Our watering holes...

If you've been following my blog for the past couple of years you've already heard me mention two of the most important places to unwind on the rock: Veterans' Hall (aka Vets' Hall) and the Ocean View Club (aka 'The Snake Pit'). (With an honorable mention to the boat shacks and the late, lamented Yokwe Yuk Club.)

The Ocean View Club (aka 'The Snake Pit')

You can tell a Kwaj newbie or a TDY'er who's never been to Kwaj when they refer to this 'bucket o' blood' by its official name, the Ocean View Club. Kwaj residents refer to it as 'The Snake Pit' or simply 'The Pit'. It is one of the oldest  buildings still standing from World War II days (only the Island Memorial Chapel and the Richardson Theatre are older, but not by much). Back when the Navy ruled the island this was the enlisted men's club. (Building 241, now the USAKA commander's quarters and later the Yokwe Yuk club  was the officers' club.)

Some of you may wonder how the nickname 'The Snake Pit' stuck. Legend has it that it was named after a popular movie of the time, 'The Snake Pit', in which the lead character (Olivia deHavilland) finds herself in an insane asylum and can't remember how she got there. Applying Kwaj logic, it's a place where you can't remember how you got home! (Cheap beer and booze served in copious amounts...) After the Yokwe Yuk club closed down in Halloween 2008, the Pit became the only after-hours bar open seven days a week. It's centrally located on the east end of 'Beautiful Downtown Kwaj' on Ocean Drive, within stumbling - ahem, walking - distance from the BQs. Those riding their bikes in an advanced state of intoxication are strongly advised not to do so, lest they become a target for Kwaj Five-O and a public intoxication charge. (The hospital is across the street from the Pit, so the inevitable scrapes and cuts caused by falling off a bike can be treated. (And the treatment is worse: wounds must be painfully scrubbed out to avoid infection or possibly the growth of coral.)

From the time the Snake Pit opens at 1630 (4:30 pm for you unrepentant silly-vilians) until the last ferry leaves for Ebeye at 2200 (10:00 pm) Marshallese workers coming off their workshifr frequent the bar. Actually, they have 90 minutes after their work shift ends - unless extended by their supervisor or given special permission to stay overnight - to leave the island or risk a trespassing charge. Needless to say, some Marshallese patrons use that 'window' to power-drink cheap beer and liquor in rapid succession, which leads to more than a few getting wasted and getting in fights on the ferry, if they don't pass out between the Pit and the DSC. (Alcohol sales are strictly controlled on Ebeye; one must purchase an alcohol permit at the KALGov (Kwajalein Atoll Local Government) police station in order to purchase alcohol (at steep prices) over on Ebeye.) The Pit closes at 2300 (11:00 pm) Monday through Friday and 0200 (2:00 am) on Saturdays and Sundays. Kwaj Five-O strictly enforces the rule.

In olden days the Snake Pit used to have a kitchen that served pupus to drunk and hungry bar patrons (budget cuts and neglected maintenance eventually closed it); on most Sunday nights the catering department of Retail Sales furnishes a couple of trays of pupus; other nights you'll have to get to the snack bar before it closes or suffer by eating bags of chips or peanuts sold at the bar. (A test project initiated by AAFES now extends pizza delivery by Anthony's Pizza until midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. We're hoping it becomes permanent.)

Veterans' Hall

Home to the only known American Legion post currently meeting within a military installation (Richard B. Anderson Memorial Post No. 44) Vets' Hall is on Lagoon Road as it makes the turn towards the technical areas on Kwaj. Unlike the Snake Pit which is open daily, Vets' Hall is only open to the Kwaj community three nights a week: Friday (1630-2400), Saturday (1630-0200) and Sunday (1900-2400). The other nights are reserved only for active members of American Legion Post 44 and their guests.

Full bartender service is available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while 'honor bar' is observed on member-only nights. (For those unfamiliar, money is dropped into a lock box at the bar to cover any drinks purchased.)

Unlike the Snake Pit, Vets' Hall has a fuller - and better - selection of beers and liquors. They only take cash, no plastic. Active American Legion members may run a tab, payable at the end of the month. A covered patio keeps the customers away from the rain showers that pop up almost daily. Vets' Hall is considered a private club, though the shell of the building belongs to Uncle Sam. A full kitchen allows the hall to host special meal nights such as steak nights and the Mongolian BBQ. Members (including myself) may use the kitchen to cook their own meals.

So, which one's better? It depends on the person. Some like the convenience of the Snake Pit, within stumbling distance of the BQs. Others don't mind the 10-minute bike ride to Vets' Hall.