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We got asked for ID in Alaska not long before Covid and were both in our sixties. We thought it was hilarious.
But recreational cannabis is not legal here except in a limited way in the ACT.
I suppose boring is actually a state of mind. But my 85 year old aunt was complaining last week that she rarely goes out a night any more.
Our friends are heading off on a ski holiday to Canada shortly and I can tell you that after all our border restrictions and everything else this past two years, that is extremely exciting news and everyone is very jealous.
I haven't been to the US since the start of the pandemic and neither has anyone in my family.
I hate to say it but with the upsurge in violent crime in the US when I do resume travelling there (and I will) I'll probably be changing my M.O. quite a bit.
Been to the US a lot over the past 10-20 years and overall, it's been pretty fancy-free for us. We are quite world-wise travellers and so we were never really afraid. At least not in the types of places we'd hang out in.
I know people will say I am overreacting but you start to see murder rates similar to the worst years of the 1980s and 1990s, violence more easily overspills from the bad areas of town into the good areas. As we've seen with a few cases lately. Up until recently these were really freak occurrences. Now it's becoming more common.
Hopefully this is just a blip and things can get back on track soon.
I know people will say I am overreacting but you start to see murder rates similar to the worst years of the 1980s and 1990s, violence more easily overspills from the bad areas of town into the good areas. As we've seen with a few cases lately. Up until recently these were really freak occurrences. Now it's becoming more common.
Is it really getting that bad again? What is driving the rise in violence? Is it drugs? Whats going on?
In many states it used to be 18 to drink, then Congress passed a law that they would lose federal funding, if individual states didn't change it to 21, because of drunk driving. When I was young, it was 18 in my state, and I used to drink in bars at 16. Back then they rarely carded anyone, because they wanted the business. I don't believe Australia has legalized cannabis at all. My home state of California, legalized it before Canada. Lol about your last statement. If someone finds Australia or Canada boring, they are just ignorant or hateful? I agree with you about Vancouver vs Seattle. Many years ago, I also preferred Vancouver, but now prefer Seattle.
I drank at 18 in New Jersey. I'm 63 now. I forget when they went to 21--the 80s sometime, IIRC.
By the way, NJ is legal, but they are where Canada was a couple of years ago--just waiting to get the logistics in place to allow businesses to open to sell recreational marijuana. You won't get arrested for pot use in NJ anymore, though.
Very detailed explanation, as you definitely did your partying in Toronto. I remember those hotels (bars) in the 1960’s were still mostly men drinking, maybe the gender alcohol separation stop being enforced by then as you say. I do indeed remember the strip joints on Yonge St. There was a place called Starvin' Marvin's, do you remember that one? Yes my Uncle used to take me to a private club, where you could drink, and party well past 1am. There where wonderful pool halls on College and Dundas st that we would frequent, as pool seemed to be so much more popular back then. Whenever my American side of the family would come up from Philly, then later California, our Toronto relatives always made sure we had a fun time. My uncle had season tickets for The Leafs, and I enjoyed many a game at the old Maple Leaf Gardens on Carlton st. Also I believe Toronto temporarily went to the 2am bar closing during the Blue Jays first World Series run in 1992, am I correct about that?
I remember Starvin' Marvin's. There was also the Zanzibar on Yonge downtown, and Cheater's. Cheater's was weirdly located; it was on Yonge, about halfway between Eglinton and Davisville. Not something you'd think to put anywhere near a family neighbourhood like North Toronto, but it was there for years, so it must have been doing something right.
Remember the Gasworks on Yonge downtown? Heavy metal bands on weekends, heavy metal on the jukebox at other times. I was never a fan of heavy metal, but it had the best patio on Yonge (and they didn't blast heavy metal outside), and so it was a great place to people-watch on a summer Saturday afternoon or evening. I did that many times.
Pool halls ... yes, they were very popular. Key word being "were"; it's been years since I've seen one. There was Prince Edward Billiards on Yonge, somewhere north of Lawrence, which closed down sometime in the mid-1970s. I often went to the Coronation Billiard Academy, on Eglinton, a ways west of Avenue Road. Despite its fancy-sounding name, it was pretty plain, and unlicensed. But the tables were in great condition, and the Pepsi was always cold. Some years later, a friend and I found some pool hall in Scarborough that was licensed, so we went there instead. Nowadays, it seems a lot of sports bars and neighbourhood pubs have pool tables, so maybe that's why pool halls are dying out.
