Stamford Summer Bar Tour [7] - F.O.E. Club
Hey kids, you wanted obscure, you got it. Enter Stop #7 - The Fraternal Order of the Eagles Club. 
Where?! You know this building whether you are aware of it or not. It's the Frat House looking structure next to the Holiday Inn across from Veterans Park. You almost expect Blutto to be pissing in the lawn as you ask him "Excuse me sir, is this the Delta House?" The neon signs give it the appearance of a bar, but the lack of discernible signage from the road is confusing. You've undoubtedly had the same conversation I have had countless times with friends, "What is that place? We should go one day."
On the walk back from the fireworks our group spotted the place and my friend made the call to finally go. Standing out front I had some second thoughts, maybe this isn't a mission our woman need to be part of. Crossing the street was like crossing the Rubicon as we were spotted from two guys on the porch and beckoned to come in. No turning back.
The sentries who called out to us had disappeared down some side hatch by the time we reached the porch. Don't slasher flicks start this way? I started thinking which of the four was the character type to offed first. I kept coming back to me.
We walked into what looked like any other friendly dive and were immediately welcomed over to the bar. Bare in mind we still didn't know what this place was as we were showing our licenses and signing a ledger. Entering my name to a leather tome though seemed like a good time to inquire further. We were told this was a private club, an aerie in the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. They're like the Elks, but can fly or something. I started to wonder if I just signed my soul over to the eagle god.
According to their site, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, an international non-profit organization, unites fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills, and by promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope. They helped create Mother's Day and Social Security and can claim 7 presidents as members. It's also a place where you can still smoke and place dice on bar away from your wives.
We tried to shoot some pool, but the guys who called us in suddenly appeared and pulled rank on the table. We spent the rest of the time outside with the beverages on the porch steps. I wish I could tell you we closed the place and learned all the secrets of the Eagle but the ladies eventually met their max levels of creeped out by a guy staring at us the whole time from his car parked at the curb.
8 comments :
I always wondered about that place!
Hm. Interesting. I can tell you that a friend and I had a different experience when we went to figure the place out. Despite our exceedingly respectful approach, the dude we made the inquiry to abruptly shut down any possibility of us hanging out to drink.
Could also have been that I'm not white and my friend is not male.
I think they thought we were from the hotel next door initially.
It was pretty mixed when we were there. A black guy was the one to call us over and there were a few women in there.
So, having read this blog on the FOE club, my friends and I decided that last night was the night to check this place out. One of our roommates is leaving us for a better life with his girlfriend and we figured it would be our last night that we would see him - why not check out this creepy, haunted house like structure in the middle of downtown Stamford?
Well, I'll tell you why... Not only did we have to ring a bell to enter the bar and sign in to be served, we were also given a "tour" of the joint. (Side note: the 2nd floor is condemned, more on that later).
After receiving said "tour" we were immediately hit up for a beer by our guide. Sure, why not give this man blowing smoke in our faces $3 - he seems nice enough.
After 10 minutes of ranting on the economy and other problems with America, our guide offered to show us the condemned section of the place upstairs... um, no thanks. As this was not an option, he then decided to show us the "pieces of flair" that he had added to the building - an old cow skull and a barometer. Creepy and useful, all at the same time.
After 20 minutes of this and 1 game of darts that ended all too abruptly - we decided it was time to leave and leave fast. We then rescued our friend entertaining the crazy hippie's rant with a scared look on his face and went on our way.
Never again.
If you ever drive by this place and wonder as we did "hmm, I wonder what that place is like?", do yourself a favor and keep driving. If this will not suffice, a mere glance inside the building should give you the general idea of creepiness of this joint.
Also, now that we've officially been to ALL of Manford's bars, it is now official that this city is completely devoid of attractive, down to earth girls with any sort of personality. Bitter? Yes. Getting laid? No. NYC here I come.
Id like to elaborate on the ending of the dart game if i may:
With a 7and7 in one hand, 2 darts in the other, a shady hippie to my back, and petrified friends to his front I decided to make a bold move and press the "Double Bull's Eye" button with all of my mite as fast as i could. As if this button held a key to the outside...as if this button acted as a silent but effective fire alarm...as if the button would somehow beckon the hand of God himself to lift us gently out of Beelzebub's Grasp.
I may have forfeited the game (and an hour of my life), but i got to see the morning after.
I am happy to live to see another day...
good work boys. Your skills are impressive. I may need to hire you as mercenaries on some of the more dangerous upcoming trips
We are creating a blog that will go under the name www.ihatethisbar.com . I hope we can meet up with you guys someday and blog about the experience as if millions of people cared about what we had to say....because thats the dream.
thats for being an inspiration. See you on the battle field.
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