THE BARS OF LYNN

Night of 8 September 1986

34 The White Eagle

Here's a place Elwood and Jake Blues could play at only by mistake. What with the country music and the small stage that looked like it could have had a chicken wire front, this is probably the closest you'll get to a country bar in Lynn. There's no sign out front and there exists some confusion as to whether it is "The Bus Stop" in its current incarnation of "The White Eagle" - a local expert assures us it's the latter. Clientele was diverse with some apparently choosing to sleep at the bar. The management doesn't seem to mind. A Tom's vending machine provides the only sustenance at this bar, so this could be a very cheap date. If your boots are built for walking, might as well walk to the White Eagle. No spittons though, so park the chaw outside.

Photograph: a low single storey building set back from the road behind a slope of grass, telegraph poles and wires overhead, a tree to the right, houses beyond.

Reading notes

  • Name discrepancy, explained in the text: the index lists #34 as THE BUS STOP. The entry is headed THE WHITE EAGLE, and the authors note the confusion directly. The White Eagle is the Polish national emblem. Together with the Polish speaking crowd at the 595 Cafe this points at a particular neighbourhood. No sign out front, so the photograph will not help identify it.