Rochelle Walensky Sons, Articles G

[citation needed], The Bayou was a stop on the national tours of musical groups and solo artists. They chat, window-shop, kiss under the Whitehurst Freeway, throw change to street musicians, carry vendors' red roses, sit on cars and play the radio (sun roofs and hatchbacks open) as if settling down for a day at the beach. We're happy. This iconic jazz supper club, founded in 1965, has hosted major names like Dizzy . However, if it was dead all week, on the weekends it would become The Chinese Disco, or Chidi, a packed spot where he would dance the shag to beach music and flirt with local coeds it was then the epicenter of Washington DCs preppy playground. Occasionally on Wednesdays and always on Saturdays, the premier preppy spot was The Third Edition, or Thirds, a casual, wood-paneled restaurant opened in 1969 that in the evenings would become a nightclub full of Georgetown and George Washington students. She also began taking on voice students of her own. Likewise, if in the 1970s, Georgetown was mostly known for its thrift stores (such as Commander Salamander), record shops and even a disco bar called Tramps, that too was in flux. Bottles placed upside down into funnels feeding long tubing led to the downstairs bars. Nowhere was that more evident than in our nations capital, which was uniquely positioned to become Americas preppiest party city of the era. A Classic. That same year, WaPo was already pointing toward Georgetowns end days, and they werent even aware of the looming crack epidemic which would cripple the city and turn it into the nations murder capital. I was a waiter at tended bar at Winstons in 78-80 glory days. However, Poseurs loyal followers hosted a 30-year reunion, so check out their event on Facebook Event. 10. Over the years, it has moved to a few different locations in the downtown area. If you were really classy, you drank Heineken, the green bottle telegraphing your suavity. This building used to house The Cellar Door, a live music club thatplayed host to famous artists such as Jimmy Buffet, Patti Smith, Carole King and manymore from1965-1981. Wasnt there a regular Britches a little further up Wisconsin, like around where Polo is now? Drinks were different back then. Mr. Henrys Georgetown catered to a gay crowd but never declared itself as such because of its dependence on the tourist crowd in Georgetown. As for Richard Hamilton Herrud Houghton III, that original WaPo article is literally the only time his full formal name would ever be mentioned in the annals of American journalism. He moved up to waiter, then to bartender. It was buy 2 cocktails and the 3rd was free (so we just had to) and we would order onion rings,salads,burgers,and mainly light meals,then catch a cab for nights out dancing at The Pier 9. We always sat in the front room and played Barry White,(and Pier songs,) on the jukebox which was located up front at the north window. By 1968 she was drawing such a crowd to the club that Yaffe opened a special room at his other location near Capitol Hill to showcase her talent. Then again, no one in Georgetown is these days either. The other big draw was the $1 hamburger night with Gregorio the bar-back flipping the nastiest hamburgers allowed for human consumption. In the 1970s and 1980s, Georgetown had a diverse live music scene, and became known as a center for the early punk community. [3], The club included a balcony level, with tables and chairs, and two standing room only bars. Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events, Mike Soper, a D.C. chef who started out working in Georgetown bars in the early 1970s, at Bobby Van's restaurant in Washington. Ladin, lingua ladina . Roberta Flack performed more at Mr. Henrys on Capitol Hill than in Georgetown. See more ideas about growing up, silver spring maryland, rockville maryland. There are out-of-town families trying to decide where to eat: "But I don't want steak" went the refrain recently outside Dino's Steakhouse. Then I am mistaken. It was the closest, the sleaziest, and the drunkest bar of them all. I loved the Bayou (great bands, great dancing), and the club behind the Biography theater (a psychedelic scene) now a CVS. ", But Bruce Norris, cartoonist for The Georgetowner newspaper and a Nathan's regular, goes about finding a companion creatively. But those are off the main drags. Had no regard for my coworkers. And the location, perfect! The steakhouse was called Dinos Paramount steakhouse and served the best sizzling steaks in the city. Ladin, lingua ladina . "That block is becoming another 14th Street strip," said attorney Courts Oulahan, who is representing Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3A and the Georgetown Citizens Association in an old battle aimed at reducing the number of Class C (restaurants) liquor licenses granted in the area. Just a couple doors north was E.F. Sly Clothing,where we used to