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Christmas at Way's Lounge
A bar's long history seeps into the present.
“I loved him,” she said. “But he went away to prison for a long time.”
As a woman of appetites, Christmas wasn’t inclined to wait for him.
“I didn’t want cobwebs to grow up in there,” she said.
We went back inside to finish our drinks. The older guys were talking Middle East politics, and a few of them had gotten pretty tight. The loudest one kept saying “Israel don’t give a fuck. They will drop a bomb on anybody. Israel don’t give a fuck.”
Michael and Christmas got up to leave. The party was over and it was raining hard outside and they had to catch the trolley.
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Peter Woodall sacrifices his liver, and potentially his nose as he ventures into Philly's drinking establishments. A bartender and West Philly native, he has worked as a newspaper reporter for the Sacramento Bee and Biloxi Sun Herald. Got a tip on a colorful taproom? Email him at petewoodall@gmail.com.
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1. Mistia said... on Apr 9, 2009 at 02:45PM
“Thank you Peter Woodall for visiting these Philly joints that I wish I had the guts and time to visit myself. Great story! I feel like I was there.”
2. Harmon said... on Apr 9, 2009 at 05:36PM
“Pedro, that is fine work. I think I may have to get you out to Nevada again so you can do a little field reporting! There are darts, cold Buds, and genuine spur-wearing cowboys at the French Bar, and Philadelphia has a right to know about it.”
3. Sarah said... on Apr 10, 2009 at 09:05AM
“Great article, and I can't wait for more in the series. I, too, used to go there back in the early 90's, when I lived nearby and hung out at the Fake House across the street. You really brought the bar (no pun intended) up with this one!”
4. Meg said... on Apr 10, 2009 at 10:52AM
“What a great story! Nice job, Peter!”
5. Melissa said... on Apr 10, 2009 at 03:28PM
“Great piece, Peter. I would love to see more pictures of the interesting people you meet. So glad to be reading your work again.”
6. J.Hill said... on Apr 11, 2009 at 06:55PM
“Outstanding. If newspapers were filled with real and important pieces like this, they wouldn't be in danger of going out of business. America doesn't need soulless vampires screaming at each other about 'current events' on Fox News or CNN, it needs more Peter Woodall...”
7. Joel Silverman said... on Apr 11, 2009 at 11:05PM
“That was great, Philly finally has the Damon Runyan she deserves.”
8. brenda & joe moore said... on Apr 16, 2011 at 07:41PM
“butch and lucille have been family to all my family, tony, charlotte, nita, don,joe and me brenda, my love go out to them, love ya”