Courtesy of Bemelmans Bar.

How we’ve missed it — the martinis, the murals, its general magnificence… After being closed for more than a year, Bemelmans Bar reopens today. Situated in a corner of the iconic Carlyle Hotel, Bemelmans has been an Upper East Side institution since 1947. Named for the Madeline writer and illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans — who painted the bar’s beloved murals in exchange for room and board — Bemelmans is the best place to be for a taste of Old New York. Live music is performed nightly from 6pm to 9pm but, if you can’t make it in, here’s a playlist to help set the scene from home.

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