Bars no more

There are about 120 bars (including restaurants with bars) in French Quarter. I don't know how many more there are in the entire New Orleans area, but there are many, many bars here. Although I didn't (still don't) drink much I had a few places I didn't mind going with my college friends back in the days. One was Coop's Place on Decatur St. near Ursuline St. I used to eat their Rabbit Jambalaya or Mardi Gras Pasta while my friends discussed music and films, wondering off to the Abby, Molly's and the Hideout. A few years later El Matador opened up down the street on the corner of Esplanade Ave. El Matador became my would-be husband's favorite, thanks to the quality bartenders (or "the best looking tattooed up lady bartenders in the Quarter"). They had a circular bar counter in the middle of the main room and Vince Vaughn once served us beer while Supagroup played on stage.

El Matador I, 2012

El Matador II, 2014

El Matador closed way before 2012, but I painted those from photographs that I took on the last night of their existence. They moved the circular bar to their new home, One Eyed Jacks. My husband still calls that place Shim Sham Club.

(used to be) Butler's, 2014

In the late '90s Butler's still had cheap beer and Atari's. I was never a regular at Butler's. I lived too far and drank too little to appreciate the place.

Later on, we lived in a place between the Saint and the Halfmoon, and we felt at home. I think I miss that apartment the most probably because that was our home right before and after Hurricane Katrina. The various bars in town were the first to come back - if you reopen your bars, your people will come.