Ann Arbor Institutions: Good Time Charley's
Typically this time of year we're congregating in Ann Arbor. Kinda can't do that right now, and the places we normally go are taking it in the teeth. Hoping to soften the blow a bit, we're partnering this fall with Underground Printing to do a t-shirt a week for the places we love that normally rely on football traffic to operate. All proceeds go to the restaurant/bar/whatever.
First up is Chuck's. The Shirt:
Every bar in Ann Arbor had a certain purpose. I had the one for meeting friends after class, a different one for professors, one for starting a night of debauchery, one for ending one, one to drown sorrows, and one to laze away time.
I met Chuck's freshman year. A friend in my dorm had learned someone back home had passed away, and needed to not talk about it not here. We left MoJo, fell down the hill, and were deposited at the corner of South U and Church, whence we spent the last outdoorable evening of 1998 over burgers. Afterward, whenever I had no idea what to do with myself, I would wind up at The Corner.
I am apparently not alone.
Last night was incredible.. Playing for all the marbles tomorrow night. See ya on #southuandchurch 〽️ pic.twitter.com/O3GBCSUquc
— Good Time Charley's (@GTCharleys) April 1, 2018
Yes, there used to be times when people were able to do this. Over sports. There were sports even. Sports that were so wonderful you didn't know what to do with your hands. At times like these you do not need a mug. You cannot be trusted with a glass. If you bring a nalgene it's going to get lost. The only—the ONLY—drinking receptacle you can be trusted with is a mason jar.
Chuck's isn't just drinking fishbowls out of mason jars on the patio, or people-watching while drinking out of mason jars on the patio, or watching sports while drinking out of mason jars. If the diag is the official center of campus, point zero of student life is that one open corner on South U.
Part of it's the location. If you're taking the most natural route from campus to East Quad/Hill you'll get trapped in the ivy by friends about to order fishbowls, and your afternoon is cooked. If exiting your last class of the week takes you through the Diag arch, your momentum will carry you directly to the big red Cantina steps.
Since my time at school these steps have added an arrow that says "TACOS." The fish tacos are ridiculous. I would not have survived. The spinach artichoke dip they inherited from O'Sullivan's next door was hard enough. There's a reason this was the first place we ever had an official MGoBlog event.
Anyway let's celebrate Charley's. Get the shirt here:
September 4th, 2020 at 12:35 PM ^
I'm excited for this series. Not a fan of this shirt, but already bought a different Charley's shirt earlier in the pandemic. Having a shirt from every Ann Arbor institution and supporting them wouldn't be too bad
September 4th, 2020 at 12:36 PM ^
This series is a great idea, thanks for doing it!
September 4th, 2020 at 12:44 PM ^
I can't wait for the reviews on scorekeepers and the nectarine
by the time I graduated I had the Brown Jug as my favorite
September 4th, 2020 at 1:12 PM ^
Skeepers and the Necto will be covered by our high school and middle school sports affiliates.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:20 PM ^
exactly!
September 4th, 2020 at 1:24 PM ^
So I found this out way too late (as a senior in 2009) but at least back then on Friday nights (which was not a Skeeps night) they had bottles of Bud Light for $0.75 during happy hour, whatever that was. That was cheaper than a grocery store.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:29 PM ^
Please tell me there will be a Rick's shirt?
September 4th, 2020 at 2:31 PM ^
Ah yes, the Necto. I was a not-too-infrequent visitor to Necto on the occasional Thursday night. I and my friends (and similarly-complexioned folks) called it Asian night, but it turned out a lot of other (mostly non-Asian) people called it gay night. So Gay-sian night it became.
And it was tough to beat Backdoor for cheap late-night pizza on central campus.
September 4th, 2020 at 12:45 PM ^
I used to start out my nights at Charley's with a Wild Turkey boilermaker. I also remember that they had good strawberry daiquiris.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:02 PM ^
Wednesday night was $2 Margarita night in the mid-late 1990s.
September 4th, 2020 at 12:52 PM ^
Attended many a riot at that corner in 1989, 1992, and 1993.
September 4th, 2020 at 8:46 PM ^
I KNEW I recognized you from somewhere.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:16 PM ^
This is a really cool idea whoever came up with it.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:33 PM ^
Thank you. You will have to wait until next spring but this was only my second best idea from that meeting with Rishi. Every time we sit down we seem to come up with something good. One time it was MGoRadio.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:44 PM ^
Can't wait to see who's coming down the pike.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:17 PM ^
Not for the first time, I wish I lived in Ann Arbor, now so I could locally support local businesses.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:19 PM ^
Awesome idea! Really like the design too.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:22 PM ^
Nothing but good times at Charley's. Nothing but good times. My last two birthdays in Ann Arbor were spent there, so I've got a soft spot for it. And now that I think of it, I can go for a Chicken St. Croix sandwich (I think that's what it was called). Not sure if that's still on the menu.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:23 PM ^
Waited tables and tended bar there back in 97...
