Joining John Holton’s Writer’s Workshop for the first time this week.
The prompts are:
Write a post based on the word house.
Write a post in exactly 11 sentences.
You won an award at some point in your life. What was it for?
Write about a time you stood up for someone at school.
Do you have a restaurant, bar, or other hangout that you feel is your home away from home? Talk about how this became such a location for you.
Write about a popular opinion you disagree with.
I went with option 5. Actually, there were two such places…
[Full disclosure: these were published previously, but I have updated them for this workshop.]
ANSELMO’S
For a few years in the 1980s, our favourite place was “Anselmo’s”, a cozy Italian restaurant complete with piano bar, owned by a friend. He introduced us to the chef, his cousin Pat, from New York.
This was during my frenzied corporate workaholic period. I desperately needed to unwind and found the perfect retreat here.
Not only was the food superb, but there were stools all around the piano, where we enjoyed after-dinner cocktails.
My husband liked to visit the kitchen and check out that night’s menu. Rarely did we order a la carte. Pat quickly learned our tastes and didn’t disappoint.
Over time, we also became friends with the piano player, a moonlighting hairdresser named Rob. He entertained us with an eclectic mixture of pop, rock, blues, and country, delivered in a smooth baritone.
One of his signature numbers was “For The Good Times”, written by Kris Kristofferson in 1968. Although it became a hit for Ray Price two years later, the original version is the one stirring up those memories now.
Rob sounded so much like Kris!
Sadly, Anselmo’s eventually went out of business and Pat moved back to New York. We lost touch with Rob. He’s probably retired now.
[Originally published for the 2017 April A to Z Challenge – Musical Memories]
THE LOVE BOAT
In April 2013, Hubby and I went for an overnight stay in Niagara Falls. It’s 45 minutes away and was our frequent “go to” placewhen seeking a littleR & R.
We would normally have dinner at our favourite restaurant, The Love Boat, but this time tried a different place.
The idea was to go there for lunch the day after and also bring home some of their mouth-watering seafood antipasto. I could live on that stuff; it’s SO good!
Imagine our absolute shock when we saw this!
The Love Boat had a long history with us, going back to the late 1970s, when we used their catering services for our soccer team’s dinner dances.
We went there often; alone, with friends, with visiting relatives, for special occasions, or even no particular reason, other than a hankering to go.
When our Dalmatian passed away in 2007, we ran away from home and straight to The Love Boat, to escape our grief.
The owner was a personal acquaintance; a wonderful man named Enrico, who always gave us generous discounts. He would say: “No need to order from the menu. I know what you like.” We were then served a seafood feast fit for a king.
As one would expect by the name, The Love Boat had a nautical decor, with actual piping and pieces from ships, including a large steering wheel and a huge wooden captain’s table, with a 17th century world map carved into it.
For our tenth anniversary in 1983, we and a couple of close friends stayed the night at the neighbouring hotel, (which was affiliated with the Love Boat).
There was complimentary champagne in the room and after dinner, our host brought over a bar cart laden with many varieties of liqueurs and brandies.
“Help yourself to anything you like“, he said, “no charge”. To top it off, breakfast was free the next morning. We’ll never forget such hospitality!
By the time our 25th anniversary came along (1998), the eldest son was running the restaurant.
We had organized a party of twelve and enlisted a friend who owned a limo service to drive. Enrico Jr. cooked for us and served the meal personally, which was a big hit with everyone!
Once again, we received a generous discount and a complimentary bottle of champagne.
Our last visit to The Love Boat was for my birthday in January 2012. By then, management had passed down to the third generation; a brother and sister team.
It was disconcerting to see the restaurant was practicallyempty. I assumed that was just seasonal. Niagara Falls thrives mostly in the summer months. On closer inspection, it also looked a bit rundown.
The food was still excellent, as was the service. No discount this time, but the bill was reasonable. Yes, it had certainly seen better days. We honestly never thought about it closing down, though.
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
29 thoughts on “FAVOURITE HANGOUTS OF YESTERYEAR #WritersWorkshop”
DOGLADY DEBBIE ~
I know very well the feeling. I’ve had a few different places like that in my life, and all of them are gone now. It really is pretty sad, and the song ‘For The Good Times’ was a perfect choice for this blog bit. (That’s a song that would fit very nicely on my ‘Goldenshadowland’ video playlist, as it captures the mood being conveyed.)
What helps me a bit is the fact that although all of the places that felt like “home-away-from-home” to me are gone, they were also in different cities and states. So, I couldn’t go there regularly today, even if they still existed. (However, there was one little spot that was so comfortable, I still think about it at night, and imagining myself there again helps me to fall asleep.)
It’s hard to accept these changes, isn’t it, Stephen? “For The Good Times” is definitely on my most treasured memories list of songs, which I documented in 2017, for Lee’s April A to Z Blogging Challenge.
At least we have those memories to sustain us in our “old age”. 😉 Thanks for coming by!
Here’s another one that Rob used to sing. Bittersweet!
