Philly's First

     Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, has a number of firsts to its credit.  First post office, first library, first fire company...the list goes on and on.  But a lesser known fact is that the first tavern in the city under continuous operation is on a very tiny street, Drury Lane, not far from City Hall.  McGillin's Olde Ale House was established in a small row house back when Abe Lincoln first took the oath of office as President in 1860.  There William "Pa" McGillin opened the Bell in Hand Tavern downstairs and he and his wife Catherine  "Ma" raised their 13 children upstairs.  Locals who frequented the place simply referred to it as McGillin's and the name stuck.

     When Pa died in 1901 Ma continued to operate the business until her death in 1937.  Management was then passed on to one of their daughters, Mercedes, who ran the tavern until it was sold to 2 brothers in 1958.  And it remains in operation to this day, serving up good food  and libation at reasonable prices.  McGillian's has been named by Gourmet magazine to their list of the 14 coolest bars in America, and with good reason.  It is also widely believed that Ma's ghost still oversees the place in the late hours of the night.



      After the final Phillies game of the season (they lost again) I stopped by for dinner last Sunday.  The mussels fra diablo over linguine helped me to forget the dismal baseball season for the hometown team.