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A BANGKOK EYES PHOTO ESSAY AN HISTORICAL "SNAPSHOT" OF BANGOK's FAVORITE SOI
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This shot of Deja Vu and Tilac Bar typifies the 'neonification' of Soi Cowboy that has been taking place for the last couple of years - this brighter 'Las Vegas' look was spearheaded by the Midnite Group, and now it seems everyone is following suit.
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 SOI COWBOY
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These boots are made for gawkin'. The Raw Hide lasses are not shy about going out into the Soi to invite customers in for a drink.
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SOI COWBOY
T
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The Baccara holds the place of honor on the Soi, although they probably do not know that - this is the location of the long-extinct Gold Label bar run by Jim George in 1975 and 1976. The Gold Label was the Soi's first bar - the seminal bar.
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SOI COWBOY
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Door Art Of The Month
Award
The newly consolidated Spice Girls (it recently absorbed the original Cowboy Bar) - has completed it's exterior electrification project - the entire front of the bar changes color several times a minute. Impressive.
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SOI COWBOY
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The Our Place (Show Case), although under new ownership, is one of the oldest A Go-Go bars on the Soi.
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SOI COWBOY
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The Joy Ngwen remains a very active 'single shophouse' bar.
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SOI COWBOY
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The Midnite Bar is an A Go-Go bar for those who like it a little bit wilder....
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SOI COWBOY
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Tony's is yet another mollusk - one of the older single shophouse bars that has remained popular through the years.
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SOI COWBOY
SOI COWBOY
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Shebas is one of the ever-popular double-shophouse wide A Go-Gos
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SOI COWBOY
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The Shadow Bar is the new kid on the block - the best laid-out sports bar anywhere - at least one large wide screen TV in view at all times. A great spot for afternoons, before the Soi's A Go-Go scene gets into full swing.
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SOI COWBOY
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The Black & White has seen the ups and downs of the 'pendulum swing', and is one of the older, more successful A Go-Go bars on the Soi.
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SOI COWBOY
SOI COWBOY
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A couple of A Go-Go dancers going out for a som tam snack between 'floors'.
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SOI COWBOY
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The Toy Bar has had various owners over the years, but has maintained on even keel nonetheless.
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SOI COWBOY
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Here is another shot of the Deja Vu - what would you call that neon? "Electric Leopard"? Outstanding.
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SOI COWBOY
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The Coyote (still carrying the old Apache sign and Apache maidens on the roof) is proving it intends to be around for the long haul.
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SOI COWBOY
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The Cocktail Club is one of the single-shophouse bars that has remained popular.
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SOI COWBOY
SOI COWBOY
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The Sunshine is one of the more popular 'close contact' bars on the Soi - it was originally one of the four bars located on Sukhumvit Road at Soi 16, it moved into Soi Cowboy in the early '80's.
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SOI COWBOY
SOI COWBOY
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Historical Minutiae Dept.
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ASK US (ALMOST) ANYTHING
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-Missing Issues
Of Bangkok Eyes-
- AND HOW TO GET THEM
Bangkok's Q & A Lowdown
Hi Will,
Help! Where is the October Edition? Here I am a "veteran" of 37 years of being a “tourist” in Thailand. I love your insights into what is really happening fun-wise in the LOS. I’m starting to suffer withdrawal. When is the next “fix” coming?
J.L.
Sydney, Australia
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Hello J,
Thanks for reading. Our monthly issues come out at, or near the beginning of each month, however occasionally readers' cached pages will pop up instead of the new page, or readers are occasionally being served from an Internet node that does not refresh often. To get around this, and to our latest issue, you can click on the below page (it will not change from month to month).
http://www.bangkokeyes.com/index.html
(Also, to get to our archived pages, you can click on any month's "Archive" at the bottom of this page, or note how we name the archive pages below - and type them in yourself for any month & year going back to February 2002.) Some examples are:
http://www.bangkokeyes.com/2007jul01.html
(July)
http://www.bangkokeyes.com/2007aug01.html
(August)
http://www.bangkokeyes.com/2007sep01.html
(September)
Best,
M.H.
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Note: this reply is a synthesis of answers to two similar letters. -Ed
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? ASK
US (ALMOST) ANYTHING !
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We can answer virtually any (reasonable) question on the Expat Night Entertainment Scene in
Bangkok - be it Historical or very recent. Send us an e-mail and
we will do our best to answer you soonest.
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'Boge' Hartman
Historical Research
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* Zootramp Publications
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- In the LAND OF SMILES -
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This month's Thai Smile goes to a young lady who works evening shift in the Sukhumvit area.
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Let the November 2007 Follies begin...
BANKOK EYES' Expat Night Scene.
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The Club 66 has moved in upstairs - sharing the stairwell with the Casanova. If you are planning a visit to this new Nitespot, it is located at the top of the stairwell and to the right. Don't allow yourself to be distracted by the highly prevalent high-pressure street touts working for the Casanova. Club 66 are currently posting up for "A Go-Go dancers - good salary." Wish them well; Fate's tumbling dice will decide the rest.
PATPONG I
The Ninety-Nine, under renovations last month, now reside comfortably in the old Trade Winds digs. They opened just over two weeks ago in a splash of pink and a dash of enthusiasm only seen in someone never having owned a bar before. Wish them well as they wade into these dark waters.
The venerable Cleopatra A Go-Go and sometimes-show-bar have closed down for renovations, and will be reopening in about a month's time - we are told there will be no name change. We'll lay a marker down on this one and get back atcha.
