5. Fat Black Pussycat (formerly Kettle of Fish) – 130 West 3rd Street

At the location of the former Kettle of Fish now stands Fat Black Pussycat. Kettle of Fish has been around since 1950 (though their current location is at 59 Christopher St.) and used to be a hangout for Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan. Ephemeral New York excerpts Door Wide Open: A Beat Love Affair in Letters by Joyce Johnson, a writer and former girlfriend of Kerouac, where she mentions their experiences in Kettle of Fish and the bars on nearby MacDougal Street: “In the small hours of the morning, Jack and Gregory [Corso] left the bar, followed outside by two men, who beat Jack up, banging his head repeatedly against the curb and breaking his nose and his arm. To his horror, he found he lacked the will to defend himself…” ENY also has a vintage photo of the couple standing in front of the old Kettle of Fish’s bright red neon lights.