How I Met Your Mother Fans Have To Visit The New York City Bar That Inspired MacLaren's

Along with Ted Mosby's (Josh Radnor) apartment (which would be incredibly expensive to rent in real life), MacLaren's Pub is perhaps the most famous location associated with "How I Met Your Mother." The show's equivalent to Central Perk from "Friends" and Arnold's from "Happy Days" is the stage for many pivotal plot developments and funny moments, and its layout offers convenient spots for either the whole gang to hang out together or specific characters to converse in relative peace. Unlike the permanently unpleasant dive that is Paddy's Pub on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," MacLaren's is also a genuinely cozy spot that many fans probably wouldn't mind spending a quiet (or loud) night out in.

Fortunately enough, there's a way to do this ... after a fashion, anyway. While MacLaren's itself is a fictional establishment, "How I Met Your Mother" creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas based it on a very real pub in New York City known as McGee's. The place is still very much open for business, and any "How I Met Your Mother" fan looking to have a drink in honor of the show can visit McGee's at 240 West 55th Street.

There's a reason McGee's served as an inspiration for MacLaren's. Before "How I Met Your Mother," Carter Bays and Craig Thomas were young writers who lived as roommates and worked on "The Late Show with David Letterman." During this era, the two and some of their coworkers adopted McGees as their regular haunt. Knowing this, it's no surprise that Thomas and Bays elected to make their inevitable "How I Met Your Mother" cameo in MacLaren's itself, with the pair playing paramedics whom Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) recruits to play a crucial role in his latest pick-up attempt in season 1, episode 21, "Milk." 

Apart from McGees, there were a trio of other pubs that the show's creators frequented during their "Letterman" era and which, in turn, influenced the ultimate design for MacLaren's. This included Fez on the Upper West Side, McHale's on Eighth Avenue, and Chumley's in Greenwich Village. However, both Fez and McHale's had closed their doors by 2008, with Chumley's followed suite in 2020. This leaves McGee's as the last remaining real-life equivalent to MacLaren's standing.

You can (re)visit MacLaren's itself by (re)watching "How I Met Your Mother," which is currently streaming on Hulu.