Vernon's

I used to frequent a bar that, in a previous life, was a third-shift hangout for garbage truck drivers. The municipal parking lot and gas station were next door, so they'd drop their trucks off after a shift and pop in for some beers. The operating hours weren't exactly legal, but cops and politicians didn't care to ruffle feathers because they either drank there too or feared political blowback. Drunks vote too, after all. Especially when they're in a union.

It must've been a helluva scene. My god, can you imagine the stench? That bartender was working harder than an ugly stripper. The crowd probably smelled like ditchwater and dog farts. Maybe that's why the cops didn't break up the action.

Besides garbage truck drivers, another entertaining crowd to drink with is newspapermen. You can always depend on two things from reporters: they'll have good stories and will drink you under the table. And if you're ever in Corpus Christi, Vernon's is where you'll find the scene.

Vernon's opened a whopping 75 years ago, so there have been plenty of stories told within its walls. Many of them by journos who would hang out here after their workday and wait for cops to swing by with dirt and hot tips. Before cell phones, sometimes the bar phone would ring with a night editor on the line looking for someone. Chances were they'd be hanging out at Vernon's.

But people from all walks of life come to Vernon's, right down to the busker in the parking lot who offered to sing a song for change. (I gave him $5 after making him promise he wouldn't sing to me that night.)

Inside you'll find plenty of wood paneling and stained glass running the length of the bar. It gives off a Christmas-year-round feel and I bet the holiday parties here are straight gas. Lots of seating inside and outside. You can sit at the bar to catch the chatter or find a dark corner to partake in the journalists' cure. There’s a live music stage outside that looks like it gets plenty of use.

Corpus Christi has been a port and a crossroads since its inception. In that vein, Vernon's fits the mold. You'll find all kinds of people here. The quintessential Corpus Christi bar.