I remember Maple Leaf Gardens, and went to many Leafs games there, and Toros games in the days of the WHA. Once I actually finagled my way into the Hot Stove Lounge after a Leafs game. It was technically members-only, but if you knew the right person who knew the right people.... And yes, I believe Ontario extended drinking hours during the Blue Jays' World Series runs in both 1992 and 1993. That's about the time that Ontario was also extending hours on special occasions, like New Year's Eve.
I remember Starvin' Marvin's. There was also the Zanzibar on Yonge downtown, and Cheater's. Cheater's was weirdly located; it was on Yonge, about halfway between Eglinton and Davisville. Not something you'd think to put anywhere near a family neighbourhood like North Toronto, but it was there for years, so it must have been doing something right.
Remember the Gasworks on Yonge downtown? Heavy metal bands on weekends, heavy metal on the jukebox at other times. I was never a fan of heavy metal, but it had the best patio on Yonge (and they didn't blast heavy metal outside), and so it was a great place to people-watch on a summer Saturday afternoon or evening. I did that many times.
Pool halls ... yes, they were very popular. Key word being "were"; it's been years since I've seen one. There was Prince Edward Billiards on Yonge, somewhere north of Lawrence, which closed down sometime in the mid-1970s. I often went to the Coronation Billiard Academy, on Eglinton, a ways west of Avenue Road. Despite its fancy-sounding name, it was pretty plain, and unlicensed. But the tables were in great condition, and the Pepsi was always cold. Some years later, a friend and I found some pool hall in Scarborough that was licensed, so we went there instead. Nowadays, it seems a lot of sports bars and neighbourhood pubs have pool tables, so maybe that's why pool halls are dying out.
I remember Maple Leaf Gardens, and went to many Leafs games there, and Toros games in the days of the WHA. Once I actually finagled my way into the Hot Stove Lounge after a Leafs game. It was technically members-only, but if you knew the right person who knew the right people.... And yes, I believe Ontario extended drinking hours during the Blue Jays' World Series runs in both 1992 and 1993. That's about the time that Ontario was also extending hours on special occasions, like New Year's Eve.
OMG, we went to all those strip joints on Yonge St. Remember the saying “Yonge St is Fun Street” My uncle took my brother and me, we both were under age, the only caveat was, we couldn’t tell my mother. I remember fondly the 1971 Stanley Cup playoff game, at Maple Leaf Gardens vs NY Rangers, and the very knowledgeable hockey fans we sat with. What surprised me was about 25% of the crowd was for the Rangers. Where at The Old Spectrum in Philadelphia, you would not dare root against the Flyers, because your life could be in danger. I still have nightmares about Joe Carter’s (touch em all Joe) dramatic HR, ending the 1993 World Series against my beloved Phillies. Yes all the Sports Bars here in Southern California have pool tables, now and then you will see people playing.
I still have nightmares about Joe Carter’s (touch em all Joe) dramatic HR, ending the 1993 World Series against my beloved Phillies.
I remember watching that game. I was at a neighbourhood pub in Scarborough (Morningside and Military Trail, to be precise), which only had one TV, and it was behind the bar. It was about a 27" TV, but still, to get a good place to watch, you had to get there early. I did, and my friends did, and we all got a seat at the bar.
Good thing too, because folks were packed four deep behind us by the time the game started. And when the game ended, by Carter hitting his walk-off homer, the Jays had won the World Series. The pub's owner bought a round for the house, so we could all celebrate. Not that we weren't celebrating already, but hey, free beer.
Aside: apparently, according to an at-the-time news report, a woman reporter encountered Phillies' player John Kruk on the streets of Toronto, during the series. Paraphrased, she said, "Kruk, look at you. You're overweight, and out of shape. How can you call yourself an athlete?"
Kruk simply replied, "Lady, I ain't an athlete. I'm a ballplayer."
Wish I had a source for that (Toronto Sun? Toronto Star? CTV? Global? CBC? Who knows?), but I do remember it being reported. I have to admire Kruk for his frankness and candor.
I'm not disputing your memory, and you have the facts basically correct, but I think that you're painting an inaccurate timeline.
