The 404 is a classic hard-drinkers bar. It’s not the sort of place you drop into to have a single drink with friends. It’s the place you go by yourself to wash away a lifetime of sorrow. That is, if you can get that first drink. I went to the 404 a month ago and sat at the bar for 45 minutes, totally unnoticed by the bartender. I finally just got up and left, with a dry throat.