buy our club wear clothes, including Nik-Nik shirts.As we were all 17 at the time,(!) If by the 1980s New York was going new wave and hip-hop, club kids and cokeheads, in Washington, DC, a melting pot of fledgling lawyers, bankers and politicos still enjoyed dressing up in boat shoes, blue blazers and Brooks Brothers button-downs to hit the town. (202) 387-8411. We started DCs Fastest Bartender, and Monday night Mike Nardello spinning tunes during No Skin No Win naked dance contest Buddy Jenkins was Mgr. It was kind of like Tuscany in that everyone had to go there at least once.. Not to forget Crazy Horse, Desperados, the Down Under. And this Georgetown dining room was the fanciest, Frenchest of them all. While Im sad to see eras end, Georgetown is due for another chapter, said Georgetown restaurant broker Bill Miller at the time. . When he wasnt pounding keg beer on the Maryland shore, the future Supreme Court Justice could be found pounding [brew]skis at underage bars and house parties, according to his handwritten notations. It wasnt all preppies, of course. 4.5/5 Wonderful! Great music! Yes, a locals place had a great time. As for Richard Hamilton Herrud Houghton III, that original WaPo article is literally the only time his full formal name would ever be mentioned in the annals of American journalism. But when he asked how they liked the meal, the customers told him that the steaks seemed a little tough. "Sometimes we take our pants off and it really bums people out," Smith said, with Storz at his side, doing exactly that. In 2014, The Third Edition became El Centro, an upscale Mexican restaurant. Garretts Restaurant and Railroad Tavern shut its doors for the last time on a Monday in 1979. "The Bayou was a mid-Atlantic icon," said Dave Lilling . Some of the best years of my early life were spent within those walls. I went to all of those a lot when I was at GW from 98-02. This location was first the Carriage House, a dining room frequented by many important social and political figures of the District. The people that come here are from good families, explained one Chidi-goer at the time, differentiating them from the non-preppy riff-raff. I think the gay steakhouse was called Paramount? NO SKIN NO WIN!!! It closed in 2011. English . The club, which was a regular stop on East Coast tours by UK bands from the late 1970s on, featured artists including U2 (their second show in the United States), Kiss, Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers (performing twice in 1988 which would be their final DC shows with founding members Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons), The Only Ones, Squeeze, Peter Tosh, Basia (1988, her first show in the United States), The Police, Phish, Leftover Salmon, Dave Matthews Band, Blue yster Cult, Lindsey Buckingham, The New Orleans Radiators, Hootie & the Blowfish, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Dire Straits, the Tom-Tom Club, Acoustic Junction, Steeleye Span, From Good Homes, Foreigner, The Kinks, Todd Rundgren (backed by Utopia on this stop of his 1978 Back to the Bars tour), Yellow Magic Orchestra and other artists that influenced the evolution of rock as well as rhythm and blues from the 1960s through the 1990s. He later moved over to M Street. An American Bar, according to its marquees subtitle, it opened in 1963 in a former motorcycle hangout as the first full-sized bar in the District since Prohibition. Its free. There definitely was a Mr Henrys on Wisconsin avenue in the 80s. Now a Coach retail store, Crazy Horse was a local bar popular with both Georgetown students and young adults from the DMV area. Mike is impressed by the complexity of todays craft cocktails, if a little mystified by their appeal. Pingback: Ten Years: The Recent Past | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Pingback: The Sovereign 17 Cork by Northwest, Pingback: Mayor Proposes End to Tavern License Cap in Georgetown | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Pingback: Georgetown Looks Set to Double Tavern License Cap, Will it Matter? Georgetown Today, July 1970 The overwhelming majority of the faculty believed that we, right on the doorstep of the national government, just could not conduct business as usual. Back in the day Georgetown was the groove, and way out in front, too. