The old merchant seamen bars

[QUOTE=DavidMT;189893]trying to remember 'joe biffs. that was in long beach wasn’t it? was that the place that burned down?.[/QUOTE]
Joe Biff’s was on the San Pedro end of Terminal Island, near the tuna canneries and Todd S/Y.

there was a thread here maybe a year ago discussing a lot of bars, famous, infamous, which are still around etc. it was a good thread.

I remember the bar in the San Francisco SUP hall. . . Most of us at the nearby MEBA hall would end up there after morning job call. . . Cheap beer and dollar hot dogs as I recall. I had many a lunch of a couple of Olys and a couple of dogs. . . The bar was the Chain Locker and had a great black lit panorama of the City as seen from the bay. . . it was a step back in time. Not sure if it is still there. Lots of changes to Rincon Hill. I know the MEBA hall has moved across the bay and the original building has been knocked down and replaced with condos. Pretty sure the SUP Hall is still there, but haven’t been to that area for decades. . . .

As to that old conversation. . . yeah, I have added to that some. . . as far as domestic joints, I remember a diner near Long Beach. . .The Pegasus. . . all of the staff were female and in lingerie.

The horse and cow in san fran was a pretty fun time from what i hear from my dad and others but it was for navy, specifically submariners. I think they opened one in sam diego also but not sure if it made it or not.

Uncle Bob’s in Guam will always be near and dear to my heart… classic sailor dive bar.

The Portway in Astoria OR.

Freddy’s Anchor Inn in Port Everglads/Fort Lauderdale. As a good second, I would also put up the Southport Raw Bar in Lauderdale, too. Back when there was a hole in the fence near the Pink Pussycat, the Southport was an easy walk. There were numerous dives on Leopard in Corpus Christi. . . the Chateau Lounge was probably my favorite, but it has been long gone for some time now. Stoney’s in Tampa on Hooker’s Point is rightfully legendary. For the container guys in Houston, there was always the Goat Farm, but it too is gone.

[QUOTE=acesouthcoast;189981]The horse and cow in san fran was a pretty fun time from what i hear from my dad and others but it was for navy, specifically submariners. I think they opened one in sam diego also but not sure if it made it or not.[/QUOTE]

There’s a Horse and Cow on Guam and one in Bremerton WA. But on Guam my go to is Toy’s

The Horse and Cow bar was in Vallejo for many years. I remember as a kid riding in my folk’s car, seeing the bar from the freeway, with the distinctive submarine on the roof. it was many years later, in the early 80s that I stopped in. Largely a navy bar, and really a submariner bar, not so much for us merchant mariners. Felt a bit like a fish out of water there. It did play a large roll in the book “Blind Man’s Bluff”.

Pegasus Cafe, Long Beach CA ???

Thats pretty cool you got to check it out. I still haven’t read blind mans bluff much to my old mans frustration. He sailed from 65-69 on the uss menhaden and said horse and cow was there favorite place when in shipyard up in vallejo. But yea i guess its not exactly a merchant seaman bar.

[QUOTE=sailcapt;190045]Pegasus Cafe, Long Beach CA ???[/QUOTE]

Is it still there? Hmm, I found this: http://oneforthetable.com/Food-Family-and-Memory/pegasus-cafe-long-beach-ca.html

Apparently, it is gone. http://portoflongbeach.blogspot.com/2011/09/pegasus.html

To continue the thread. . . any favorite joints out of the country? I recall the Rainbow Gardens in Bugo, the Philippines, on the island of Mindanao, near Cagayan de Oro. Or, by its more common nickname, the “Bugo Hilton”. Had to be careful in there, though. Not everyone was what they seemed.

