Balinese Room, Galveston Landmark, Destroyed

Click2Houston.com ^ | 9/13/08

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GALVESTON, Texas -- A legendary Galveston nightclub and former dance hall that jetted out above the Gulf of Mexico was destroyed by the massive storm surge of Hurricane Ike, KPRC Local 2 reported Saturday.

The Balinese Room, located at 2108 Seawall Blvd., was ripped apart when Ike came ashore.

The decades-old Balinese Room was a famous, recognizable landmark that extended 600 feet from Seawall Boulevard at 21st Street into the Gulf of Mexico

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All the great Texans who were hit by that storm are in my prayers. Y'all are some fan-daggone-tastic Americans and your whole country is wishing the best for ya. God bless America, and God bless Texas, 'specially Galveston, Texas!

I always loved this song, and I'll have a little bit of of a tear in my eyes when I hear it from now on:

Balinese - by ZZ Top

Deep in the South of Texas
not so long ago,
there on a crowded island
in the Gulf of Mexico

It didn't take too much money,
man, but it sure was nice.
You could dance all night if you felt all right,
drinking whiskey and throwing dice.

And everybody knows
it was hard to leave.
And everybody knows
it was down at the Balinese.

Yeah, I remember Ruby,
she always dressed in red
wearing skintight pants, Lord, and how she could dance
with a rag wrapped around her head.

And everybody knows
it was hard to leave.
And everybody knows
it was down at the Balinese.

And everybody knows
it was hard to leave.
And everybody knows
it was down at the Balinese,
it was down at the Balinese,
it was down at the Balinese.

Tell Ruby we love red and thank the Good Lord for Texans.

[BGHater]

[blam]

Balinese
(ZZ Top - YouTube)

[avacado]

"All the great Texans who were hit by that storm are in my prayers. Y'all are some fan-daggone-tastic Americans and your whole country is wishing the best for ya."

A big thank you from here in Houston. I got my electric power back just yesterday. Much of Houston and surrounding areas are still without power. The people along the upper Texas coast got hit hard and their lives are destroyed.

And the Balinese Room/Pier was a treasure with much history especially in the days of prohibition.

[avacado]

Excellent picture BGHater! Thank you!

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Houston is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. I don’t know what you are feeding them down there, but the prettiest girls in the world are in Houston. Southern in every way, and everybody there is darn friendly, too. BTW, I’ve never found better BBQ anywhere.

[elkfersupper]

If Ike hadn't killed it, the neoprohibitionists would have.

At least during the last depression, one could go to a bar to smoke and drink.

[avacado]

We are all friendly here because we grew up with grand parents & parents who’d slap your butt if you got caught not using manners with strangers. It’s cultural.

Thanks for the kind words.

[basil]

I was lucky enough to spend several evenings at the Balinese Room in the 50’s when I was a nurse at John Sealy Hospital. It was truly a lovely place.

[vetvetdoug]

First, some do gooder Governor takes away La Grange.
Then corruption and Mexican Drug cartels make Boystown in Acuna a different place from what it was..
Now, Mother Nature takes away the Balinese..

The Temples of my youth are being destroyed slowly...sniff...sniff....

[Travis McGee]

ping

[avacado]

'I was lucky enough to spend several evenings at the Balinese Room in the 50’s when I was a nurse at John Sealy Hospital. It was truly a lovely place."

Wow! The 50s were the heyday there. That's pretty cool!

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Oh, man, I hate that. But just know that the lone star is our favorite star in the United States. America wouldn’t be America without Texas.

[VeniVidiVici]

Looking at the video in the link it looks like a huge majority of Galveston came thru unscathed.

[Jaded]

Why were employees in the hotel on a pier during a hurricane?

[Tex Pete]

These pics are from Point Bolivar, east of Galveston.

Not pretty at all: http://www.jakeabby.com/cb/

[VeniVidiVici]

Looks like anything not behind the seawall was wiped-out.

[Dick Vomer]

my fav was the "Mexican Blackbird"

Let's take the ole Chrysler to Mayheeko.... high school was fun...

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Hand me another beer from back there.

[Dick Vomer]

here ya go