Terminal Bar : a photographic record of New York's most notorious watering hole

"Terminal Bar is an extraordinary collection of black-and-white portraits of customers who patronized New York City's most notorious dive bar--now long gone, once across the street from Port Authority--during the 1970s, before the area was redeveloped. Shelly Nadelman, the bartender there from 1972 to 1982, shot thousands of photographs, mostly of his customers. Clientele included a unique mix of Irish regulars, bartenders, porters, and concession stand workers, pimps and prostitutes, drag queens and cross dressers. Featuring two hundred photographs with captions by the photographer, this book will appeal to everyone interested in the bygone era of Times Square and 1970s New York. What makes Terminal Bar unique is not just the fact that this portraiture project spans a decade and documents a close-knit community during a pivotal moment in cultural history, but that it's a family collaboration: the bar was owned by Sheldon's father-in-law and the book is coauthored by Sheldon's son, Stefan"-- Provided by publisher In 1972 Shelly Nadelman began a ten-year run bartending at one of New York City's most notorious dives: the Terminal Bar, located across the street from the Port Authority Bus Terminal near Times Square. For ten years, right up until the bar closed for good in 1982, he shot thousands of black-and-white photographs, mostly portraits of his customers— neighborhood regulars, drag queens, thrill-seeking tourists, pimps and prostitutes, midtown office workers dropping by before catching a bus home to the suburbs—all of whom found welcome and respite at the Terminal Bar. This extraordinary archive remained unseen for twenty years until his son Stefan rescued the collection, using parts of it in a documentary short. Featuring nine hundred photographs accompanied by reminiscences in Shelly Nadelman's inimitable voice, Terminal Bar brings back to life the 1970s presanitized Times Square, a raucous chapter of the city that never sleeps. Cover Title Dedication Copyright Contents Introduction Family The Nadelmans The Goldmans Murray Goldman Terminal Bar 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 Recurring Customers The Regulars Paul The Entertainer Princess Larry Bill Joe Duchess Jack Sissy Sandy The Greek Malo Joe Raymond Jimmy Gypsy Shep Jean Jerry Blood Melvin Tex Dottie Van "Ruth Brown" Jimmy George Blau Michael Brooklyn David John Leon Jack Kimberly Richard Charlie Old-Timers Rodriguez The New Wave One-Shot Opportunities Bartenders Shelly Nadelman Ricque Pat Jersey Jay Adam Warren Roy Irving Dennis Mike Porters Douglas Joe Mexico Lefty Coochie Bobby Harry The Concession The Garbage Can The Place to Be