Oakland - Ester’s Orbit Room
Church of Buffett, Orthodox.
Thanks to g captain for thinking of such a great thread. Oh the memories of when going to sea was fun. Full of neat, far away places, cold beer and many laughs.
When was the last time your whole crew had a great laugh together or toast??? It’s just not the same
Boston - Haymarket Square with Al Capones pizza by the slice and having a cold Bud long neck in the old fashion bar room next door with replays of the Sox, Bruins, Pats or Celtics on tv.
Boston - Atlantic Wharf and the No Name Resteraunt serving the best fish chowda with butter floating on top. Also Durgon Park for oysters by the dozen
Portland, Maine - Gino’s chowda house. Cold drafts down on the docks with a haddock sandwitch.
Cape Cod - Crystal Palace in Hyannis and the famous John C Morgan Happy Hour.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;71180]Oakland - Ester’s Orbit Room[/QUOTE]
Agghhh…how could I have forgotten the Orbit Room! That’s “the” place to get very wet in Oakland! One time the entire crew went when we were at the Bay shipyard in Alameda. Literally, shut down the generator and all of us climbed into two cabs! I still can’t remember returning but the ship was black as night and I don’t think is was till sometime the next morning one of the engineers sobered up enough to manage to get the lights back on. Lost all the ice cream but what the hell…it was worth ever minute of it!
Penance for me. Sack cloth, ashes and self flagellation with a willow switch!
A couple more unorthodox places come to mind. When working out of Port Elizabeth, NJ, there weren’t too many local options, so the hotel bar at the Newark Airport Holiday Inn had to suffice.
On the other side of the world on the Big Island, I recall loading sugar at Kawaihae Bay. There weren’t any joints at the time in this report part of the island, but there was a convenience store just down the street and a large tree with a picnic table under it. At one point, I don’t know just how many of the crew were still on the ship. The lights were still on somehow. . …
Port au Prince, Haiti. The City Bar was a local, uh, “establishment” away from the waterfront that was often visited, but hands down, the Copacabana, on the water and across the harbor was easily the best joint in town. Order a rum and coke and you got a fifth of the local rum, a bucket of ice and a six pack of Coke. There were other amenities, too. All you had to do to keep an eye on the boat and barge was to look across the water. . . . .
[QUOTE=cmakin;71216] I recall loading sugar at Kawaihae Bay. There weren’t any joints at the time in this report part of the island, but there was a convenience store just down the street and a large tree with a picnic table under it. At one point, I don’t know just how many of the crew were still on the ship. The lights were still on somehow. . …[/QUOTE]
Geeze…Kawaihae! Interesting times…When I was there, it was a gas station/resturant. Huge stuffed avocados. The crew had a couple of rumbles with the locals. The constable was glad to see us leave!
I was at Davisville Depot for 3 weeks back when. Captain Stu’s Pub where I had 2 stuffed quahogs and a pitcher of beer every day for lunch.
The Pink Pussycat in Port Everglades (Kadaks office)Freddies Anchor bar.
[QUOTE=injunear;71219]Geeze…Kawaihae! Interesting times…When I was there, it was a gas station/resturant. Huge stuffed avocados. The crew had a couple of rumbles with the locals. The constable was glad to see us leave!
I was at Davisville Depot for 3 weeks back when. Captain Stu’s Pub where I had 2 stuffed quahogs and a pitcher of beer every day for lunch.
The Pink Pussycat in Port Everglades (Kadaks office)Freddies Anchor bar.[/QUOTE]
Pink Pussycat at Port Everglades. Man, how did I forget that joint? Back in the days before port security, we could get there quickly because there was a well worn gap in the chain link fence over on the north side of the port area. I remember having “meetings” there with the captain and the superintendent. . . . Wasn’t there with Kadak, but it was certainly his kind of joint, just based upon our trips ashore in San Juan. Sadly, the Pussycat is long gone. It was gone by the time I moved to Lauderdale in '85.
I have already included Freddie’s. Dives like that sort of lose their charm once you move to the town where they are located. Once I lived in Lauderdale, I think that I only went to Freddie’s on crew change day. Great place to discuss the trip and have the hand over meeting with your relief.
Oh, and the convenience store in Kawaihae also had a gas station; maybe a restaurant, too; but we weren’t really looking for food. We got on with the locals pretty well. A couple of hippies ran us down in their van to the park at the beach (Spencer Beach, maybe?) for a few beers. Funny how this stuff comes back after all these years. . . . .
