The Bar

They say, "It's not old behavior if you're still doing it."

I first went there in 1974, age 20. I went with my sister, Lisa and her husband. She was 22 and legal. I can vaguely remember that first time; I think we had hamburgers and a couple of beers, then left. I do remember that it was crowded and fun.

I went back a number of times over the years to watch some "important" baseball or football games, but I mainly hung out at gay bars.

GRIFF'S INN opened in 1965 as Houston's first sports bar. Early on though, it became well-known as hosting the biggest and best St. Patrick's Day Festival in Texas. Griff's can still make that claim. Just a small, neighborhood bar on a residential street, the Festival lasts 4 or 5 days and packs in up to 10,000 crazy people (drunks) in March. That number has decreased the past few years, mainly due to increased competition, but 5,000 celebrationists is not an exaggeration.

I retired in 1994 and moved back to Houston from overseas. That's when I became a regular. From May '94 through September '03 I may have averaged 60 hours per week there - drinking! I had the opportunity in 1999 to buy-in to the bar and I took it. Now I proudly own 10% of Griff's and haven't even been there since last summer. I never really worked there as I am just a silent investor. Sure did know a bunch of people there though.

By August '03 I was spending over 100 hours each week there as my life went down the drain. hmmmm ...

I lived 2 blocks down the street from 1994-2003, then bought a townhouse a block closer. I always joked that it was a 60-second walk to get there and a 5-minute walk home.

Little did I know that I would stop drinking.


Z Z Top playing a private party at Griff's 1998


texandave & friend on St Patrick's Day 2003