CULTURE CLASH (Night Life)
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DID I EVER TELL YOU ABOUT THE TIME I LEFT GALVESTON TO SEE A GIRL IN BOSTON AND ENDED UP ON A THREE DAY BENDER IN NEW ORLEANS? Probably not, because that story takes a solid half hour to tell. But let’s try to capture the spirit of it anyway. Buckle up. Here we go. The Reader’s Digest version: My friend John came down from Houston to socialize. I took him to the Stage Door where, as usual, Jeff O’Malley had my beer opened and waiting before my ass hit the stool. We drank, talked, threw darts, (Jeff wouldn’t hear of corrupting the place with billiards,) and proceeded to solve the world’s problems. Closing time rolled around and, as in any real Irish bar, they locked the door. Luckily we were safely inside, drinking for free because the register was closed. Jeff had left us with Chris McDonald and company, who kindly let us out at 3:00 AM. From there we made our way to Streeter’s Saloon, a biker bar on 14th Street, where the Mosquito Café now stands. The door to Streeter’s was wide open, and remained that way until 4:30 AM. We walked to my apartment a block from the Bishop’s Palace, got in the car with blankets and bank cards, and headed east, beginning our 72 hours adventure.
Vectors courtesy of Shutterstock.com
At this point in the morning most civilized folk would retire to the only Denny’s in town, at 61st and I-45 and about ten feet lower in elevation, in what is now the PetSmart parking lot. What that says about our character I’ll leave for you to decide. As for our sojourn in NOLA, catch me at the Galveston Brewery and I’ll fill a half hour of your life with all the gory details. For now we’ll remain on these sandy shores. Had our moods been different, the only thing across from the Stage Door back then was two Korean strip clubs. Rosie’s and some other bar, in the same space as Molly’s and the Old Cellar. Rosie’s, along with the other Korean bar, would eventually get chased around the corner, before disappearing altogether. The Sweet Apple and its neighbors, over at 20th and Strand, suffered the same fate. The only other strip clubs that availed themselves were Wispers at 8
C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • J U LY/A U G 2 0 2 2
