There was an article about the great bars located in some of the world’s oldest, and newest hotels. I was surprised of how many I have had the good fortune to visit, being brought up, and living most of my life in New York City. Some were big, and famous, like the “King Cole Bar” at the “St. Regis.” Others were small, “McSorley’s Old Ale House,” or the “White Horse Tavern.”
U.S.V.I.
It brought to mind a very unique bar I found in St Thomas, the United States Virgin Islands. I was there diving with several friends. We were staying in a condo located on, what I call, the other side of the island, the non-tourist side. I found this side to be what I think of the Caribbean. Small restaurants, with great food, and good prices, where the very friendly customers, are mostly islanders. We were diving with an operation located in Secret Harbor. The dive boat was the sister ship of the boat they used in the film “Jaws.” We were a small number of divers, just ten, which is the best way to dive. Lots of room on a reef, or wreck, without running into another buddy group. The dive sites around St. Thomas are all, in my opinion excellent. They are very diverse, giving you colorful reefs, starting at forty feet, and all depths going down to ninety feet. There are shallow wrecks, that you can swim through, and deeper wrecks you can explore.
LET’S GET BACK TO BARS
The other experience was when we frequented the small bar, and restaurant located in the Secret Harbor marina. The bar/restaurant was actually, a thirty-foot boat. They cut the entire keel off, and set it in the sand not far from the water. The deck served as a counter. They put stumps of logs, around the deck/counter as seats. So, there you are with friends, and meeting new friends, sitting on a stump in the sand. Then the owner comes over, he’s in the ship, and asks you if you want a drink. In those days I was probably drinking gin and tonic. So, then he brings over a glass with ice, a bottle of gin, and a bottle of tonic. You are invited make your own drinks, and you keep a total of how many you had. It is easy to see, how after a few drinks, you’re making them stronger, and stronger. The thing is nobody cares. If you do over indulge in your drinking, the worst that can happen is that you’ll fall off your bar stool. All of two feet, and land in the sand. Ah! Paradise.
