5th Avenue O'Connor's Pub Inc   

O'Connor's doesn't look the same without the low, blue cigarette haze gathering just above the bar. It doesn't smell the same either. A panoply of aromas once masked by smoldering tobacco now assaults the senses. But O'Connor's still plays the same part it always has -- smoke or no smoke. It's a comfortable, careworn dive where the frugal dipsomaniac can get a load on cheap. The long bar encourages wide-open conversation, while the booths are more suitable for plotting revolution, staging lovers' quarrels and founding upstart magazines. O'Connor's is well past the point of being discovered -- and indeed the bar wears its various "Best Of New York" plaques unabashedly. The crowd is a mix of professional drinkers, neighborhood types and hipsters who make the trip for the low prices and the seamy vibe. Despite the dicey exterior, the rough-hewn decor (what is that back room for, anyway?) and the iffy climate control, O'Connor's is a pleasant place to have a drink and not nearly as tough as it looks. -- Adam Mazmanian