Call it the Long Hall’s long haul — 605 days to be exact, from lockdown to reopening. The 34th Street bar, a block and a half east of the Empire State Building, was ready this month for international visitors following the easing of restrictions. But manager/co-owner Johnny Kennedy has been happy, too, to see the regulars flock back for their favorite drinks and meals. "The landlord has been very good to us here," said the Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, native. That flexibility allowed Kennedy and his fellow owners time to concentrate on the Long Hall's sister pub, the Westbury, on 38th near Fifth Avenue. The cry, of course, from the hospitality industry from L.A. to Paris has been: "It's hard to get good help these days." So far, so good, though, for the Long Hall, the name of which pays homage to the Dublin original. The bar on 34th is inspired by several Irish pub traditions, so it won't be feeling any need to reinvent itself. “The holy grail for any Irish New York bar should be to be the nearest thing to a pub back home,” Kennedy told the Echo about the Long Hall's philosophy in an interview a few years ago. "The whole feel is different." [Photo by Peter McDermott]
