Book Reading On Legendary Uptown Bar Set For Inwood Watering Hole

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY —In fitting fashion, a public reading for a new book about the storied Washington Heights bar Coogan's will take place this week in a popular Upper Manhattan joint.

Jon Michaud, the author and former head librarian at The New Yorker from 2003 to 2012, will be doing a reading and signing of his new book "Last Call at Coogan's: The Life and Death of a Neighborhood Bar," on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Tubby Hook Tavern.

Also in attendance at the Inwood bar at 4946 Broadway will be Coogan's owners Dave Hunt, Tess O'Connor McDade, and Peter Walsh.

"Last Call at Coogan's" tells the story of the beloved bar from the challenging years of the late 80's and early 90's, when Washington Heights suffered one of the highest crime rates in the city, to the 2010's, when rising costs in the community nearly closed Coogan's — only to be saved by a massive community mobilization.

Michaud told Patch that while Coogan's was located in Washington Heights, it had "deep roots" in the Inwood bar scene.

"Two of the original owners had strong Inwood connections as did Dave Hunt, who along with Peter Walsh and Tess O’Connor McDade, took over Coogan’s in the 1990s and made it into the legendary uptown gathering place so beloved by the community," Michaud said.

"I started drinking at Coogan’s in 1997, when I was dating my future wife, Zoraida, an uptowner who lived in Inwood," he added. "Another favorite spot of ours was the Piper’s Kilt on 207th Street and Broadway. For all of these reasons, it is thrilling that the Tubby Hook Tavern—which now occupies the space that was once the Piper’s Kilt—will be hosting Dave, Tess, Peter and me on Wednesday."

While some people might be confident that they know the Coogan's story, the new book will also get into the lesser known details of the watering's hole most colorful regulars — such as an aspiring actor from Kentucky, a television reporter who loves karaoke, and a Puerto Rican community board manager who falls in love with a local Irish cop.

Michaud's debut novel "When Tito Loved Clara" was named best book of the year by The Barnes & Noble Review and was a finalist for the Writer's Center First Novel Prize.

Coogan's closed its doors at West 169th Street and Broadway in April 2020 after serving customers in the community for over 35 years.

Book copies will be available to purchase on Wednesday night, and for reservations and additional information — you can call 212-569-7071 or email [email protected].