Huerstel's

What a great place it was. Mom would send us down there to roust Dad off of his barstool when it was time for dinner. Coach "Moose" Porter (of F. T. Nicholls) would send us there to fetch him a sammitch. When we were old enough, it was our turn to enjoy frosty brews and beat on the old Bally pinball machines.

It was by pure chance that one Sunday about six years ago we decided to make a "Nint' Wawd" pilgrimage and stopped in Huerstel's for a cold one. It was their last day, they were closing the doors for good.

Huerstel's is now a neighborhood convenience store.
-----
I remember Hurstel's when they had the bar partitioned off into a men's side and a ladies' side? The ladies' side had a sign, "Tables for Ladies" on the entrance.
A. J. Zeringue
-----
I seem to vaguely remember the ladies and men's sections. Seemed perfectly normal at the time. It was a long time ago and my memory is not what is use to be. At any rate, my memories of Huerstel's goes back to the 50's and 60's. Then, I moved away.

Before that, during the forties, my meomories are of other bars, such as Dixie's on Franklin Ave, at Dauphine, before it opened on Dauphine,Ralph's on St. Claude, close to Elysian Fields and some of the other Faubourg Marigny ( it tickles me every time I refer to the old neighbor that way because we did not call it that way back when )bars.

Also, there was a bar at the corner of N. Prieur and Elysian Fields, a half block from my paternal grandmother's house. My older cousin and I (both under 11 years old )use to go there to sit at the bar and buy the stale red pistachio's out of the nut machines on the counter.

All this bar hopping at such a tender age seemed to be a family affair back then. I remember learning to jitterbug to the jukebox in the back room with a concrete floor at the Dixie (on Franklin) when I was 5. I always loved to dance.

Also, I remember walking down one of the Quarter streets, going up a steep flight of stairs, and listening to Louie Prima jam with other popular bands of the time.

It was great to be a kid in the old neighborhood in those days.

There was a bar on Delery Street, maybe between N. Claiborne and N. Rocheblave? where a lot of jamming use to take place. I was carted around with my parents, one of whom held high rank on the NOPD.
-----

-----
We would go to Herstell's (sp?) on St. Claude,
about a block away from Nicholls for lunch in the room next to the bar. A young women was there one day, sitting at a back table, with her hair set in pin curls. Each curl was wrapped with small torn pieces of Binder's french bread wrappers and secured with bobby pins. She was painting her nails and explaining to her friend, "Ya know, I luv dis clearless polish, it goes wit everything."

Circa, 1960. I have always remembered this scene with great fondness, and as the epitomy of the neighbahood culcha.
-----
i was a kid and the only time i went in the bar was to get dad.i remember lots of card games going on.if im not mistaken the lady you are refering to is named miss rita.
~~~~~
The lady who used to sit at the back table was Rita. But the lady withtht epin curls was Ms. Marguerite. I remember because Rita is my grandmother & Ms. Marguerite, or Ms. America as we called her, used to put pin curls in my hair. I am so glad so many people have memories of Huerstel\'s. It really makes you feel good.

Catherine