TIL: WHERE "THE GIFT OF THE MAGI" by O. Henry -- WAS WRITTEN...

Today I learned...

William Sidney Porter.., better known as O.Henry -- lived, at 55 Irving Place in the early 1900's, around 1903.., right across the street from one of the oldest bars left in NYC -- Pete's Tavern, on E.18th St. But back then it was called Healy's, named after it's owners Tom and John Healy when they bought it in 1899.

Located in New York City's Gramercy Park, which is rife with history -- Heck.., Tammany Hall was right down the street from Pete's Tavern on E.17th St.., Im pretty sure those guys liked a few pints after a long day (or during the day). But back to Pete's Tavern… When the building was built in 1829 it was originally the Portman Hotel. And then it was a grocery store store for a few years in the 1850's and in 1899 became Pete's Tavern.., and has been pouring pints of the finest ale since… Even during Prohibition when they were a "flower shop," a common disguise for many local bars wishing to hide the fact they were still selling liquor.

But, back in the early 1900's when O.Henry frequented the place.., story has it he penned his famous story, about the true meaning of giving and love during the Christmas holiday -- "The Gift of the Magi…" It is if you have not read it -- a masterpiece.., and can teach us all what Christmas should be -- and not the over commercialized joke it is these days.

Today I learned...

William Sidney Porter -- O.Henry may have penned this precious story there… There are a few "bar geeks" (not my favorite people on the planet) that dispute this, claiming he actually wrote it in the room he lived in across the street from Pete's. Either way, there is no doubt in my mind, whether he wrote it there or in his room -- he definitely would have been inspired to write it while knocking back a few pints at Pete's.., like so many of the brilliant writers of the time.

Below is a brief summary of the "Gift of the Magi" taken from Wiki…

"Mr. James Dillingham Young ("Jim") and his wife, Della, are a couple living in a modest apartment. They have only two possessions between them in which they take pride: Della's beautiful long, flowing hair, almost touching to her knees, and Jim's shiny gold watch, which had belonged to his father and grandfather.

On Christmas Eve, with only $1.87 in hand, and desperate to find a gift for Jim, Della sells her hair for $20 to a nearby hairdresser named Madame Sofronie, and eventually finds a platinum pocket watch fob chain for Jim's watch for $21. Satisfied with the perfect gift for Jim, Della runs home and begins to prepare pork chops for dinner.

At 7 o'clock, Della sits at a table near the door, waiting for Jim to come home. Unusually late, Jim walks in and immediately stops short at the sight of Della, who had previously prayed that she was still pretty to Jim. Della then admits to Jim that she sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim gives Della her present – an assortment of expensive hair accessories (referred to as “The Combs”), useless now that her hair is short. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him, to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her combs. Although Jim and Della are now left with gifts that neither one can use, they realize how far they are willing to go to show their love for each other, and how priceless their love really is."

The Gift of the Magi was published in 1905.

Also, The Gift of the Magi was not the only famous story to come out of Pete's Tavern… Ludwig Bemelmans penned the first, beloved children's book, Madeleine there in the late 1930’s -- he wrote the first draft on the back of a menu…

Unfortunately, Pete's Tavern these days.., has become quite "yupified..," as in filled with "yuppies." So, the only time I ever visit Pete's is very late -- after 2 am. I used tend bar on E.19th St and whenever I closed up before 4 am, I would swing by Pete's Tavern for a nightcap and.., soak up some of it's rich history.

BTW… O. Henry died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1910. He might have frequented
Pete's a little too often...

P.S.,
The oldest bar in the city is The Bridge Cafe, down on Water St. It has been around since 1794… It is not McSorley's Ale House (which is a great bar) or Pete's Tavern. It is -- The Bridge Cafe!


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