the images of the place.
What the voice says
At five-thirty, this bar starts charging you just to sit.
Blame the piano. Here's your evening, round by round.
Bemelmans Bar, inside The Carlyle, a block from Central Park.
Round one, four-thirty. Take a stool at the counter.
Order a classic martini. Watch the red jackets make it.
Then look up. You've got an hour.
Ludwig Bemelmans painted these walls. He wrote and drew Madeline.
Behind the bar, rabbits row a boat. Another one takes aim with a rifle.
Turn around. By the banquettes, a man hands balloons to a boy.
Five-thirty. A pianist sits down.
From the first song, your seat has a price.
Twenty to twenty-five dollars a person at the counter. More at a table.
So keep your stool. You face the murals, and you pay less.
Round two: Madeline's Vesper, with a twist that carries the bar's name.
Our verdict: two drinks, one on each side of five-thirty.
No caps, no sneakers. Book for the music, or walk in early.
Four-thirty for the walls. Five-thirty for the piano.