Fort Collins Bars, Day 1 The Vault, Washingtons Sports Bar and Old Chicago

Sorry for taking so long on this entry. Between family and other obligations, it just got away from me. But I am back! So, let's pick up where I left off in Fort Collins, CO. Now, the first day I got there, I wanted to get started immediately because I had a lot of bars I wanted to visit and I knew that I couldn't wait or I would run out of time. So I started off by going right to Old Town to get started. There are a lot of great bars and taverns as well as micro breweries there and I was able to capture three interesting bars that first day.

First off was The Vault which is located at 146 N College Avenue and housed in an old historic building. It began as the Commercial Bank and Trust Co. in March 1907 and opened as a bar in 1999.

One of the many things you notice right away when you walk through the doors are the high 18 foot ceilings. To the right as you make your way to the bar is the original fireplace which adds a nice touch when the weather gets cold and a Jukebox with a great collection of music.

Interestingly enough, when you look around you will notice a lot of artwork on the walls. The owner since 2002, Rick Thomas, likes to support the local artists and it is here where you will find their work

With an extensive drink menu and at least 10 beers on tap, all of which are micros by the way, The Vault is one of the many bars that fills up fast later in the day and stays full all night.

This is the large vault door which gives the bar it's name. Like most places that have a large door like this next to the bar, the other side is usually a cooler. I was surprised to see what was on the other side.

A small game room! The vault also has a small menu so if you want a quick bite, cold drinks and great conversations with local and visiting patrons, The Vault is the perfect place.

Washington's Sport's Bar & Grille

Next, I walked down the street to Washington's Sports Bar located on 132 LaPorte Ave. (In Old Town). They claim to serve the world's best burger. Since I was back in Fort Collins for the first time in a couple years, I was more about the fresh local micros so I wasn't ready to eat just yet so I can't tell you if that claim is true or not. I will go back and try it next time though!

With a ton of televisions to watch all your favorite sports on to the array of old paraphernalia hanging from the ceiling and walls. Washington's offers everything from air hockey, pool, shuffle board and arcade games to weekly poker tournaments and live trivia. There is something for everyone at any age here at Washington's.

One cool thing to note, Washington's was featured in "Treasures of Colorado". There is also a DJ 2 nights a week and a live band every Friday. One other thing, and I only mention this because I haven't seen one of these since the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium days, in the men's bathroom there is a urinal trough! Oh the memories!

Old Chicago

The last place of the day for me was an old sentimental favorite, Old Chicago. Located on 147 S. College and with locations in 23 states, this is one of the few chain type bars I found to be more like a local only bar. The staff and bartenders tend to stick around a long time which really makes me feel as if this is a really great place to work.

Boasting 110 beers, I had to do the World Tour because the beers on tap were fantastic, mostly Colorado micro beers. You have one year to complete the tour. When I completed the tour, they put my name and completion date on the plaque, right there under the word Hall.

It has a great college base and the pub fare is awesome ranging from pizza to steak sandwiches. Old C's was a place that I liked to stop in almost every night after work, talk to the bartenders, some who are my friends today, and meet my brother-in-law Brian for a few frosty ones and some pool. We had a lot of great times there.

Here is a sample of the long line of tap handles and the different types of beers featured constantly at Old Chicago's.

With my first day coming to an end, it was time for me to pack it up, get some sleep and get ready for the next round of bars and taverns. I covered 18 in about 5 days and needless to say, I have to go back to finish because I could only scratch the surface of what Fort Collins and the Colorado brewing community has to offer!

The Beginning

When I began the process of writing this book last year, I had no idea where to begin. I have learned a lot between now and then. It was suggested that I start a blog on the subject to see if there is any interest out there. After retiring from the federal government in 2006, I had way too much time on my hands. I wanted to do something that was interesting and informative at the same time while having fun in the process. I loved photography, but really didn't have the time to really explore the interest. The first thing I did was buy an expensive, professional DSLR camera and I went out and took pictures, mostly of landscape and my son's baseball games.

I had an idea early in 2007 to write about my favorite bars and taverns. Since my wife and I traveled the country a lot with her job, I have been to a number of really cool bars, some dives and others that had rich histories that dated back to the late 1800's. So with camera in tow, I began my tour of bars and taverns in Arizona in August-October 2007. The intention was to write a book about my favorite bars, which totaled about 25 at the time, in Arizona, Colorado and Ohio (Where I currently live).

The first bar I visited in Arizona led me down a path that would soon lead this project way out of control. You see, as I was taking pictures in the first establishment someone came up to me and asked if I was doing a story about the bar for the paper or a magazine? When I told him I was writing a book about my favorite bars and taverns his eyes lit up and said what a great idea it was and if I like the place I was photographing, he had more suggestions for me. It was like this at every place I went to! Before I knew it, my list of 25 had grown to over 40 in less than 2 weeks of starting out on this journey. I now have over 80 bars, taverns, pubs, saloons, micro pubs and microbreweries under my belt with literally an endless number to do!

In future entries, I will include a sample chapter and share photographs of some of the most interesting bars. I think what I am trying to do here is to get people to start thinking back to a time when the corner bar or tavern was a meeting place, your place. A place where no one judged you and you can have friendly and sometimes not so friendly discussions with friends or other patrons in the bar. As I point out in the book, bars should not be looked at as just drinking places but as an American institution full of memories, history, laughter, love and even sorrow. We have toasted happy events in bars and have also drowned our sorrows. Bars are the embodiment of Americana and I hope you all think so as well.

I will end this post for now with two things to note.

• The picture of me in my profile was taken at the Royal Oaks in Youngstown, Ohio. At least 6 generations of my family have drank in that bar and it holds a lot of memories for me.
• The working title of the book is: On and Off the Beaten Path. The Hitchhikers Guide to Bars, Taverns, Pubs, Saloons, Micro Pubs and Micro Breweries in America.