My entire YT playlist ‘Goldenshadowland’ is all about the people, places & events that are gone and which I miss very much. And the song ‘Always On My Mind’ would fit PERFECTLY in my playlist.
There are a few women who were special to me who are reflected in those ‘Goldenshadowland’ videos. One of them was Terrill. Circa 1984, I regularly went to a Mexican restaurant & bar named Azteca in Venice, with my buddy, Pooh. We called it “The 99-Cent Club”. They had Willie’s ‘Always On My Mind’ on the jukebox, and I always played it in tribute to Terrill. I’d definitely add it to the ‘Goldenshadowland’ playlist, but Terrill is already represented several times, and I’d have to figure out what to remove from the playlist (it can’t go beyond 88 videos).
~ D-FensDogG
Hello Debbie! I found your blog on the #WWWhimsy link up. It’s nice to “meet” you. Both of these places sound lovely. I can see why you miss them. Here’s to building new memories!
Nice to meet you as well, Christie. Welcome to The Den! 🙂 We have such great memories of both places, but the Love Boat closing down was particularly sad for us, since we’d been going there for decades. Thanks for coming by!
What an interesting post Debbie full of nostalgia and fun memories for you! I can imagine your disappointment when you found The Love Boat was closed after all those years. I can’t begin to think about living so close to Niagara Falls – how cool!
Thanks for joining us for Min’s #wwwhimsy, I’m off to look at all the prompts as they sound fun, especially the one about writing a post in 11 words!!
Thanks, Debbie! 🙂 Yes. we are fortunate to live so close to “The Falls”. No matter how often we go, it never gets old. We still mourn the closure of The Love Boat, but life goes on, and there are a couple of local restaurants we frequent now. Thank you for hosting this interesting linkup!
Hi Debbie thanks for sharing you Favourite Hangouts with us at #WWWhimsy. We have moved around quite a bit in my life so I don’t really have any favourite hangouts.
Hello Sue! 🙂 I believe we have met before, through Leanne, from Cresting The Hill. Thanks for coming by to read my entry. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were also a host for this link party, so I’ll add yours as well, above. Favourite places are wonderful to have, until they disappear. A certain amount of “mourning” occurs when that happens. I moved around a lot as a child (military family), but have been living in the same town since 1969.
I think it says a lot about you and your husband that you were welcomed with such love at these establishments. Obviously you two were very good guests and your presence was appreciated.
I could be cynical and say they loved our money, Janie. 🙂 We do tip generously, but there were genuine friendships involved, which made the closures hard to accept. The Love Boat, especially!
Yes, those places are rare now. We have found another one in town, but eating out is getting so expensive, we don’t go that often. Thanks for coming by, Sally!
Fun memories, thanks for sharing them. I have a couple restaurants I go to on a regular basis, but they don’t feel like “home” (if you know what I mean). Wish I had a little downtown bar or restaurant that felt more like my hangout.
Thank you, Peter! 🙂 I know what you mean about certain places feeling like home. These two restaurants certainly did, and we were sad to see them close, especially The Love Boat. We had been going there for decades!
I remember this post from before. For us, there used to be a great place a not unreasonable distance from us homebodys… y’know, I’m not sure if I had the name right… nope, cannot think of it… Irish place with a menu like a small book! It had been going down hill the last few times we went, and sure enough, one day we saw an amazing sight- an empty parking lot. No big memories there, just a lot of good food consumed.
I remember your fondness for this place. It’s sad when restaurants you love go out of business. You established more than just a good place to dine but friendships. That’s even harder to lose.
We were devastated to see that “For Lease” sign in the window (first image)! That was back in 2013, so the Love Boat has been gone a long time. 😢 We do a drive-by every time we go back to Niagara Falls. It was a Mexican restaurant for a while, but now there’s another Italian one in there. The hotel next door has undergone a huge expansion.
Such beautiful memories, Debbie. I remember an Italian restaurant we used to frequent with friends and family. The food was excellent and the family-owned restaurant was wonderfully warm and cozy. I miss those days. Sigh…
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29 thoughts on “FAVOURITE HANGOUTS OF YESTERYEAR #WritersWorkshop”
DOGLADY DEBBIE ~
I know very well the feeling. I’ve had a few different places like that in my life, and all of them are gone now. It really is pretty sad, and the song ‘For The Good Times’ was a perfect choice for this blog bit. (That’s a song that would fit very nicely on my ‘Goldenshadowland’ video playlist, as it captures the mood being conveyed.)
What helps me a bit is the fact that although all of the places that felt like “home-away-from-home” to me are gone, they were also in different cities and states. So, I couldn’t go there regularly today, even if they still existed. (However, there was one little spot that was so comfortable, I still think about it at night, and imagining myself there again helps me to fall asleep.)
~ D-FensDogG
It’s hard to accept these changes, isn’t it, Stephen? “For The Good Times” is definitely on my most treasured memories list of songs, which I documented in 2017, for Lee’s April A to Z Blogging Challenge.
At least we have those memories to sustain us in our “old age”. 😉 Thanks for coming by!
Here’s another one that Rob used to sing. Bittersweet!
Oh, I love Willie’s ‘Always On My Mind’!
