Mad Men's New York City: Your Guide To Living Out The Don Draper Dream

One of the best parts of watching Mad Men (besides the expertly crafted plot and character development) is the perfectly recreated world of 1960s New York. Who doesn't wish they could simply step into their tvs for a moment and experience the romance of sipping a cocktail in an elegant 60s bar? We've put together a list of Mad Men inspired locales, consisting of places that have been here since the 1960s as well as their modern counterparts. Here's everything you need to know to dress, drink, eat, and live like a character out of Mad Men. (Don Draper not included.)

WHERE TO GET GROOMED:

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Astor Place Hairstylists: 2 Astor Place. This ramshackle, 75-seat East Village barbershop might not have been Don's first choice for a shave and a trim before heading to the boardroom. But it's where he could have gone during one of his ill-fated attempts at hanging out with downtown bohemians (assuming the beatniks didn't shun haircuts and shaving altogether). Astor Place has been family-run since 1947 and its rock bottom prices ($15 for a standard men's cut) are a welcome time warp in and of themselves.

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Freemans Sporting Club: 8 Rivington Street. A trim at Freeman's Sporting Club will run you more than it would at Astor Place, and its brand of nostalgia (vintage barber chairs, walls lined with taxidermy Americana-themed knick-knacks) is more ironic. But in addition to spiffy cuts, this chop shop gives you easy access to two other branches of Taavo Somer's hipster empire: the FSC menswear boutique (attached to the barbershop) and Freeman's restaurant at the end of the eponymous alley. A bonus for Don: the barbers here offer a $25 "hangover treatment" (a eucalyptus-tinged shave that ends with a neck and hand massage) that could soothe his frequent morning-after blues.

WHERE TO TAKE YOUR WIFE FOR A NIGHT ON THE TOWN:

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Lutece: Closed. In 1961, the newly-opened Lutece was the number one restaurant in New York. After a hotel room tryst, Roger Sterling lures his "date" to have dinner with him by promising her Lutece. Betty is also dying to go for a romantic dinner date with Don; unfortunately, Don uses it at the setting for the "apology dinner" between The Barretts and the Utz Potato Chips owners (though he promises Betty they'll go just the two of them soon.) Lutece remained one of the premiere New York restaurants for over 40 years, but unfortunately closed in 2004 to much fanfare.

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Waverly Inn: 16 Bank Street. The place to see and be seen, any modern suburban housewife would thrill to be seated at this exclusive restaurant for a night on the town. The cost keeps it from being an "everyday" type of restaurant, so definitely save it for spacial occasions like anniversaries and birthdays. Sure, it's not that romantic, but since when are ad men interested in wooing and romancing their wives?

....AND WHERE TO TAKE YOUR LOVER:

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The Waldorf Astoria: 301 Park Avenue. This Park Avenue grande dame is just a block away from Madison Avenue's many ad firms. And while it's far from the most discreet location for an extramarital fling (it's the first choice of many international dignitaries in town for U.N. summits), its convenient luxury would be tough for Don to turn down. And if Don really turned on the charm, a private Grand Central platform that once ferried VIPs like Franklin Roosevelt from the station to the hotel could come in handy if Don is sprinting to make the train back to a lonely Betty in Ossining.

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The Standard: 848 Washington Street. Speaking of railroad tracks, this sleek new Andre Balazs property looms over the Meatpacking District's freshly refurbished High Line. Although trains no longer run there, pedestrians do meander and are often treated to gratis peep shows seen through the hotel's floor-to-ceilng glass windows. The secretive Don might not be up for baring it all to voyeurs, but all it should take is a few drinks at the Boom Boom Room, the Standard's fancy-schmancy, uber-exclusive rooftop bar, to lower those inhibitions and start adversiting himself to passersby.

WHERE TO CONDUCT A BUSINESS LUNCH:

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The Oyster Bar: Grand Central Terminal, Lower Level. In a memorable Mad Men moment, Don sabotages Roger (who had hit on Betty) by getting him plastered on oysters and vodka at Grand Central's iconic seafood restaurant right before a big meeting. Roger winds up spewing out much more than a sales pitch all over the conference room floor before blaming it all on less-than-fresh raw bar offerings. Just take it easy on the sauce, however, and you'll be able to enjoy The Oyster Bar's nautical selections without losing your lunch or your office poise.

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Monkey Bar: 60 East 54th Street. Don probably would have hung out at the original incarnation of this midtown canteen, which opened in 1932. But ever since Vanity Fair editor and Waverly Inn owner Graydon Carter took over the old space last year, Draper would see it as an even plusher place to wine and dine his wife.The restaurant is nearly impossible to get into, but Don always likes a challenge. And its tough to imagine a better crowd for the ad men to pitch to: Anna Wintour, Barbara Walters, Matt Lauer, Mark Ronson and Tom Ford have all become regulars.

