What is the name of the bar where Holden meets Carl Luce?

The story behind the answer

The name of the bar where Holden meets Carl Luce is the Wicker Bar.

Holden goes there during his restless night in New York after leaving Pencey Prep. He has already encountered Sunny and Maurice, argued with Sally Hayes, and become increasingly isolated. At the Wicker Bar, he meets Carl Luce, an older former schoolmate who is studying at Columbia University.

Holden questions Luce about sex and relationships, but his intrusive, immature conversation quickly irritates him. Luce advises Holden to see a psychoanalyst, a suggestion Holden treats dismissively. The scene shows Holden seeking connection while simultaneously pushing people away.

The Wicker Bar is easy to confuse with the Lavender Room, another Manhattan bar Holden visits earlier in the novel. The Lavender Room is where he drinks with three tourists; the Wicker Bar is specifically associated with his meeting with Carl Luce.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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