Ace In The Hole

Because we are old, we half expected the doormen standing guard to the entrance of the Ace Hotel’s Lobby Bar, to grimly bar us. Located at 20 W. 29^th Street, near the corner of Broadway, the space is casually hip, unpretentious, though spectacular–a big room with comfy chairs and couches, and free Wi-Fi—thus the many people hanging out all day (don’t these people work?), driving the nice waiters bonkers. Nestled into that spectacular lobby, are a coffee shop and a restaurant, The Breslin Bar.

Some history: In the 1870s, an entertainment district blossomed near Madison Square, along with hotels and restaurants. One of these was James H. Breslin’s eponymous hotel, rising in 1904. “French Renaissance in design, it was built of brick and terra cotta. By this time, the area was already off the beaten track, for entertainment and hotels,” says a recent Times pictorial. It eventually became a rent-stabilized SRO, before emerging as the “hipsterific” Ace, spawning a number of ongoing disputes between the new owners and the left-over tenants who have charged, among other things, that they are not allowed to use the lobby.

We don’t see how that’s possible. Anyone can hang out in the lobby, without actually buying anything. That’s what we did—staring off into space, mentally putting the Ace on our cheap date list, our hang-out list, our email-checking list.

It’s cold outside, baby. Kill time at the Ace.