9/11 Remberance: We Honor Windows on the World Staff and The Greatest Bar on Earth

New Yorkers and all Americans remember with choked up feelings when we read the names of the fallen, especially the names we know. Loungerati takes this opportunity to salute the 76 bar and restaurant workers at Windows on the World who lost their lives that fateful Tuesday morning in September. They were part of the working class ordinary folks who make New York City great. We also lost a place called the Greatest Bar on Earth which provided us with so many memorable experiences.

The Greatest Bar on Earth ("GBOE"), which occupied the 107th floor of the North Tower, hardly lived up to it's name. Nevertheless, it was home for metro area Loungers every Friday night during the late 90s and early 00s. Sure, when you ordered an Old Fashioned you may get a concoction mistakenly made with Worcestershire sauce in lieu of Angostura bitters, but we would assist when necessary and always leave generous tips. When a swinging band like Jet Set Six were playing or the vanguard burlesque act The Pontani Sisters teasing the crowd, the place was pure magic! We loved GBOE and during our last visit on August 25, 2001, we enjoyed the Louis Prima stylings of the Ray Gelato Giants from London. GBOE was a standard on the neo-swing, lounge, and jazz circuit. It was a place we would go to warm up for the Supper Club later in the night. Loungers from that era continue to miss the GBOE wholeheartedly and the community it created. More important than any establishment, we honor the wonderful folks who made the trip to the top of the tower so unique and are sadly gone.

The staff at Loungerati

Ray Gelato (center) with the Loungerati, at GBOE Aug 25, 2001

Today We Remember

"As unlikely as it may seem, the hottest night spot in New York is on Wall Street. Actually, it's way above Wall Street – on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. After years of thumbing their noses at the financial community's stuffed shirts, the pioneers of New York cool have descended on the financial district in droves."

– Women's Wear Daily circa 2000

I am not going to get into to the 9/11 rhetoric which sometimes smacks more or revenge than remember. Overall, we believe in the best that this day represents. New Yorkers and all Americans remember with choked up words when we read the names of the fallen, especially the names we know. I want to dedicate this post to the restaurant workers at Windows on the World who lost their lives that fateful Tuesday. They were part of the the working class ordinary day to day folks who make our city great - yet they perished.

The Greatest Bar on Earth hardly lived up to it's name, yet it was home for many of us on a Friday night. Sure, when you ordered an Old Fashioned you may get a concoction made with Worcester sauce in lieu of Angostura bitters, but that is why we stuck to the classics. The Negronis weren't so bad when the Jet Set Six were playing and the Pontani Sisters dancing! We loved GBOE and on our last visit August 25, 2001, we enjoyed the stylings of the Ray Gelato Giants from London. The place was standard on the swing and jazz circuit. It was a place we would go to warm up for the Supper Club. We continue to miss GBOE wholeheartedly and the folks who made it one of a kind ...

Salute to you! Thank you!

The staff at Loungerati