Dine and drink like some of New York City’s most renowned artistic voices with a meal or cocktail at Blue Bar Restaurant & Lounge. Originally opened in 1933, after the fall of Prohibition, Blue Bar has been a staple of the Big Apple’s culinary scene for decades. Due to the hotel’s center-of-it-all location near some of the city’s most prominent theaters, this famous bar has long been a favorite watering hole of Broadway icons and other creative elite. The bar even got its name from a suggestion made by actor and former hotel resident John Barrymore, who thought that blue gels over the bar’s lights would be more flattering to the guests. The name and the color stuck, as did The Blue Bar’s celebrated place in New York City history.

Savor a piece of the Big Apple’s culinary heritage with a slice of New York City pizza. Huge, thin, foldable, and typically served by the slice, New York-style pizza is as iconic as the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. While some enjoy the light slathering of slightly sweet sauce or the healthy helping of full-fat mozzarella cheese, others cannot get enough of that signature crust, which is said to get its taste and texture from New York City’s tap water. Pizza joints are ubiquitous, and slices are cheap, making them a tasty addition day or night. Fold each slice in half the long way to enjoy it like a true New Yorker.

Start the day like the locals do with a New York-style bagel. With a chewy bite and a crispy crust with a hint of shine, Big Apple bagels are the perfect vehicles for a schmear of cream cheese, eggs and cheese, or a slice of lox with a sprinkling of capers and red onions. While some say that the secret sauce is New York City’s water supply, the real key to bagels’ culinary success is boiling the chilled dough in a mix of malt barley and water.