Galveston had great places at one time. Port Holiday Lounge, Streeter’s, Chez Joey’s, Lamp Lighter many more I can’t remember.
Freeport Tx back when there was a shrimp fleet there was the Jack of Diamonds, Scotties, Boom Boom Room, Sea Lounge, Rendezvous…Probably a dozen more I can’t remember. Of course I’ve just heard mention of the places!
[QUOTE=injunear;71223]
Freeport Tx back when there was a shrimp fleet there was the Jack of Diamonds, Scotties, Boom Boom Room, Sea Lounge, Rendezvous…Probably a dozen more I can’t remember. Of course I’ve just heard mention of the places![/QUOTE]
Can you imagine Duval Street back in the day before the queers and stupid fucking tourists DESTROYED Key West? If only half of the tales I have heard are true then it not only deserves a book but a movie (but then again, who would go to a movie to see shrimpers and other nautical trash bashing eachother bloody and then singing together after all taking a long piss in the street?)
[QUOTE=injunear;71223]Galveston had great places at one time. Port Holiday Lounge, Streeter’s, Chez Joey’s, Lamp Lighter many more I can’t remember.
Freeport Tx back when there was a shrimp fleet there was the Jack of Diamonds, Scotties, Boom Boom Room, Sea Lounge, Rendezvous…Probably a dozen more I can’t remember. Of course I’ve just heard mention of the places![/QUOTE]
I never visited Galveston while I was going to sea. I made a couple of calls at the Dow docks at Freeport, but those were crew change, and I hauled ass to the airport. I have driven past the Jack of Diamonds many times since, but never stopped in. When I worked in Galveston, O’Malley’s Stage Door was my afternoon haunt on slow days.
Now the rust is getting knocked off the ol’ tree.
Corpus Christi - Chelsea Street Pub at the Sunshine Mall had a killer Texas Ice Tea served in a large beer mug.
Tacoma Waterway - There was a small joint down the road from the Texaco dock near the bridge.
Terminal Island - Pagaseus. Where else can you have lunch and a beer served to you by a waitress in sleep wear with a ketchup stain on her.
Sewaren, NJ - Mobey Dicks next to Hess Oil. The best prime rib and cold beer in the area. Plus country music
The Parthenon was a great dive in galveston in the '70s. I lived about an hour away. One evening as our crew made the rounds there, I was surprised (as was she) to find my school teacher next door neighbor selling her “wares”!
Great thread guys! Thanks for sharing!
Remembering a few from my years sailing with the Pacific District:
Smith’s Union Bar in Honolulu
Tommy’s Yacht Club in San Pedro
Although I would not exactly call it a dive, but I had a warm spot in my heart for Larry’s Greenfront in Seattle. They were sailor friendly and I made some great friends there…
[QUOTE=capnfab;71271]Although I would not exactly call it a dive, but I had a warm spot in my heart for Larry’s Greenfront in Seattle. They were sailor friendly and I made some great friends there…[/QUOTE]
Where’s this Larry’s at?
[QUOTE=c.captain;71226]…(but then again, who would go to a movie to see shrimpers and other nautical trash bashing eachother bloody and then singing together after all taking a long piss in the street?)
[B]They still do that, fight, drink, hold hands…
Yeah, get to the dock and grill steaks and drink Budweiser, 2 days later, eating Beenie-weenies and drinking Mad Dog…lol[/B]
[QUOTE=c.captain;71279]Where’s this Larry’s at?[/QUOTE]
Larry’s Greenfront was down Pioneer Square way on 1st next to The Central Saloon.
Been closed up for 6 or 7 years now.
[QUOTE=cmakin;71126 I think that Bill’s is still there, but I don’t spent much spare time in Port O’Connor if I don’t have to. /QUOTE]
I grew up commercial fishing in Matagorda Bay. Port O’connor was a great place. It was not uncommon to see planes land on the strip by the ICW and taxi through town to various camphouses. Times were never boring during the late '60s, early '70s when the air base was still operating on the island. The main joints were the Hurricane Junction and Pat’s Alley. I passed through PO a couple of months ago after 20 years or so. I could not believe all the condos and fancy houses built there now.
Maybe I missed it or did no-one mention the Black Angus in San Juan. That was the first bar I saw anyone pull out a gun, and then get laid out with a bar stool, or was it a chair? Fun days back in the 80’s.And GOOD looking women.
Portland, ME:
The 3-Doors of Hell.
Angies, The Sail Loft & Commercial Street Tavern.
Newport, RI:
Salas’ (always good for credit until after the trip was settled up)