Duke’s Bar

As far as I’m concerned, Duke’s was the best bar in town! It was certainly the best bar in my neighborhood, and, even better yet, just around the corner and down one block from home. I could finish a day’s work, as could many folks in the neighborhood, and make my way there on my own—no car to drive, no companions. When I got there, there was always something great rockin’ on the tiny, tiny stage. Rock ‘n’ roll, honky-tonk, gypsy jazz a la Django Reinhardt, a Cajun trio, a jazz trio! And there was no cover! The owner, the kind and affable, Neil Lifton, never made you buy a drink to listen. I miss Duke’s—and Neil. Both long gone.