My entire YT playlist ‘Goldenshadowland’ is all about the people, places & events that are gone and which I miss very much. And the song ‘Always On My Mind’ would fit PERFECTLY in my playlist.
There are a few women who were special to me who are reflected in those ‘Goldenshadowland’ videos. One of them was Terrill. Circa 1984, I regularly went to a Mexican restaurant & bar named Azteca in Venice, with my buddy, Pooh. We called it “The 99-Cent Club”. They had Willie’s ‘Always On My Mind’ on the jukebox, and I always played it in tribute to Terrill. I’d definitely add it to the ‘Goldenshadowland’ playlist, but Terrill is already represented several times, and I’d have to figure out what to remove from the playlist (it can’t go beyond 88 videos).
~ D-FensDogG
It’s such a great song, and I’m not surprised it twigs a lot of memories for you too. 🙂 Silly question: Why can’t your playlist go beyond 88?
Hello Debbie! I found your blog on the #WWWhimsy link up. It’s nice to “meet” you. Both of these places sound lovely. I can see why you miss them. Here’s to building new memories!
Nice to meet you as well, Christie. Welcome to The Den! 🙂 We have such great memories of both places, but the Love Boat closing down was particularly sad for us, since we’d been going there for decades. Thanks for coming by!
What an interesting post Debbie full of nostalgia and fun memories for you! I can imagine your disappointment when you found The Love Boat was closed after all those years. I can’t begin to think about living so close to Niagara Falls – how cool!
Thanks for joining us for Min’s #wwwhimsy, I’m off to look at all the prompts as they sound fun, especially the one about writing a post in 11 words!!
Thanks, Debbie! 🙂 Yes. we are fortunate to live so close to “The Falls”. No matter how often we go, it never gets old. We still mourn the closure of The Love Boat, but life goes on, and there are a couple of local restaurants we frequent now. Thank you for hosting this interesting linkup!
Hi Debbie thanks for sharing you Favourite Hangouts with us at #WWWhimsy. We have moved around quite a bit in my life so I don’t really have any favourite hangouts.
Hello Sue! 🙂 I believe we have met before, through Leanne, from Cresting The Hill. Thanks for coming by to read my entry. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were also a host for this link party, so I’ll add yours as well, above. Favourite places are wonderful to have, until they disappear. A certain amount of “mourning” occurs when that happens. I moved around a lot as a child (military family), but have been living in the same town since 1969.
I think it says a lot about you and your husband that you were welcomed with such love at these establishments. Obviously you two were very good guests and your presence was appreciated.
Love,
Janie
I could be cynical and say they loved our money, Janie. 🙂 We do tip generously, but there were genuine friendships involved, which made the closures hard to accept. The Love Boat, especially!
Great hangouts Debbie and I love it when you walk in a place and they remember your name, your favourite table and your most enjoyed foods.
Yes, those places are rare now. We have found another one in town, but eating out is getting so expensive, we don’t go that often. Thanks for coming by, Sally!
Fun memories, thanks for sharing them. I have a couple restaurants I go to on a regular basis, but they don’t feel like “home” (if you know what I mean). Wish I had a little downtown bar or restaurant that felt more like my hangout.
Thank you, Peter! 🙂 I know what you mean about certain places feeling like home. These two restaurants certainly did, and we were sad to see them close, especially The Love Boat. We had been going there for decades!
I remember this post from before. For us, there used to be a great place a not unreasonable distance from us homebodys… y’know, I’m not sure if I had the name right… nope, cannot think of it… Irish place with a menu like a small book! It had been going down hill the last few times we went, and sure enough, one day we saw an amazing sight- an empty parking lot. No big memories there, just a lot of good food consumed.
Always sad to see a favourite establishment close. Hope you found another one close by that offers equally good food.
Good choices for the prompt, Debbie. I enjoyed your memories.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thank you, Pete. Bittersweet memories. 🙂
I remember your fondness for this place. It’s sad when restaurants you love go out of business. You established more than just a good place to dine but friendships. That’s even harder to lose.
Yes, we were sad when Anselmo’s closed, but the Love Boat was part of our lives for decades, so losing it was even more painful.
It’s sad when a place you love starts showing its age, isn’t it? I would imagine The Love Boat is no more now; have you been back to look?
We were devastated to see that “For Lease” sign in the window (first image)! That was back in 2013, so the Love Boat has been gone a long time. 😢 We do a drive-by every time we go back to Niagara Falls. It was a Mexican restaurant for a while, but now there’s another Italian one in there. The hotel next door has undergone a huge expansion.
Such beautiful memories, Debbie. I remember an Italian restaurant we used to frequent with friends and family. The food was excellent and the family-owned restaurant was wonderfully warm and cozy. I miss those days. Sigh…
It’s hard to adjust when you lose a favourite hangout, but at least there are many pleasant memories. 🙂 Thanks for sharing yours, Eugi.
It is, Debbie but at least we have the memories.
Those are beautiful memories but I can understand that you feel nostalgic.
Yes, those were the best of times and we do miss them. At least the memories linger! 🙂