Just a shadowy glimpse of it in a quick scene from Taxi Driver.
Ask, be patient, and ye shall receive.
Three years later, Jason Fernau sends in the following photo.
circa 1983
Jason also shares his Memories of the Dugout, 1982-1984:
The Dugout was halfway underground, you had those 3 steel plate covered steps descending down to the doors, wide steps like on a loading dock. Then one more step down and you were in. My recollection is that the lighting was all fluorescent, and was really bright as well, much brighter than a bar should be. Daytime it was bright fluorescent and the view out the doors was the vista of the sidewalk with the traffic behind it. People walking by were viewed from the thighs down. So you might see a miniskirt and great legs, or a shuffling older person, or a whole dog pulling a pair of legs. Nighttime it was brighter fluorescent. But somehow that never was an issue. I guess it just fit the place, or kept out those who couldn't stand it.
The Dugout had one night bartender, Bob from NJ. It seemed like he worked every night, though he must have had a day off. The place was never busy enough to need more than him. I think sometimes in a crunch there was somebody else who would rinse mugs and put them in the freezer. Nicest guy you could ever imagine. Ready with a smile, did what was needed, when it was needed, and we thanked him every time and he thanked us every time for coming in. From the first to the thousandth time you ordered a beer from him, Bob would say "Frosted Mug?" as if the answer could ever be anything but "Yes."
When you entered, bar on the left, tables in the middle, an old steam table lunch counter on the right hand side, looked like it hadn't been used in decades. I just heard from a fellow patron who said you could get a Liverwurst sandwich there for $1.50. Bob must have made it behind the bar.
There were frames on the walls filled with collections of snapshots of customers in the place, not old, contemporary to the time, and I remember that I was in one. I felt good about that. Faces seated around the plain wooden tables they had, some with mugs upraised.
There was an older gentleman, Saul, black glasses, stained beard, anchoring the back end of the bar, newspaper in front of him. He was usually there. We always used to speculate if he really owned the bar. I never found out one way or the other. he used to let us buy him drinks and he never bought drinks for anyone. Maybe that was the proof that he owned the place, seemed like a good strategy from his viewpoint.
50-cent draft in a frosted mug. What a deal.
25 comments:
Also my hang out around then. Saul owned the hotel a half block east on 13th Street where "Taxi Driver" had been filmed a few years earlier. Bob was the soul of generosity, standing rounds every eight rounds or so, and sometimes throwing parties for frequent visitors.
Used to drop in the Dugout for a beer then head into the Variety for the usual blowjob. Oh those nights...
Sounds like the best bar ever. If only I had a time machine.
Wow, the Dugout! I never had the chance to go in, but I heard many a tale about it. From around 1977-80, I worked at a Kelly Film in Flushing with a great guy named Charlie Gore, who developed & printed out the film. Charlie lived upstairs from the Dugout & spent most of his free time there. He's the guy who took & developed most, if not all, of the photos on those walls. Which we all got to preview first, along with hearing whatever new dirty joke he had heard at the bar the night before. Sadly, he died in the spring of 81. Helluva guy. RIP Charlie.
Very cool, thanks for this.
In an early letter to you I talked about the Dugout "The Dugout was an old heavy drinking bar with old drinker, down 3 steps and you were in a seedy joint of which the Bowery would have proud." Boy, my memory is correct. That strip of 3rd Ave was seedy with hookers, faggots and every low life that staggered through the Bowery and onto 3rd Ave. My book '100 Whores' is about them as they creep into every hallway, every nook and cranny and you know they weren't too expensive at that. But what a sweet part of life that was, I miss them very much :(
Thanks to Jason for sharing the photo and the memories. Great stuff!
75 cents for a beer in a frosted mug. Best deal around.
Wow. Thanks so much for this one, Jason and Jeremiah.
The Dugout was quite a convenient place to meet a pal before going around the corner to shoot some pool at Julian's, which somehow was on the second floor of the Academy of Music (later the Palladium).
And yes, I think the sandwiches must have come from behind the bar.
And my introduction to the Indiana Jones films came from the VCR there one afternoon.
I also recall a tiny plague that hung above the doorway, "On this site nothing happened." That always brought a smile and a chuckle as I walked past. I suppose you had to be stoned to understand it.
