Best Bar Mascot
Loretta the Mannequin at Chez Charlie's
There are many eye-catching objects at Chez Charlie's, a fantastic midtown bar reminiscent of a '70s rec room. There's the old-school jukebox that spins 45s, the working TV that melted in an apartment fire (they call it Jabba the Set) and the faded-blue cartoony bird pinata that grins kookily upon customers. However, the most intriguing item is Loretta, a bathing-suit/straw hat-wearing mannequin that resides in the bar. According to Chez Charlie's owner Moe, someone found her top half in an alley about 25 years ago, so she was clothed in a tube top and displayed. Then, about 15 years ago, Moe's friend found the bottom half in his yard -- jutting from a bush, panties dangling from a foot, a couple of schoolgirls staring at it with their mouths agape. The two halves were united with duct tape, and Loretta became a hit. Other bars often borrow her (she's sometimes set up playing the piano at the Raphael). We're pleased to announce that she's about to get a fashion makeover: Her floral swimsuit is to be upgraded after all these years. "It's pretty racy," Moe says of the new suit. "It might show too much of her duct tape."