Or more precisely, Party East, as this part of Apfel Park is now the official home of some of GalTown's more. Outdoor & Recreation EAST BEACH Party Central. Longtime compadre and bass player for Townes Van Zandt, Wrecks Ball mans the helm of this celebrated sanctuary of song. OLD QUARTER ACOUSTIC CAFE Whispers of reverence reserved for legendary acoustic cafes like the Cactus or the Bluebird would not be wholly inappropriate for the similarly pedigreed Old Quarter in Galveston. This multitiered palace with plush velvet curtains and ornate box seating is an exquisite jewel in the Strand district's crown of the island's cultural hot spots. GRAND 1894 OPERA HOUSE Much like Austin's beloved Paramount, Galveston's Grand is a treaure in both historic significance as well as continued commitment to the arts today. The Elissa at Texas Seaport Museum (Photo By Kate X Messer) Live Music Venues THE BALINESE ROOM Home to regular "players" like Old Blue Eyes, this relic from Galveston's casino heyday has been restored and gussied up to the nines. The good news is that they are settling deals to re-open elsewhere on the island sometime soon thereafter.
Sad but true: The block Woody's is on will be mowed down to make way for a chain motel by the end of this summer. Inside there's a cool pool table with lots of elbow room to finagle those tricky bank shots. WOODY'S Beloved local biker-bar dive with a great deck. The beachy new theme is the idea of bartenders and new owners Keith and Marvin, both darned friendly fellas and both capable of pouring a mean Scooby Snack. THE UNDERCURRENT The Seawall's best gay bar with an outdoor deck (née Boulevard Saloon) is "under" new management. The deck has a life-sized Statue of Liberty and actual boat seats to swivel around on while facing a stiff Gulf gale, bellowing, "I'm king of the world!!!" and then puking all over your date. or more likely, a toothless, leather-skinned ex-leatherneck who claims to have written all of Jimmy Buffett's songs and all he has to show for it is this parrot. POOP DECK Who wouldn't love a bar with a vague reference to excrement in its title? This is one of those places where you expect to run into Jimmy Buffett. With over 60 draft beers from across the planet, this is the place to see and be seen. High praise, really as Molly's embodies the same casual, everybody-knows-your-name feel as those Austin treasures. MOLLY'S IRISH PUB With apologies to you islanders, Molly's is sort of the Dog & Duck or Draught House of Galveston. They turn the disco ball on at, like, 5pm, just about the time the drag queens are peeling off that 5 o'clock shadow. At the corner of 21st, hence the name, we wondered if it may also have to do with being a great place for 65-year-old men to hit on 21-year-old women. Bars & Hangouts 21 With its Roaring Twenties motif, arm's-length menu of martini concoctions, and prime location, 21 is the island's new "It" girl, as it were.