The Combat Zone Of Old

[Phat Bastard]

That picture was likely taken just before the building that used to house the 76 club and the peep shows upstairs was taken over by the Chinese clothing store. They took down the peep show sign as part of the building's renovation.

I'll never forget the night that they had a fire in the original building...the 663 bar had to shut down while the fire department extinguished the blaze. Johnny M. - owner of the 663 - after clearing out all the customers, asked me to stay. He grabbed a paper bag and dumped the paper content of both registers into it, then handed me the bag. "Stick that in your coat." Then we walked across the street to the little restaurant that used to be next to the 66 (not the pizza place) and sat there watching the festivities. After the fire was out, we went back into the bar...there was no water damage, and only a little smoke odor, so Johnny re-opened! Within an hour or so, all the working girls were back...business as usual.

Nothing stops us from satisfying our primal urges, and where there is demand, there is always supply...

So I noticed you didn't mention giving the bag back



Just a little factoid for anyone reading these posts but wasn't there, many of the businesses had 66 as part of their names because the addresses along that strip were in the 660's with The Naked I being 666 Washington st.

[Viejo]

Do I remember that "Paul's Mall", "The Jazz Workshop", & "K-K-K-Katies" were in the building before "Narcisses", right??

Pall's Mall and the Jazz Workshop were over on Boylston, just a few doors down from the Bulkie. Here's an interesting link:
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~sawyer/bbseq.html

[Little Tony II]

I miss both of those (Narcisses and *my* youth) -- Narcisses was one of last real clubs. Went to Axis the other night -- ruined.

BTW -- I think that Glass Slipper pic is fairly recent, but look at the sign to the right, looks like it says "Mini Peep Booths." WTF is that?

Do I remember that "Paul's Mall", "The Jazz Workshop", & "K-K-K-Katies" were in the building before "Narcisses", right??

[Viejo]

BTW -- I think that Glass Slipper pic is fairly recent, but look at the sign to the right, looks like it says "Mini Peep Booths." WTF is that?

That picture was likely taken just before the building that used to house the 76 club and the peep shows upstairs was taken over by the Chinese clothing store. They took down the peep show sign as part of the building's renovation.

I'll never forget the night that they had a fire in the original building...the 663 bar had to shut down while the fire department extinguished the blaze. Johnny M. - owner of the 663 - after clearing out all the customers, asked me to stay. He grabbed a paper bag and dumped the paper content of both registers into it, then handed me the bag. "Stick that in your coat." Then we walked across the street to the little restaurant that used to be next to the 66 (not the pizza place) and sat there watching the festivities. After the fire was out, we went back into the bar...there was no water damage, and only a little smoke odor, so Johnny re-opened! Within an hour or so, all the working girls were back...business as usual.

Nothing stops us from satisfying our primal urges, and where there is demand, there is always supply...

[WebDog]

I miss Narcisses too, and my youth..

I miss both of those (Narcisses and *my* youth) -- Narcisses was one of last real clubs. Went to Axis the other night -- ruined.

BTW -- I think that Glass Slipper pic is fairly recent, but look at the sign to the right, looks like it says "Mini Peep Booths." WTF is that?

[Cruiser D]

I miss Narcisses too, and my youth.. I think the old building is a furniture store or some lame ass shit like that.

Remember when all the clubs in Boston were either controlled by Patrick Lyons or Seth Green-something.

Heck, I also miss Tower Records and bumping into Amiee Mann there - anyone else remember when she worked at Newbury Comics - back when there was a 'bad' end of Newbury Street.

Web - the old GS is just a hole in the ground now. To be replaced by a gleamy new something in a year or so.

[Boston Monger]

I was in my 20's in the 1980's, which was beginning of the end. Most of you guys posting stories are just a wee bit older than me, and probably were done with the clubs and bars. My encounters were probably more like drive by's. Not to go off topic, but Boston had so many places to pick up women (the Channel, Narcisses, The Rat, etc.) that the Zone was basically the last resort for someone young, dumb and full of cum. I ventured into a few establishments, but I more remember staggering around looking for SW's with not a care in the world. They were everywhere. I usually dropped $50 which in hindsight was too much. Now that I am in my 40'S, I wish I had the options that were there in the Zone.

[WebDog]

Viejo's post is a hard act to follow. I wouldn't even want to try to top that.

Much more prosaic is the attached pics of the old Glass Slipper and the Liberty -- both of these found online (I take no credit for them).

The girl in the Liberty II shot I believe is the person who put it online, not a dancer. She found irony in the juxtaposition of "Girls" with the other words in the shot.