It is true that Ontario's closing time was 1:00 AM and last call was at 12:30 AM up until sometime in the late 1990s. And Ontario did have "beverage rooms" for Gentlemen only, and for Ladies and Escorts in a different room, but that was in the 1930s and 1940s. The first fully-licensed bar/restaurant for both sexes to mix and mingle was the Silver Rail (corner of Yonge and Shuter Streets), in Toronto, in 1947, and it was quickly followed by others. Pizzerias and Chinese food places often got "beer and wine" licenses, while fine-dining places were fully licensed for beer, wine, and spirits; and everything from snooty private clubs to 24-hour diners such as Fran's got full licenses (though they shut down alcohol sales at 12:30 AM). And all this did not occur in the 1970s; it occurred in the late 1940s and the 1950s.
Beverage rooms serving only draft beer continued to exist, some into the 1970s, but by that time, "Ladies and Escorts" was a quaint memory, even in the beverage rooms. Eventually--and in the 1970s and certainly by 1976--all beverage rooms became fully licensed bar/restaurants. Three beverage rooms I recall attending in the 1970s: the Jolly Miller (near Yonge and York Mills), the Brunswick House (Bloor and Brunswick), and The Wheat Sheaf (Bathurst at Queen or King, cannot remember which). And back in the 1970s, they all became fully-licensed bars/restaurants.
It was possible to party hearty in Toronto back in the 1970s. I know, because I did it. There were fully-licensed strip bars, discos, cowboy bars (thanks to the movie Urban Cowboy), neighbourhood pubs, wine bars, ethnic bars, quiet lounges, loud nightclubs, and many other places where one could enjoy entertainment and/or get loaded until 1:00 AM any night of the week, except perhaps Sundays.
I was born in Toronto, and lived there for over forty years, and was allowed to drink in Ontario when I was 18; that's how old I am. I also worked for Ontario's Beer Stores, and part of my training was "The History of Ontario's Liquor Licensing Laws." Based on my experience and education, I'd say that your facts are correct, but I would suggest that your timeline is misleading.
Gonna dive in at the deep end here with my 75 years old experience of most cities mentioned.
Partying in Toronto for a time just had to involve Yorkville in the late 60's, early 70's and clubs like the Penny Farthing and the Purple Onion, if you were a regular, would on occasion risk their license by closing at legal time but allowing some patrons to remain later after the doors were locked. The rear outdoor patio at the Farthing hosted many private after hours groups that thought nothing of stripping down and lurching into the pool for a brief frolic.
Montreal came later (80's -early2000's) in my business travel experience and Crescent St. was just one area of late-night reverie where you would hit any one of dozens of local restaurants for a great dinner then, just like Bourbon St. meander a short walk to any number of clubs like Thursday's or the Club Diamond to quaff and dance to the latest tunes offered up by DJ's. Staggering back to the hotel at 2 AM was common. The Jaques Cartier Square area is replete with anything and everything you can imagine with any number of eateries and the artists ally running off from it. The last visit there, we spent an afternoon in the Pub BreWskey sampling food, craft beers and whiskeys - a cab back to the hotel was required.
Now, on to Newahlans. My wife and I have made a number of trips into that den of iniquity while snowbirding in the southern states and loved it every time. We stayed twice at the Jacques Lafitte House where our vehicle was sequestered in a high walled brick enclave guarded by camera's and an ex-NFL linebacker. Our balcony room overlooked Bourbon St. and our routine was to wander the old town taking in the local flavour from a Mufalleta at Central Grocery on Decatur to wandering the artists set up alongside the square to later hit one of the bars to obtain a huge cocktail in a "travel cup" (big milkshake size paper cup) which you then sip from while walking the street listening to all the various live entertainment in the open fronted clubs. Everything from Jazz to vintage rock music is ALWAYS available. We never experienced any feelings of "threat" because all of those clubs make it their business to employ bouncers that, not only look after their patrons, but, keep an eye on the street as well. They do not want to risk their livelihood by allowing muggings or unfettered drunken brawls.
Having said all of that above, the only destination we would demur going back to now is Toronto, due solely to my age-related aversion to driving into the big smoke and no longer having any compelling reason to take the Via Rail into the city to spend an overnight.
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It's happened to me too and I was close to 50. Some places just ask every single person. It's standard procedure.