The Dugout was also a popular spot for rock fans and writers, with the Palladium around the corner and the Ritz (Webster Hall) two blocks down.
I have to say, though, that a buyback after eight rounds hardly sounds like "the soul of generosity."
each to his own. i stayed on east 13th st. between 2nd/3rd in 1970. (for several weeks). that was the pits. have no memory of the "dugout", but it is an interesting old building.
Ah, the Dugout! I first went there around 1984 while a sophmore at Fordham. It was smitten. Like many joints of that era, it made you feel you were in a movie. Looked like a place the Beatles might have played during their Hamburg years.
I remember Bob the bartender. Nicest guy in the world. Looked a bit like Joe Dimaggio. Always good for a few knocks on the House I also remember the fella with dark glasses and the beard. Always there, never utttered a word.
There were also some items related to some NYU frat on the walls. I heard it was their regular watering hole and saw some groups of guys that might have qualified. But I never saw a brawl or anything resembling bad behavior. There were also some photos of the NYU baskeball team. One had a player who had been in my 7th grade Latin class. Small world.
I continued going there during my first job/suit and tye days in the late 80s/early 90s. Never took a date there and can't claim to have procured a number there. It was just a mandatory stop while bar hopping in what was then an interesting and still slightly wild part of town. Even brought a visiting friend from England there. He liked it.
I will never forget the shock of seeing that it had been sold and become some abomination called the Pit Stop. The sad shape of things to come...
Thanks for posting the photos. Makes me crave a few Schltz drafts in frosted mugs.
"J" what is the history of this little building? was it 100 yrs old? older?
The perfect bar on a summers day; cold air conditioning and even colder frozen mugs of Miller Lite for $1:50. (1990).
Thanks for sharing these great memories.
Anon 1:58 – I had forgotten all about the Pit Stop. My mind went straight to Finnerty’s, which wasn’t bad in the Dugout space but turned into bit of a zoo in its later location, contributing to the Second Avenue drunk-parade show. I think I went into the Pit Stop once and never went back. Remind me – was it some kind of fake biker bar?
well i guess IF i had to choose: i would take that sleezy block instead of frat bars. i have no interest in you know........& dont like sleeze. BUT @ least hookers & hustlers are quiet. i cant think of anything more gross than an all night college bar. besides the condos, what else is going on 3rd/13th??
The dugout was the bar of choice for Stuyvesant students who ditched school to play pool at Julians. They never seemed to have a problem serving us at age 16-17 and we could afford the 75 cent frosted mugs of beer. A perfect marriage. This was in the early 80s when Stuy was still on 15th St btw 1st and 2nd ave of course.
After it was the Dugout, it became the Pit-Stop, which was a fake biker bar, but served $7 pitchers of 'light' or 'dark' which very may well have been a direct line coming from the urinals. After that it was The Looking Glass which had sort of an Alice in Wonderland exterior and some funky painted walls inside to fit the 'grunge' esthetic that was popular in the day. It then became O'Flaherty's, an attempt at a irish pub, which was just awful.
I lived on 13th St in the mid-80's and the Dugout was the place for $3 pitchers with the 4th round usually a buyback from Bob. Great afternoon spent if there were 3 of you needing a place to chill. It was never crowded (like Grassroots on St Marks) and not full of folks looking for a fight (like at Holiday Cocktail lounge).
I lived across the street from THE DUGOUT for a few years, i was probably 21 years old. That place was a joy. Don was the week night bartender. I used to take my black cat there (Brian) and let him roam around while I got drunk with a close knit set of pals. New York was never the same after that place went the way of The Dodgers.
I have some photos of me inside.
Mike C
Mike, would love to see the inside shots. thanks!
I spent so much time there during my four years at NYU that Bob had a big cake for my graduation and I brought my parents there to meet him. They thanked him for taking good care of me. I will look for photos when I get a chance. I remember sharing liverwurst with Mike Clelland's cat, Brian.
Bob was the original bartender. His aunt opened the joint in the late Fifties and gave him a job.
It was Bob who took all those photos. He received a camera for Christmas and relentlessly photographed the patrons.
Smitty was the guy who washed the frozen mugs on busy nights.
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