A Look Back At The Great South Philly Bars and Clubs From The 1970s

My social life in the 1970s was spent mostly in some great South Philadelphia bars and clubs. 

After hanging on the corner of 13th & Oregon Ave and JT's luncheonette in South Philly in the late 1960s as a teenager, my crowd moved one block north to the great Lamplighter bar on 13th & Shunk in the early 1970s. I was a regular there after I got out of the Navy. I became good friends with Gene, the co-owner.

When the Lamplighter closed, we moved to the Sportsman on Broad and Oregon Ave. When the Sportsman closed after a fire, we drank and danced at Angelo’s, a corner bar on 9^th and Federal. 

When Angelo’s closed at 2 am, we went on to the after-hours clubs like the Roman Gardens, the OBL and La Dolce Vita on South Street. 

We also often went to Sharkey's on Broad and Porter Streets. The crazy bar, which always seemed to host bar fights, was frequented by sailors from the nearby naval base. outlaw bikers and South Philly young people, including a good number of mob guys.  

I later spent a lot of time at the Loft on 20th & Oregon Ave, which was across the street from the Defense Department compound known as the Quartermaster, where I worked for many years. I went there for lunch most days and I spent my weekends there drinking, dancing and flirting with beautiful girls.

One beautiful girl who worked at the Quartermaster and spent time with me at the Loft, later became my wife. And we are still together after all these years.

I loved the Loft and had a great time there until it closed. 

I had a fine time in my 20s drinking and dancing at the great South Philly bars and clubs. 

Note: The above photo is of me at the Loft in the late 1970s.