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. . lolAnyone remember Cafe de Paris and Sundowner Club? oh, but they were just south on M~ Cheers to those Great Times . Remember in the 1980s, DC wasnt doing well, says Alana McGovern, a Georgetown alum who wrote about the neighborhoods bar scene over the years for a project entitled Booze to Bougie. In Mr. Smith's, while the young frolic in the garden patio, older patrons get melancholy around the piano bar, singing, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" and "Eidelweiss," harmonizing with strangers in a minor key. Thursdays was E.J. This brought a huge influx of teenagers from the DC suburbs to Georgetown on Fridays and Saturdays that, when combined with the sizable university population, led to swells of 20,000 to 30,000 patrons, many of whom travelled by car, during the nighttime.. Check out the website Booze to Bougie to learn more: Photos/gifs:trophyhomes.com, images.google.com, boozetobougie.wordpress.com. By 1967 Flack had gained a healthy local following, and was singing five nights a week at a nightclub on K Street in Washington. The antique-lined bar at 75-year-old seafood restaurant Crisfield. Honestly, I thought it was going to be very preppy [before I moved there] and I had my Lily Pulitzer skirts ready, but no one was really preppy any more, says McGovern, who started at the university in 2013. The site you are referring to was The American Cafe in the 80s and may have been an Annies Steakhouse before. Blues Alley. In the Washington Post, January 7, 1982, there is an account of the unfathomably named Richard Hamilton Herrud Houghton III. Theres still Tombs (the other inspiration and filming location of St. Elmos Fire) and Chadwicks under a new name is still basically Chadwicks. The announcement yesterday of the imminent closure of the Rhino Bar means that come March, there will be no more "college bars" left in the heart of Georgetown. Not sure how Scott (the manager) kept a lid on that zoo. During the Tramonte's ownership of the club, Paul Wolff was the front of house engineer. Enjoy the seasonal outdoor pool and visit the 3 bars/lounges and poolside bar for drinks. "Now that's a babe," he said, pointing to a picture of a blond. Pingback: From the Comments | The Georgetown Metropolitan. He looks back on his career in a new self-published memoir: Meet Me at the Bar, Im Hungry (Dog Ear Publishing; $16.95 paperback, $26.95 hardcover). My friends Craig and Ardith and I would go there several times a week for happy hour, for years approx 1974 to 1977-ish. We talked for a bit and then I went on my way. News, advice and insights for the most interesting man in the room. I enjoyed F Scotts on 36th and Prospect. They say customers park illegally, drink beer, urinate on sidewalks and gardens, and vandalize property before driving away intoxicated. A Louisville Howard Johnson during the 1960s. And, of course, it was partially the model for the St. Elmos bar in St. Elmos Fire. There was high crime, a lot of drugs, prostitution Georgetown was where the going-out scene ended up being simply because the rest of the city wasnt as nice.. The spacious bar offered martinis and Sinatra music, while a preppy look acted as the cover charge. Topher, I hate to contradict you but there never was a Mr. Henrys at 1225 Wisconsin Ave. Great memories. Currently the AMC Theatre, the Bayou was the go-to music scene from 1953 to 1998. Mr. Smiths was arguablythe second oldest continuing bar in the Georgetown neighborhood as it was founded in 1962. And remember when there was Boogeys or Boogies, where now we have the Apple Store? I use to go every weekend for a while. 3135 K Street, Georgetown, Washington DC. I was a bouncer at Crazy Horse. 1) Washington DC in the 1970s was a riveting time. But he didnt fall off the face of the earth. It is currently a Zara clothing store. They have a gay following and the original is near Dupont Circle. The 1970s were a memorable time no matter where you livedbut here in Ohio it was extra groovy. If I could turn back time! 3125 Mount Pleasant St NW, Washington, D.C. 20010. In 2014, The Third Edition became El Centro, an upscale Mexican restaurant. He influenced many and left a mark on the soul with his performances. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ae994b54ef062d4461bc2a54018d3062" );document.getElementById("gab125c3ec").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Its still a lot like a frat party, except now, because of the recent prep craze, you might see a Marine or someone from [the bar] across the street just because its cool to be prep, explained another suffixed partier, Jean-Charles Dibbs III, then a barely-legal Republican political aide. She noted that by now the 100-plus bars in the neighborhood were starting to rankle the older, upper-crust residents with to their boisterous partying. Required fields are marked *. Eventually, Wilkerson convinced Flack to give pop music a try. He said he comes to Mr. Henry's mainly for conversation. She also found time for a social life during this period, culminating in her 1966 marriage to Stephen Novosel, a jazz bassist. Vernon College girls in Pappagallo shoes, McMullen blouses, Villager skirts and Liberty sweaters; Georgetown Foreign Service School types in some of the first Gucci shoes and Paul Stuart suits seen in Washington: tousled Irish Catholic kids in jeans and tweed sportcoats, whose great regret in life was not being old enough to have gotten drunk with Dylan Thomas at the White Horse in Greenwich Village.. Free WiFi. The customer had dared to adulterate Mikes creation with ketchup. There was high crime, a lot of drugs, prostitution Georgetown was where the going-out scene ended up being simply because the rest of the city wasnt as nice.. Vernon College girls in Pappagallo shoes, McMullen blouses, Villager skirts and Liberty sweaters; Georgetown Foreign Service School types in some of the first Gucci shoes and Paul Stuart suits seen in Washington: tousled Irish Catholic kids in jeans and tweed sportcoats, whose great regret in life was not being old enough to have gotten drunk with Dylan Thomas at the White Horse in Greenwich Village.. "Well," she said with a drawl, "We're gay. