The Dublin House bar in New York City. (credit; ublinhousenyc.com)

Call ‘em taverns, call ‘em pubs, call ‘em watering holes, call ‘em dives. There’s one thing that can be said about a true-blue hole in the wall – in most neighborhoods, they’re hard to come by. And if they’re any good, they’re even harder to find. And while they may not be places where everybody knows your name, chances are – and with very few exceptions – they’ll still be glad you came, especially if you buy a few rounds. As for finding these places, most of them don’t have sites posted on the Internet, so forget trolling the web. Hit the streets by foot and hunt them down yourself. When you find ‘em, trust me: you’ll be glad you sought them out. By Kevin Byrne