Keys and cards...
I am NOT picking on any place in town. This just happens to be in Charleston's oldest bar. Nostalgic.
Gene's Haufbrau in West Ashley.
It's very popular. Usually has smokers standing out front.
It has the city's largest beer selection. Says so on it's website.
Far as I know, it's the only one with a long shuffle board game.
The one with sprinkled sawdust to make it VERY slippery.
Does everyone know it's owned by the people from
Vickery's?When I first came back to Charleston in 1993, Gene's was still a key club. Dengate's on Rutledge Avenue also was a key club. Now Dengate's is known as
Moe's Crosstown.
Neither one now issues front door keys to its customers.
That was long ago in a different era.
But people still hand bartenders fake ID cards.
Usually they are kept - or even cut in half - when it's obvious and the underage person is asked to leave.
Mac's Place on East Bay collected enough to make a "fake" laminated table top.
The cards show a variety of how states present themselves.
Bright, colorful and even a different backdrop to reflect if the driver is under 21.
Yeah, I know, who would have presented one of those?
A fake ID by a person with a low IQ.
(Click on the photos to see more details.)
I grew up in Charleston then left as a teenagers to join the Marines.
I visited from Camp Lejeune and took fellow Marines to a few of my favorite joints and dives.
Big John's was on that list.
"Best Dive since '55." Labels: Big John's, Dengate's, fake IDs, Key Club, Mac's Place, Moe's Crosstown, restricted entry
GRINDZ to a halt...
One of my favorite burger places closed its doors last night.
Grindz called this beauty the Bacon and Cheese burger.
Oh yeah!
They opened in September 2009 in a strip mall on Sam Rittenberg.
I'm sure they offered other burgers - and maybe even other meals - but this was where I went when I wanted that special burger.
At first they had really piled on the bacon but later toned it down. A bit.
Probably now
only 5 pieces.
With the added lettuce and sliced tomato it became a 4-tier sandwich for my 2-tier mouth.
The other thing they did was encourage customers to leave a message on a dollar bill.
Lots of customers did just that.
For more than 2 years.
Black felt tip markers predominate but the color red is seen also.
On my way to another evening of Blues, I remembered I had a BOGO coupon (Buy One Get One free) and that special burger came to mind.
When I walked in from the rain I saw a pretty large crowd gathered mainly around the bar.
When she delivered the burger, the bartender mentioned it was their last night.
I told her I had been at
Dengate's on its last day before moving downtown.
She didn't recognize the name so I said
"today it's called Moe's Crosstown on Rutledge Avenue."Anyway, I continued, the owner told one of his 20-year regulars
"Pick out any souvenir you want. You've come in here almost every day for decades."The old timer looked around, past his favorite bar stool, and said
"How 'bout the television set?"
She laughed but did not offer any keepsakes for me to take away.
I looked around and saw MANY signed objects that would have been perfect.
A stack of those would make an interesting trip to the bank.
(Click on the pictures to see more details. Read some of the bank "notes.")
I did a quick rough count and estimate there was about $600 taped all around the bar.
One was splashed a bright red color and I wondered if perhaps it had been discolored in a bank dye pack.
A bank would notice that.
Labels: bacon and cheese, bank dye pack, banknotes, Dengate's, Grindz, Moe's Crosstown
I am NOT picking on any place in town. This just happens to be in Charleston's oldest bar. Nostalgic.
Neither one now issues front door keys to its customers. 