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Georgetown is a multicultural and international hub now which I think is a positive thing.. Mike tells tales on himself, like the time he saw a customer abusing the dish he most loved to make: a veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and Fontina cheese. The protests are known as Mayday. Three hustlers standing on the street . Not a fan of Rhino, but its a shame to see rising rents continue to reduce Georgetowns diversity of storefronts. Night falls on Georgetown like a sable cape, lights begin to flicker and suddenly people are everywhere. Chidi had been opened as this youthful preppy scene was just beginning to emerge, in 1976. Prices and visitors' opinions on dishes. [6] The club had a lower level area with a large raised stage and a wrap around upper balcony that overlooked the dance floor and stage below. Eastern Kentucky boys and men, circa 1964. Happy memories. "Every time you come here you see someone you haven't seen in a long time, someone you grew up with. 15.2 mi from city center. The best was very comfortable. Champions closed their doors in 2002. Todays mixological artisans work like alchemists, decanting potions and grinding tree bark. [4] The main floor bars were fed bottled liquor from a "tap" room that was situated above the entrance. Theres a lot of booze in the book. The. He snatched the offending pieces of beef off the plates and slapped them on the bar top, Mike writes. This Hugh did. At others, I shock people. Pingback: St. Elmos Georgetown | The Georgetown Metropolitan. Bill Scanlan: MTITV, filmmaker of The Bayou: DCs Killer Joint The interior, meanwhile, was more inspired by another preppy haven popular with college kids, an underground spot called The Tombs. Its still just a drink, Mike says. By 1980, WaPo was offering a laundry list of the clientele to expect there: Mt. The Bayou backed up to another famed D.C. music institution, Blues Alley, located down the alley behind the Bayou. A 'hip' bar scene in Towson during the 1970s. If you are talking the late 80s-early 90s, you forgot Winstons. USA Distributor of MCM Equipment georgetown bars 1970s And yes, it was Dinos Paramount Steak House and yes it was very straight, not gay. Just ten years ago, such an outcome would seem impossible, but after a few years of relentless closures, the inevitable has come about. Peak hours are 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., during which period the D.C. Department of Transportation estimates about 10,000 cars and 6,000 pedestrians travel through the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and. Del Grande, sporting a high-and-tight haircut, said in confidential tones, "I'll tell you what. In the early fall of 1983, J. Pauls opened to much fanfare, a two-level bar uniquely built for preppies. If Washingtonians mostly only drank at restaurants, hotels, social clubs and high-society parties previous to 1980, that was about to change, and quickly. The customer wasnt charged, but he wasnt able to finish his meal, either. I remember a Mr. Henrys in Georgetown at the same time as the American Cafe but that Mr. Henrys closed around 1980-81 (it started getting mostly straight customers when they hired a teenaged Tori Amos to play piano)and the American Cafe followed suit a few years later. This is the scrappy old lesbian bar Coconuts, converted last year into Waterstone -- a pretty tavern for the under-served western edge of Mount Vernon . Kentucky Explorer. The action stops only after 2 a.m., when serving liquor is forbidden, and the streets slowly empty as people try to remember where they parked. Some places, I fit right in. Photograph by Ehpien/FLICKR . . Go back further and you add a string of legendary bars from Georgetowns 80s heyday, like Charring Cross, Pall Mall, the Bayou, etc. Sometimes we take our pants off and it really bums people out, claimed James Muggy (Mike) Smith, a self-proclaimed filthy rich kid who was wearing a pink-and-green plaid bow tie and pink sweater when he was interviewed in yet another 1982 WaPo article on the scene. Jammed upstairs and down. Photographer Michael Horsley documented the era with a fascinating series of 537 photos. This site seems to