It was always very late at night and raining. It reeked of overflowing ashtrays, old grease and Chop Suey. You'd take a sinking staircase up, go along the yellow walls of the restaurant and then into the inky black bar at Hung Far Low, a Chinese restaurant in Old Town Chinatown claimed by artists, rockers, and criminals. A fat gold Buddha shone in the corner. A cocktail waitress older than your grandma with a voice to make Tom Waits sound smooth made Singapore Slings that would leave you cross-eyed and baffled after three sips. At about the same time, you'd be pretty sure that the bartender was smoking a cigarette through a hole in her neck, but it was always hard to see in Hung Far Low. You wanted to go to the bathroom but a little voice in the back of your head warned against it. But that was then, as they say, and this is now...
The Old Town Block Party is a free event from 3-10 p.m. Saturday, September 12. There will be music, art, food and retail happening in the block between 4th and 5th Avenues on Northwest Davis. All day DJ sets and Yacht album release, too.
Proceeds will benefit the resurrection of the beloved old Hung Far Low sign. Ping, an Asian restaurant venture of John and Janet Jay and Andy Richter is here now. This block party brought to you courtesy of the businesses and agencies of Old Town/Chinatown. www.oldtownblockparty.com
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I'm pretty sure the bartender was smoking a cigarette through a hole in her neck. Great post.