By Johnny Trlica –– Does a tourist town with over eight million visitors a year have a slow season? For Galveston, the answer is definitely a “yes.” While May through September finds the island hopping, with out-of-towners spending money and filling the restaurants and bars, the off season can be challenging for those in the

By Johnny Trlica –– For thirty years starting in 1984, The 611 Hyde Park Pub was a neighborhood favorite. If that address sounds familiar it’s because the building is now home to another Montrose staple, the Eagle Houston. Patrons who have visited both bars over the course of the past sixteen years have noticed one

By Johnny Trlica Commentary: It was not that long ago that gay bars engaged in discrimination against women. Who remembers when women were not allowed in certain Montrose gay bars unless accompanied by a man or denied entrance because they were wearing open-toed shoes? In a bygone era, the sight of a straight bartender in

By Johnny Trlica Bartending is considered one of the most stressful jobs in the hospitality industry. It is a challenging environment that requires long hours on one’s feet, quick thinking and a great deal of patience. A study by Oysterlink showed that 27 percent of bartenders do not last longer than one year on the

Robert’s Lafitte’s ‘Cowboy Tom’ By Johnny Trlica Commentary: If a church represents a safe space for family, community and acceptance, then by that definition that is what a gay bar is. If bars are the churches for the gay community, then the bartenders are the priests. Long before the LGBTQ+ community enjoyed the benefits of