confirm that there was a Mr. Henrys at 1225 Wisconsin Ave.: Meanwhile, music remained a central part of Flacks life outside of the workplace. By 1982, preppy partying in our nations capital was reaching a fever pitch, with limousines crawling down M Street and bars packed eight-deep as people queued up for drinks. A one-square-mile neighborhood of cobble-stone streets and stately, federal-style homes centered around the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, Georgetown nonetheless boasted more than 115 liquor licenses in an approximately 10-block area. It closed in 1989 and is now the Running Company. Winstons, Pall Mall, Pierce Street Annex, Numbers, The Bayou, Bojangles, Windsor McKays, Abbey Road and Pattons, Pingback: ANC Signals End to Moratorium But Delays Decision | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Pingback: The Georgetown Metropolitan Forgets its Birthday Again | The Georgetown Metropolitan. Check out this websiteto learn more! It closed two years ago and became El Centro. And nobody mentions Mr. Smiths on M Street in the 60s-70s. Roadside Pictures. In its script, St. Elmos is described as a P.J. Sign up now for more from the Beltway. That didnt last long, and the old Champions returned for a little while longer before closing a few years ago. View the menu, check prices, find on the map, see photos and ratings. There were also the more restrained, upscale clubs like Pisces Club, Charlies Georgetown and F. Scotts for the preppies who had aged out of their old college favorites. Every Friday night, he would head to The Day Lily, a red and gold velvet-walled Chinese restaurant, a seedy spot that would seem beneath his social class. Mr. Henrys was absolutely 1225 Wisc. The bar was bought and converted into an upscale Belgium restaurant called The Sovereign. Those were the days.Let me tell you. It was rite of passage. I was pretty cool with the bartenders and doormen and lots of ladies (current and graduates). She was discovered there by Henry Yaffe, who brought her to his trendy new Georgetown club Mr. Henrys. Two recent college grads, Nicky Williams and Buff McDonald, asked The Day Lilys aging owner, Jim Chin, if they could start renting his restaurant for Friday night parties. Your email address will not be published. But it was Clydes that the Official Preppy Handbook would list as their definitive prep bar for the DC area. Popular Mobile Games You Must Play In 2023, Revisiting the 1980s Heyday of Georgetowns Fabled Preppy Bars. You can stand and talk and see the sights.". In the early fall of 1983, J. Pauls opened to much fanfare, a two-level bar uniquely built for preppies. Since then the location has been a sandwich shop but currently remains for rent. Here is another article discussing Garrets closing. [9], Though The Bayou generally attracted an older crowd, the club also featured a diverse following including college students from Georgetown University, men and women from the many military installations in the DC area and The Pentagon. Where else can you watch drama, comedy, tragedy and farce for the price of a drink? From bell bottoms to long lost amusement parks we all wish would come back to Ohio, it was certainly a unique time to live in the Buckeye State. Nor the fact that an endorsement from then-Mayor Marion Berry would make September 30, 1986 the final day 18-year-olds could legally drink in Washington. The gay on was the hole in the wall on 17th street. By 1982, preppy partying in our nations capital was reaching a fever pitch, with limousines crawling down M Street and bars packed eight-deep as people queued up for drinks. The Georgetown bar culture was filled with much more than loafers, gingham, pleats and shoulder pads, wrote McGovern. "I had this girl friend with me I couldn't stand," Smith said, "so I went up to Brian and asked him to get rid of her for me." Knew the owners Sam, Jack, Dave. He started as a busboy and dishwasher at Chadwicks in Georgetown. This group is now the most populous . There were family restaurants, jazz clubs, punk bars and average joe-type dives, many frequented by Marines from the nearby barracks. Then it was taken over by the famous disco club Tramps, run by Washington Playboy Mike OHarro. Brad, you might be right, but what I read is that Flack started at the Georgetown Mr. Henrys and then the club owner, Henry Yaffe, recognized her talent and then built a room for her at his Capitol Hill location. The Guards: This one was more popular with the post-collegiate set, particularly in W. Bushs Washington when the formerly scuzzy basement became the still scuzzy Gryphon Room. By the 21st century, Georgetown bar culture was dying as students began going out in the Adams Morgan neighborhood instead. More than 100 businesses in the area serve liquor. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Next door in 1993 there was a branch of Roberto Donnas Il Radiccho brand restaurant.