The The Lift has taken over from what they were calling "The After Hours" last month. This place changes names more frequently than some Night Entertainment workers change articles of underclothing. Ownership, however, is quietly remaining the same. We wish them constancy.
The Naturals, after assuring the world-at-large that they were closing last month (and they said they really meant it), have popped back out of the crypt and cranked up their gramophone for those old sixties hits once more..... We would welcome them back, but we are not quite sure they were gone....
The Shadow Bar has opened in the old D.L. Irish Pub digs after a quick renovation. Welcome them to the sharkpool. This is no relation to Soi Cowboy's earlier Crazy Jack's Shadow Bar which folded under rather bizzarre and tragic circumstances a few years back....
SOI COWBOY
Nana Plaza's cutest 'little person' just got cuter, as she dons her Halloween gear in preparation for the festivities. But these Halloween shirts weren't exclusive to the Lollipop A Go-Go; virtually everyone in the NEP who was not in an A Go-Go costume was wearing one.
NANA PLAZA
We got there too late for the Going-Away Party, in spite of being put on notice by Dave The Rave, but nevertheless, we can confirm the Big Mango did bite the dust as announced. The Big Mango opened in August 2005 and transformed an area that never did well (Vixens, Rock Hard, ....) into a fun place to hang out. We understand they are focusing their attentions on another bar outside The Plaza. Whatever the case, we hope the runes will rattle auspiciously.
NANA PLAZA
Spankys PR girls display their all-night 'happy hour' sign - a night out in the NEP doesn't have to be expensive....
NANA PLAZA
Could it be that Farang Connection has closed it's doors for good? It looked that way to us, but we'll give a walk-by and give you a come-back.
NANA PLAZA
The Lounge 4 - still with opening night flower arrangements out front - seems to have made an instant and very positive impact. Welcome them to Sin City as they explore the dark side of bright city lights.
SOI KATOEY
It's fairly straightforward, if the door's not open, then it's.....closed. Last month, all indicators were that the Zygosis would reopen - however it has failed to answer the bell for the next round. Scrub them from the roster.
SOI KATOEY
Christie's Club is the flagship venue for more than a couple of bars on Soi Dead Artists, and is located near Sukhumvit Road just before you get to the Novotel.
SOI DEAD ARTISTS - SOI 33
The Sunflower Massage has been around for a few years - located at the back - and is one of the better 'legitimate' Thai massage parlors. Although we rarely recommend any venue, the Sunflower is an exception.
WASHINGTON SQUARE
The Plearn Karaoke has apparently imploded after a brief two month run at it. Darwin, however, cannot be denied - survival of the fittest. So be it.
WASHINGTON SQUARE
The Taichu Sabaka restaurant & bar (no photo available) has said it's final sayonara. Someone said they were relocating?....
WASHINGTON SQUARE
The occasional reader has asked where Queen's Park Plaza is located. For those who haven't clicked on our "map", it is about 400 meters inside Sukhumvit Soi 22, and looks just like..........this....
QUEEN'S PARK PLAZA - SOI 22
The Lee Lee, darker than a poisoned well for the last couple of months, is showing signs of life - it looks like renovations are about to commence. We'll put a marker down on this one and get back atcha (we notice that the ' For Sale" sign has been removed.....).
QUEEN'S PARK PLAZA - SOI 22
The P.P. Beer Bar barmaids got swept up in the rock 'n roll and just couldn't help themselves - table dancing was the only release....
SOI EDEN SOI 7/1
The BIG news this month on the Night Entertainment Scene is that this time next month, the Sukhumvit 1 Plaza Night Entertainment Area will not exist. The leases are "up" and the new lessor will commence with immediate renovations into "something entirely different". Remember, you heard it here first. Or, if you didn't hear it here first, then just forget you read this.....
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The sixteen Poolbars and Bar Beers that are now eking out an existence here at Sukhumvit 1 Entertainment Plaza will be moving elsewhere before the month ends. Many are looking at Soi 13, others at Soi Nana (4).
Many of the bars are refugees from recently closed bar beer areas (Soi Zero, the 13 Night Market, the twinned Asoke Plaza/ Asoke Corner, the short-lived Easy Square, and of course, Sukhumvit Square and Clinton Plaza) and have relocated up to 5 times in the last five years. We will provide additional coverage in our December issue.
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SUKHUMVIT 1 PLAZA
No news is good news on Soi Twilight- at least as far as bar closures are concerned - below is a 'record shot' for the historical archives.
SOI TWILIGHT
 NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS DEPARTMENT
( No News !)
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VICARIOUS ART CRIMES # 25
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MIDNITE HOUR's
- And now to
Bangkok's own brand of Graffiti....
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Graffiti #176
Free Burma
4 ft high x 6 ft
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Graffiti #177
Babble Baby
6 ft. high x 4 ft.
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Graffiti #178
Enterprise This
7 ft. high x 12 ft.
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Graffiti #179
Thai Feet
6 ft high x 5 ft
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Graffiti #180
Dagwood Next Door
7 ft high x 18 ft.
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Graffiti #181
Sister Smurf
7 ft high x 11 ft
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Graffiti #182
Alien Eyes
8 ft high x 10 ft
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Graffiti,
Graffiti , and more Graffiti - Bangkok's original and ONLY graffiti Site !
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The
MIDNITE HOUR Graffiti Page is prepared by Staff Contributor "Boge" Hartman.
(Boge's photo, above, is not a graffiti per-se, although there are those who have insinuated.... - Ed)
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--- Datzit Fernow
William R. Morledge
Copyright © Bangkok Eyes / bangkokeyes.com : 2002-2007
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Reformatted 01 2013
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