For the REALLY old salts: http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=44984

[QUOTE=cmakin;190055]To continue the thread. . . any favorite joints out of the country? I recall the Rainbow Gardens in Bugo, the Philippines, on the island of Mindanao, near Cagayan de Oro. Or, by its more common nickname, the “Bugo Hilton”. Had to be careful in there, though. Not everyone was what they seemed.[/QUOTE]

Just about every bar in Bremerhaven has some level of “saltiness” to it. Standouts abound though. Krohns Eck down in the Fischerihafen was an old Lykes skippers haunt and brings you back at least 70 years in maritime history. Then there are the plethora of Filipino karaoke bars to choose from if that’s your fancy. Mabuhay comes to mind and can be a welcome source of entertainment on a cold North Sea night.

[QUOTE=DamnYankee;190119]Just about every bar in Bremerhaven has some level of “saltiness” to it. Standouts abound though. Krohns Eck down in the Fischerihafen was an old Lykes skippers haunt and brings you back at least 70 years in maritime history. Then there are the plethora of Filipino karaoke bars to choose from if that’s your fancy. Mabuhay comes to mind and can be a welcome source of entertainment on a cold North Sea night.[/QUOTE]

Bremerhaven. . . . hmm, trying to revive dead brain cells. . . used to start at the Seaman’s Club to change money and have a quick couple of cold ones. . . other than the “Windows” as I recall most of the joints I went to were full of Thai women. . . back in the early 80s. . . about the only name I recall is the Lord Nelson. . I do remember some joints around where you could catch a bus back to the port. I recall stopping into one. I was the only person in their, other than the (German) young barmaid. I ordered my last beer before heading back to the ship. She gave it to me and then said something either in German or heavily accented English. . . I asked her to repeat, and she said, “You vant to go to zee back room for zee sex now?”. . . .

Then there’s Godfathers on Saipan, and the Goat Locker in Sasebo, more of a Navy bar, but you’ll still find some real Seafarers there.

Then how about Muddy Murphy’s in Singapore or Anne’s store in Nantong

Thing is, like everyone else on box boats, I spend so little time in port, and most of that is taken up with maintenance, I don’t get ashore that often, add to that .04 is dangerously low, ports tend to be further from town, the old water front dives are fading away.

Then in the U.S. gentrification has brought way to many hipster-techie-douches to the old water front, and frankly the Whores, Dealers, Hoppers, Scammers, Bums, Lumpers, and Drunks that used to populate the seafront were a MUCH better class of people.

Ho w bout the Port Of Call Bar in San Juan? Excellent pool table…and stumbling distance to the Toro Hotel.

[QUOTE=redandwhite;190228]Ho w bout the Port Of Call Bar in San Juan? Excellent pool table…and stumbling distance to the Toro Hotel.[/QUOTE]

San Juan?. . . .Let’s see. . . do not recall the Port Of Call Bar. . maybe it is new since I was last sailing in San Juan, some 32 years ago. . . For us Crowley guys, there was a little beer joint and pool hall on the ground floor of the housing projects across the street from Pier 10. . . Cold beer and honest pool table(s). No AC, though. Good quick stop for a cold one. . . Dragging down toward Old San Juan, I recall the Riviera, and upstairs joint. Further down, across the street from the Cruise Ship Terminal there was the Seven Seas on the ground floor. I forget the name of the upstairs joint and I don’t know why. . . I was in there quite often. Direct access to the old hotel next door. Further in to Old San Juan was Suzie’s Oriental. . . On the Condado was Danny’s Piano Bar, in the basement of a hotel. An honest joint with no house “entertainment”, but open all night. One of the second mates met his wife in there, she was a stewardess on a lay over. . . also in the Candado was a joint, forget the name. Down a short hallway, knock on the door. . . I have seen some things in there that I will be unable to unsee. . . there was another joint down near the Cataño fuel docks. . . named for a woman. . . Dorothy’s, maybe? And, of course, closer to Isla Grande, Willie’s Hawaiian Hut. . and the grand daddy of them all, The Black Angus. . . I was last down there in the late 90s after a ship riding ABS job. . . Had a 5 hour lay over, so went with the audio gaugers into Old San Juan. None of the old joints was there any more. . . We were in SJ every three weeks or so and were able to finagle a couple of day long stay if we got their early. . .