The picture says it all. Yes, the drinks are $15+. Yes, it’s overrun with tourists. Yes, it has that weird expensive-hotel ambiance. But one look at that “only found in Lake Louise” turquoise lake and all is forgiven. Sit back, hum a little Canadian Railroad Trilogy, and enjoy.
Visited: March 2009
The days of the downtown motel in Vancouver are long gone, but the Bosman remained into recent memory as a last bastion of the quaint-yet-rough-and-tumble place Terminal City used to be. The Side Door Lounge was simply “The Bosman” t0 the many devotees who knew it as a secret haven of cheap drinks, unparalleled hospitality, and the occasional lock-in.
The Bosman was the official unofficial bar of the Vancouver Film Festival and a great place to watch hockey downtown without wading through a sea of yahoos and black-clad robo-babe waitresses. You also didn’t have to break the bank to spend an evening there – most pints and highballs were still less than $4 even when it (sigh) closed its doors a few years ago. Many thanks to Gino (and the rest of the staff) for 1. playing my mixed cassette for the full 90 min when I dropped in for my birthday in 1998 and 2. their service to Vancouver drinking culture in general and my good time in particular. We loved and miss you.
Visited: 1993-2006 (? I’ve blocked the closing date out of my memory)