WHERE TO CELEBRATE GOOD NEWS:

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Sardi's: 234 West 44th Street. When Bobbie Barrett sells Jimmy Barrett's tv show in Season 2, she invites Don to come celebrate at Sardis, where she orders steak. Sardi's is just as popular with the entertainment crowd these days, and remains the go-to after theater dinner spot. The beloved "show-biz" restaurant on 44th Street is known for it's Caricatures on the walls and 16 oz Sirloin Steak. And, for those of you currently starring on Broadway, Sardi's delivers to all Broadway houses.

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Rose Bar: 2 Lexington Avenue. Nur Khan's Rose Bar in Gramercy Park Hotel is one of the most eclectic and sophisticated drinking locations in the city, perfect for toasting newfound success with a "Diamonds and Pearls" cocktail or a flute of Pink 75 gin with lemon juice and rose jam, topped with Prosecco.

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WHERE TO ENJOY THE PERFECT COCKTAIL

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The Oak Bar at The Plaza: 768 Fifth Avenue. This famous New York watering hole was closed during Prohibition, but had made a full-fledged comeback by the time Don Draper would have stopped by in the 60s. To date, it's one of the most elegant places to pop in for a drink, and their Old Fashioneds (Don's drink of choice) are the best in the city. If you're more of a Betty than a Don (a sexist way of determining whether you'd prefer a sweeter drink), try the Side Car, another classic cocktail which may go down a little easier.

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Employee's Only: 510 Hudson Street. No one can compete with The Oak Bar for best Old Fashioned, but cocktails have come a long way since 1963. Employee's Only has some of the most interesting cocktails in the city, including the "Amelia", which is Russian Standard Vodka and Elderflower liqeur shaken with pureed blackberries and fresh lemon juice.

WHERE TO DINE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

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21 Club: 21 West 52nd Street. Every president since FDR (with the exception of one G.W. Bush) has dined at the legendary 21 Club, and it was a special favorite of President John F. Kennedy. The 21 Club stores the private wine collections of JFK and Richard Nixon, as well as a host of other 60s stars. Still very much around today, and one of the nicest Holiday dining spots in the city.

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Blue Hill: 75 Washington Place. Our modern President prefers a modern restaurant for his New York City visits. On a widely-publicized "date night" earlier this year, he took his wife (who is often compared to Jackie Kennedy and even dresses like her) to Blue Hill, where the health-conscious first couple dined on fresh, organic food brought in from the countryside.

WHERE TO HANG OUT WITH THE YOUTH SUBCULTURE OF THE MOMENT

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White Horse Tavern: 567 Hudson Street. In Season 1, when Don awkwardly goes to a beatnik bar in Greenwich Village with his bohemian girlfriend Midge, it wouldn't at all be surprising to imagine they were at the White Horse Tavern, the bar where Dylan Thomas famously drank himself to death. Other patrons include Bob Dylan and Hunter S. Thompson. The White Horse Tavern is just as popular with the budding literary crowd today.

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Market Hotel: 1142 Myrtle Avenue.  In New York, bohemia is constantly on the move. It fled Greenwich Village decades ago and has made subsequent pit stops in Soho, Tribeca, the East Village, the Lower East Side and Williamsburg. Today, starving artists seem to have temporarily settled in still-affordable Bushwick. The Market Hotel, housed in a former Dominician speakeasy, is one of the neighborhood's standout spots. The huge, barebones loft space hosts a bevy of fledgling lo-fi bands (often brought into town by tireless indie concert promoter Todd P) and international DJs. Don might be horrified by the offerings at Market's makeshift bar and its two unisex bathrooms, but flirting with that cute alternachick smoking Gauloises in the corner should make up for those petty inconveniences.

WHERE TO BUY A GRAY FLANNEL SUIT:

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Brooks Brothers: 346 Madison Avenue. It's an American classic. It's on "the Avenue." And as we learned last week, Don's fellow mad men are already there.

And Now...

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Lord Willys: 223 Mott Street. This season, Mad Men has gotten in some funny digs at the expense of the stuffy Englishmen who acquired ad firm Sterlin Cooper. Stiff upper lip aside though, Brits have never lacked for a sense of humor. See them apply it to bespoke menswear at raffish Nolita store Lord Willy's. Boxer sizes run from "big Willy's" to "massive Willy's," while suits cut from Savile Row fabrics recall the Swinging London look and start at $3,600. As we learned last week, Don is a Brooks Brothers man through and through. But Lord Willy's is the place he'd go should he ever want to tip his fedora to his Anglo overseers.

This post was a joint effort by Chiara Atik and Billy Gray. Mad Men experts, GofG think tank.