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Dive Bar Subway Inn Reopens in New Space

By Heather Holland | March 20, 2015 4:25pm | Updated on March 23, 2015 9:00am
  Subway Inn reopened Friday at its new home on 60th Street and Second Avenue.
Subway Inn
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UPPER EAST SIDE — Beloved dive bar Subway Inn opened in its new home on Thursday night, after closing and moving from its home of 77 years more than three months ago.

Subway Inn moved out of its home in December, and reopened at 1140 Second Ave., where they’ve brought along most of the original furniture, including a table that the owner swears is adorned with the old gum of Marilyn Monroe.

Charlie Ackerman founded the bar over 70 years ago, and after he died, the bar was passed on to Marcello Salinas, Steve's father, who's owned it for the past forty years.

"We kept the table because it reminded my father of his boss," Salinas said. "Marilyn Monroe told [Ackerman] that she had left her mark on that table — that she had left her gum there. Ever since then, he did everything at that table. He slept there and ate his breakfast there."

The new bar also features the same neon sign out front, and the bar, booths and bar stools uses old parts from the former bar, or have been created to look the same, Salinas said.

All the staff from the former bar returned as well, he said.

“I'm happy to be open, but it still hasn't really hit me yet," Salinas said. "I can't believe that we're at this point. The staff is even more excited than I am to be back."

Steve Salinas, Marcello’s son, spearheaded the “Save Subway Inn” campaign after the World-Wide Group refused to renew the lease at their former space.

"[The bar business] is tough," Salinas said. "You have to have a lot of support."