[Viejo]

I wish I had a photo of the Intermission's interior...but let me try to paint a picture with words...

Just as it is at Cheaters in Providence, the old Intermission didn't try to be anything other than what it was - the sleaziest strip joint in town. Most of us thought that was a good thing.

When you walked in the door you entered to the left side of the main room. The air had an almost indescribable odor - obviously resulting from the combined odors of perfume, sweat, spilled beer, dirty ashtrays and...well, you can guess the rest.

The stage was surrounded by the main bar, and there were two raised bars that were served by waitresses, one to the rear, and one to the right of the main bar. The stools that surrounded the redish-orange bars were in varying stages of decay, with their plastic covers cracked and partially missing. On the bar were those large metal ashtrays that looked like flying saucers. There were usually two bartenders working at night, and they were, like most strip club bartenders, not overly interested in ceremony or courtesy. Each dancer did three song sets, selecting her music from a jukebox.

The dancers made their way around the bars, hitting on customers for drinks, most often with a little grope to provide incentive. The best seats for hanky-panky were along the two raised bars...there you could buy cheaper drinks, and tip well for services rendered, which amounted to extended groping.

If you were well heeled and had a particular favorite, you could opt for the dark corner that was on the opposite the main entrance on the front wall. If you were sitting anywhere else in the club, you could see absolutely no detail in that corner, unless someone lit a cigarette. All it took to get into the corner was a large drink...the lowest cost that would get you there was 40 bucks. In the corner, you could buy whatever you wanted.

One night there was a power failure, and the emergency lights came up to full bright, revealing a dancer and customer in flagrante delicto - he was leaning back, an ecstatic expression on his face, and her head was buried in his lap. Most all of us couldn't keep from laughing as they tried to restore the level of decorum appropriate for that much light.

Almost each night the Boston Vice guys would walk in, and of course, all the dancers sitting with customers made sure that their arms were above the bar, and they assumed innocent, angelic poses.

It was a fun place....

[Phat Bastard]

PB how in the hell do you do it?! you must be working overtime!.

I've been to that place a few times and the action was great and often times subpar. I chatted with a couple of the strippers there in light-hearted conversation. Sone were drop dead delicious, but then it started to die down. If I recall the last time I was there (circa 1987), they had a woman on stage...and let's just say more guys were concentraiting on there drinks. She said something to the effect: "You guys aren't throwing any money on stage? WTF guys!? "

Overall, I've had decent times there, but nothing out of the ordinary to write about.

Great pic... Awesome!

No matter how hard I search, I can't find any more than the few I have left to post and they're not even good ones

Like The Combat Zone itself, the pics too are at an end.
What I need is access to The Heralds or The Globes picture archives....there are great pics in there I'm sure.

Or video.

I'd love to get some of the news reports they used to run about prostitution. I used to love seeing girls I knew on the news

[MeatMan]

Meat's right, let's can the racial discussion.

Anyone else recognize this place?



I've been there but believe it or not, don't have any interesting or even semi-interesting stories to tell.

PB how in the hell do you do it?! you must be working overtime!.

I've been to that place a few times and the action was great and often times subpar. I chatted with a couple of the strippers there in light-hearted conversation. Sone were drop dead delicious, but then it started to die down. If I recall the last time I was there (circa 1987), they had a woman on stage...and let's just say more guys were concentraiting on there drinks. She said something to the effect: "You guys aren't throwing any money on stage? WTF guys!? "

Overall, I've had decent times there, but nothing out of the ordinary to write about.

Great pic... Awesome!

[Phat Bastard]

I'm black!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay on subject!.. Combat Zone Stories only!

Meat's right, let's can the racial discussion.

Anyone else recognize this place?



I've been there but believe it or not, don't have any interesting or even semi-interesting stories to tell.

[Benchseats Rock]

Any·one who can find enough footage of white·on·black crime to create a ten minute film is welcome
to compile it and post a Link to it here . Sixty year old lynching footage doesn't count

Why bother watching video tape? Come to Baltimore for the weekend and see it for yourself. It sucks, it's ugly, but it's the plain and simple truth.

[MeatMan]

Is that supposed to be a Joke ??

If not , you must hate yourself , because you stereo·type people like black cab drivers who won't pick up a pair of 'ghetto dressed' young black males because the cab driver doesn't want to get robbed & killed

You want some 'stereo·typing' ??

Try THIS

Any·one who can find enough footage of white·on·black crime to create a ten minute film is welcome
to compile it and post a Link to it here . Sixty year old lynching footage doesn't count

I'm black!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay on subject!.. Combat Zone Stories only!

[MeatMan]

I hate stereotyping.