Tourist-Friendly Mars Bar Now Featured In In-Flight Magazines

Because a Drew Barrymore photoshoot didn't dull Mars Bar's edge enough. Now EVGrieve tells us that AirTran is hawking NYC's "diviest dive" to passengers. Mars is lumped together with a schmancy wine bar and Pacha, which will piss off staff and patrons. On the upside, now I know it has a functional phone.

Here's the airline literature's description of the proud East Village dump:

"Considered by some to be the diviest dive in the borough of Manhattan, this graffiti-plastered bar is the perfect nightspot for visitors seeking evidence of the city's gritty past."

Speaking of dumps, there's no mention of the joint's notoriously vile bathrooms, which make airplane lavatories look and smell Architectural Digest-ready. But I guess I appreciate the AirTran folks encouraging tourists to expand their itineraries beyond the usual bait.

That said, Mars Bar doesn't take too kindly to out-of-town strangers (unless they're on the lam, maybe). There's the poster taped behind the bar "gently" reminding thrill-seeking Eurotrash that "In this country, you tip your bartender." And defaced Health Department signage ("Drinking During Pregnancy May Cause Birth Defects--Look Around") might offend the delicate sensibilities of Aunt Dot in town from Omaha. Ah well, there's always the bright, shiny Whole Foods across the street to transport homesick visitors back to sanitary sanity.

Then again, maybe the shout-out was actually intended for some of those boozy pilots we keep hearing about?