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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 5, 2014 - 07:47pm PT
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I interviewed Eric Bjornstad this summer and he had lots of stories about working at a restaurant in Seattle called the Pizza Kitchen in the 1960s.
Eric managed the joint and a climber could always count on getting a meal with or with money to pay for it. Many of his partnerships and plans were started here and it got me thinking about climber friendly businesses and households that have sprung up in various places and the contributions that they have had to the social scene in the climbing communities involved. The English pub scenes are a clear example or the Wilts house in southern California.
We had a really vibrant climbing community in Tucson during the 1970s and 80s and it had a lot to do with folks getting together regularly and showing slides and having fun together partying when we weren't actually out climbing. Once I moved up to Seattle I really grew to appreciate how special the social side of climbing is and what is required to create that sort of closeness and mutual appreciation.
The Gordon Ranch in JT is the closest thing that I have experienced in recent years to that kind of scene and I really appreciate Todd and Andrea fostering community in that way. Not something to take for granted
What are some of your favorite climbing Hubs and Hangouts over the years?
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Yo Steve! Great meeting you at the Metanoia event! Still working on getting you pix of my hooks. That stuff is all in storage so it's a PITA to access.
I guess my favorite hub/hang has got to be the Mountain Brauhaus at the Gunks. Run by good folks. Good food, even better beer!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2014 - 08:24pm PT
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Evel- It was fun to meet you too and I look forward to checking out the Verminware.
Yup, the Brauhaus is an institution. On our first visit to the Gunks in 2008, Mimi, the Verm and me had the pleasure of being part of the Reunion dinner there and sitting across from Henry Barber while he told his side of the many Yosemite stories at my prompting. We were all hurting from the laughter as Henry is a great storyteller. He had some hilarious stories about the Brauhaus too involving Trudy (if memory serves) a formidable waitress of renown.
Laura and Geno Smith along with Rick Cronk made that whole scene possible and we really appreciated the warm welcome as newcomers. Sherman hadn't been back to the Gunks since he took a horrendous groundfall there when a fixed pin failed on him.
More on that amazing gathering here.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/697229/Gunks-Reunion-2008
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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BITD Der Dirtbagger in Leavenworth was so climber friendly it had Ed Cooper
photos on the wall. The one that springs to mind was of Fred Stanley doing
Angel Crack in mountain boots and wearing knickers (yeah, go ahead and giggle,Tami).
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Wednesday night at the Cecil Hotel in Vancouver.
Great times bitd. I don't think you could call it a climber hangout, but at least they tolerated us. Probably because we were marginally more desirable than the crazies and homeless guys that were their other customers.
Then they brought in strippers. Which would have been okay, but the strippers did their thing to really loud music, which ended the possibility of conversation. So we moved it to another sleazy hotel called the Ivanhoe, but it was never the same.
R.I.P Wednesday night at the Cecil.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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During my tenure at Chattanooga we almost always went to the River Inn on the road to T-Wall or Suck Creek. Really nice place until the owner burned it down.
And then there was Mervs. HoMan! The "Mervs Challenge" involved going into the joint without changing or covering your lycra! Had a coupla close calls!
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jbaker
Trad climber
Redwood City, CA
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The porch of The Gendarme at Seneca Rocks was a great place to hang out after a day of climbing.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Shoot man I grew up on the porch at the Gendarme!
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Round here, during the early 90s there grew up a habit of meeting at Fred Feit's place on Millionaire Drive. Wednesday was perfect, long after recovering from the weekend and early enough to not affect the next weekend's activities.
A crew of younger kids, wildly talented and bold, made it into something special: Jonny Copp, Mike Pennings, Jeff Hollenbaugh, Cameron Tague, many, many more, a real who's who of top local up and coming talent, with an ever shifting cast of visitors.
The Millionaire Drive scene grew until it might be several dozen climbers, with occasional slideshows, kegs, feasts, dancing. Various boulder problems existed, too.
It was a real vibrant scene. We would feed off each other's positive enthusiasm. Many great first ascents were planned at Millionaire Drive. Felt like it would go on forever.
But it had to end. Fred eventually got tired of it, especially when parts of the house began really suffering from aid- and dry-tooling ascents (hard on the drywall!).
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Steve, where was this 'Pizza Kitchen'?
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2014 - 11:49pm PT
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Reilly- I think it was located in Seattle in the University district but I don't know the exact address.
This thread should fetch you an answer pretty quick.
I have heard several people mention The Sink in Boulder as a popular Boulder hangout back in the early days.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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The closest for me was Yosemite Lodge with the big central fireplace
and big metal cone of a chimney that we would try to mantel.
This was around 1970 and 1972. My friends and I were too young to get in the Mountain Room.
OK, Gustav's in Leavenworth has good beer and food, but responsibility w.r.t
drink and drive puts the damper on hanging out there for an evening. I guess it's not that long a bike ride to Eight Mile camp ground.
I went to a couple pubs in and around Sheffield in this century,
but I don't think they were climbing pubs, as much as I wanted them to be.
On a tangent, the Plough in the Stars on Clement in SF had a really good
open mike on Sunday nights. I would work late in the lab in grad school in
the late 80s and then swing by there on my bike on the way home
for some stellar music and a pint or two.
That kind of got me over the last hump and down the home stretch w.r.t finishing up.
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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in retrospect, i mighta been at the wrong circle k
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Bumpin this because I think it's a great topic!
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WBraun
climber
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In the old daze when the deli in the Valley was still owned by the Degnans.
I bet hardly anyone here was around back then?
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Degnan's Deli.
What? You saying it's something else now?
That place should be on the National Register of Historic Delis.
I still recall the pizza, like chewing on a much worn, salt-encrusted Swami.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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I bet hardly anyone here was around back then?
You got that right. I'd be in and outta there faster than, well, a Pacific
NW weanie looking to avoid the Yosemite gang bangers.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Yosemite, 60's- The Lodge's Coffee Shop and its reading lounge with its fireplace before it was transformed...
Stoney Point: The Munch Box on Devonshire Bl. It's still there!
W. L.A.: Don Lauria's old West Ridge. Later, the new West Ridge.
East Side: The old Independence drug store where you could get real ice cream milk shakes made in those old, tall metal cups. And they were LARGE SHAKES. "A little is good; more is better; and too much is JUST RIGHT."
Tahquitz/Idyllwild: There was a GREAT restaurant where we almost always would go. What was its name?
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Alpine Pizza
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