Friday, September 11, 2009 10:11 AM
Rob Kinnon
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
At long last, our beloved Mayte Vargas has her very own place. Mayte and her friend Ale have opened "El Bar", a cheerful, open air, rooftop bar located across from the Hotel Kinbe on calle 10 in downtown Playa. From my perch on the swings, I could look down the street to Playa's landmark lighthouse and all the way out to the Caribbean. It was a beautiful evening with the breeze coming up from the beach and a great night to inaugurate this new venue. Of course, Keith was there, obviously very pleased, making last minute adjustments and helping to make sure everything was just right for the girls' big opening. One after the other, a familiar face would appear at the top of the stairs, eager to congratulate Mayte and Ale on their new venture.
Seeing all our friends gathered together to celebrate the girls' hard work, it was hard not to reminisce about the good old days, back when Keith's place, Captain Dave's on 10th was the place to be, a place where everybody knew your name....or at least the name you were using that week. I fondly recalled the many evenings spent in that bar with Grady, Memo and Carlos entertaining the crowds and Mayte, her little sister Alex and Craig behind the bar putting out beers faster than we could drink them. I remembered how nice it was to drop by during the day for a quick beer while the boys played dominoes. I thought about the old crew, friends who have moved on in life who I know would have liked to be there: Tori, Jana, Troy and Helen, English Robert, German Andi, Megan, LA, DJ, Crash and Hattie. Of course, I thought about all those we have lost over the past years who I know are watching over us now: Warren, Bones, Zenon, Jerry, Ronnie D, Joanne, Jimmy. If you believe in guardian angels, you would have to believe they all have a hand in this new place.
Birdie LOVES Mayte!
Anita, Susan and Deborah
Salut!
Michelle and Jorge
Ken and Anita
Sharky and Jez
Birdie and Stuart
Cole and Rob
Man, myth, legend Captain Dave!
Tom Lee and Jilly
Chief Brian and Miss Edie
Keith with Jill (yes, we see you too Birdie!) Gils and Leanne and Larry and Jan.
Of course, Rocky was there and all smiles!
Las chicas!!
There are plans in place for live music so stay tuned to find out which
of our many talented musicians will be taking the stage. No doubt Chris
Bolister will be manning the mic the next time he is in town. Maybe we
can convince Mr. Michael Grady to get himself on a plane anddown to Playa for a guest appearance.
We wish Mayte and Ale the best of luck with their new venture. As they are two of the hardest working chicas in Playa, I have no doubt that "El Bar" will quickly become a favorite locals watering hole, filling the vacancy left in the expat social structure after Keith's place finally closed its gates for the last time. No doubt you will see us there from time to time!