White Horse Tavern, West Village, Manhattan
The White Horse Tavern has been in business since 1880! It's not the oldest surviving bar in NYC. But it is one of the most famous. People who have frequented the White Horse Tavern include Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Norman Mailer, Jane Jacobs, Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac and James Baldwin to name a few.
I don't know if you'll meet any famous people there now! They have a sidewalk terrace in the nice weather and the customers are a combination of neighborhood regulars and tourists.
White Horse Tavern, 567 Hudson Street.