That's too bad to hear about another local business closing. I've only been to Riley's once and it was a loooooooooooooong time ago, right when they first opened.  I'm an old-timer ... I remember when that space was the Bottom's Up Canteen, LOL!

I felt the same way when the Happy Buzzard changed hands across from the alley cat..just never was the same after that..good live music dancing and beers..if you wanted something stronger walk across to Guthries..my friends and I left alot of blood spit and guts in that alley back then..my best buddy in my life past away from a job related accident a few years back..everytime i drive in that area I start getting flash backs of all the good times...one of those things they cant take away from you..

just part of growing up kid..hang in there....

You guys think you have it bad.  I mourned the closing of the BLACKBOARD!  Talk about memories.

Sorry Cass, I know the feeling. 

(And I'm a REAL oldtimer..lol)

I miss the ol' ' Timeout '..next to the closed Blackboard...use to catch up on paperwork-have a brew...good friends and rock n roll....the bartender use to repair my harley---good ol' Scooter....

Sad news, indeed.  I was thinking about coming to Bakersfield next week and checking out Rileys.  That was one of the few places I would frequent downtown because it was free to get in and the crowd was much tamer than the other bars downtown.  When I was a bouncer at Bullpen, I started going to Rileys because it was a different crowd.  I was there about a month ago and I noticed the pee smell in the place.  Either I'm just much older or the crowd seems younger.  I'm going to miss Riley's.  I think my barhopping days in Bakersfield are over, too.

I'd forgotten about Timeout.  Next to a Dominos and a shooting range wasn't it?  Whatta combination.

I miss Cheney's.  That was the first bar I started going to when I moved back to the states. 

I even got my heart broke a couple of times by the cougars, there.

Geeze. This trip down memory lane over local bars makes me wish I'd lived in Bakersfield instead of Fresno. It must be a universal thing. My first bar in my entire life was a gay bar in Fresno called the Red Lantern. Total dive. Sleeze on steroids. God I miss that place. <grin>

~Ray~...do you remember the Peppermill on Firestone??

You know Ron they'll always have the Longbranch here in the dale!

Is there something you want to share with us Ling?  Do tell.

ronmexico is just mad cause he picked up a case of the clap at rileys once. it's cool ron, you can hate on all the chicks at a bar because you picked the skankiest one.  :) and no this comment wasn't nessecary, but totally satisfying.

anyway, i remember the bullpen, but i remember it as downtown joes, with the booty bar....  spent many a night dancing up there with my girls. but not nearly as much time as we did at rileys. i didn't go there much but it was nice to know it was there, just in case.

Riley's was cool because you didn't have to pay to get in and I don't recall any fights there.  I guess things have changed.  I never understood paying to get into a bar if I was going to buy drinks.  I guess the crowds just got so unmanageable that they had to charge to limit the amount of people in that place.

Bullpen, on the other hand, was always out of control.  A lot of the bouncers were on steroids and they didn't hesitate to flex their muscle.  I quit working there after a guy got shot in the back of the head in front of the place.  I saw so much death and violence working at that place that I couldn't deal with it anymore.  Ironically, I went back to the army.  Go figure. 

yeah i hated the bouncers that worked for downtown joes. what a bunch of roided out freaks man.....  yeah rileys started to get crazy i was in there a few months ago and some broad peppersprayed the entire dancefloor, it was fantastic....  im curious to see what will go in there next....  as far as i know someone who wants to open a new, improved bar there....  now if they close down the alley cat i might actually cry. i love that place.

My heart will always be with the bar at Padre.  It was an older crowd and just a different vibe.  No bako' glitz and glamour.  No fighting.  No posing to get chicks.  Just down to earth people socializing.  Oh yeah...and really strong drinks!

I would go there before heading over to Riley's (or Cheney's)

My friends and I always went to the Padre too, jfrancais.  Vanity told me she went there, too.  I wonder if the three of us were ever in the bar together at the same time.  If so, I was the drunk girl with the long, blond, curly hair belting out "Georgia On My Mind" at the piano bar with a cigarette in one hand and a Corona in the other.  Good times. 

We probably did.  Bakersfield is not that big.

Well, Catherine, here's a link to the discussion between us and I've noticed that at least two of your comments in our dialogue on that thread have been deleted. 

people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/sagefever/43281/ sort_D

That's what I loathe the most about TBC blogs ... people can go back and edit and /or delete comments.

Catherine, I'm eating crow right now, and I'm sorry. I'm letting my idiot mistake stand, and I hope you understand how one's attention is easily, and legitimately, distracted by little people.

With one in the bath and one in the shower, I took the time to thoroughly read that thread. You didn't delete comments. I'm sorry to have made such an assertion. As far as the drunk girl with the curly blond hair (not you, Catherine), I think she works down the street, lol.

Don't sweat it, Babe.  I know how it is to try to blog and chase kids at the same time--near impossible.  I'm just impressed that you remembered what blog those comments were on.  Mind like a steel trap, I tell ya! 

 Misty, water colored memories....  I would elaborate but I might incriminate myself :)

Sorry Rileys.  We had our fun...  Who can forget Mikey???  Love that guy!  Spent many late nights there after Condor games with the guys too.  

i was too young to enjoy the padre...  they shut it down long before i turned 21.  but i do remember a lot of the older guys and gals form the punk shows at jerrys that would go in there and hammered before the shows. good times.

if you come to my page and try to start drama, i will delete it. im really not here to argue, that's why i don't post anything having to do with religion or politics or anything of the sort. 

if you can't deal with a more lighthearted conversation and reading blogs by someone who is more interested in the fun things in life than the dramatics of it all, then my page is definitely not the place for you.

When are they shutting down Riley's for good?  I'll be in Bakersfield this weekend.

Catherine, thanks for being cool about that. Seriously, when I realized my mistake, I felt like such a complete jerk and wanted to delete my comment. Then I thought that deleting a comment about wrongfully accusing someone else of deleting a comment was entirely too hypocritical. So, I left my petty little comment stand for all to see. 

People deleting and editing comments after the fact annoy me, and I know you are not one of them. I should have known better.

As far as a "mind like a steel-trap," it's a curse that runs in my family. My sisters and I have an uncanny ability to recall every horrible thing we did to each other growing up. 

Cassandra, I just noticed your 4:46 comment. I don't know if I missed some earlier comments today that you deleted or if that was directed at me for my comment to Catherine. I apologize if I was part of the drama. 

no vanity it had nothing to do with you. i had two different people come on here and try to be lame and at first i bought into their lameness and retorted with some not so nice comebacks but then decided to delete them cause i didn't want an all out knock down drag out blogsite knife fight.....  lol but yeah, it had nothin to do with you.