7. King Cole Mural in the St. Regis Hotel

The King Cole Bar, located in the St. Regis Hotel, is famous for its namesake mural and for being the birthplace of the Bloody Mary cocktail. The mural, painted by illustrator Maxfield Parrish, was originally commissioned  by John Jacob Astor IV in 1909 for his Knickerbocker Hotel. Parrish was reluctant to paint the mural due to his Quaker upbringing but ultimately agreed for the sum of $5,000. Old King Cole is thought to have been modeled on Astor, but there does not appear to be any resemblance between the two. It’s easy to forget that King Cole is the subject of a children’s nursery rhyme, but Old King Cole has certainly been a merry old soul, overseeing this historic bar for over a century.