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You could notice that the fake-wood paneling is chipping (alongside other signs of decay) and declare Arthur's to no longer be what it once was. Or you could simply smile, order another round and point out that such blemishes merely add to the jazz club's campy, old-world charm, which is what most patrons do. When it opened back in the thirties, Arthur's quickly became a bopping jazz club known as a good place to spot talent before an act became sufficiently well known to graduate to bigger and better arenas. Today it's no different, with the downtrodden mixing with the wannabe downtrodden, most of them appreciating the room's history as they take in a set or two. — David Amsden