September 10th, 2020 at 1:15 PM ^
You likely waited on me then. Spent many afternoons there that year. Ben B was a cool dude.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:29 PM ^
Them fishbowls though...GLORIOUS
September 4th, 2020 at 1:44 PM ^
My freshman year was the year Good Time Charley's opened. Not coincidentally, that was the first place I ever bought a drink. Snuck in with some friends and a borrowed ID. Going to bars wasn't a big feature of my time in Ann Arbor, but I'll always remember that one. Good times indeed.
September 5th, 2020 at 3:22 PM ^
It opened my sophomore year, and much of my fraternity worked there (I was a part-time bouncer that first year). The odds that we drank together at some time are rather high. Good times, indeed. Now, if only we still had the V-Bell.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:48 PM ^
I wasn't a huge fan of GTC - always thought I would like it more than I did - but I still respect it. Can't wait for the entry on the Jug, I may have to get that shirt. The Jug is one of my favorite places on Earth.
Is the Heidelberg still there? Used to go there with the rugby dudes on Fridays for happy hour - $2 PBRs, High Lifes (and I believe Old Styles?) and free wings, nachos, potato skins. That place was the bomb.
September 4th, 2020 at 10:53 PM ^
Yeah Heidelberg's still there but I hear they're in bad shape since live music upstairs is such a big part of their business.
September 5th, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
I stopped going to the jug when is was converted into a yelling/screaming bar. I loved how it was before that.
September 4th, 2020 at 1:53 PM ^
No mention of Count Twists and that crazy dipping sauce? I tried to replicate both for years and finally gave up.
Somehow ended up upstairs at Charlie’s ( yes there was an upstairs) as an 18 year old freshman after the hoops championship in 89. Watching the joyous celebration from above is one of my favorite memories in my entire life.
September 4th, 2020 at 5:43 PM ^
ah . . Count Twists! I could never stop at Charley's without an order of those.
September 4th, 2020 at 2:12 PM ^
I watched the 2006 Notre Dane game there my Junior year. One of my better Michigan football memories.
Also took a shot of whiskey with fellow senior Jake Long there after he, Chad Henne, Will Johnson, and Jamar Adams made there Michigan theatre debut.
https://smtd.umich.edu/performances-events/past-productions/07-08-j-b/
September 4th, 2020 at 2:29 PM ^
Wait, so do people actually call it "Chucks"? I've never heard that before when I was in school in the mid-90s, but maybe I wasn't part of the in-crowd.
September 4th, 2020 at 2:55 PM ^
Charlie’s was after my time living on South U, I remember when it was Fox’s Gulf gas station. Just down Church was the Blue Frogg, which was where Ric’s is now. Disco ruled the Frogg.
September 4th, 2020 at 5:44 PM ^
username checks out
September 4th, 2020 at 3:51 PM ^
When I started at Michigan, I had only been in Ann Arbor once--on my recruiting visit. I didn't know shit about shit and struggled to even find the bars. This was the early 90s. I didn't know any undergraduates. Everyone in my program was old and married. So I had to learn everything on my own. You're not going to find Skeeps by just walking around randomly.
Some friends visited me from out of town and we were out trying to find the bars and ended up at Charley's because it was on South U and therefore obvious. It wasn't what I considered a real college bar because at that time they didn't sell huge quantities of bad beer for pennies (later that night we found Rick's.) We met some women there and were dancing. At Charley's. These women kept saying, "can you believe we are dancing at Charley's? How crazy!" We, of course, agreed that it was indeed very crazy although we had no idea why.
Later that night we ended up at Rick's. The waitress came to our table we asked what the special was and she said $1 pitchers. We confirmed the price and ordered two. Our buddy came back from the bathroom carrying two pitchers saying "guess what I paid for these?"
Yeah. We know. Now we had 4 pitchers for 3 dudes at like 1 AM. That was the kind of bar we were looking for.
I never really drank again at Charley's but I do recall some bread stick thing they had. And they took the university credit card I had so we took recruits there for lunches a lot.
September 4th, 2020 at 4:19 PM ^
This is a great idea! Gladly bought two shirts. Chuck's is the only place I always make sure to go to whenever I get back to Ann Arbor.
September 4th, 2020 at 5:09 PM ^
Great Idea to support the community. I remember many fun times at Charlies, Ricks, and Dooleys. Is the Count still upstairs?
We never had any street parties like that outside Charlies. It looks like a Final Four deal? Some of the craziest parties I remember were during Art Fair.
September 4th, 2020 at 5:27 PM ^
I remember Charley’s. Good times.
September 4th, 2020 at 8:48 PM ^
Is Dom’s going to be part of this? TELL ME DOM’S IS GOING TO BE PART OF THIS.
September 4th, 2020 at 9:12 PM ^
GREAT fucking idea! Count me in! Looking forward to the future write ups and supporting them. PS: please tell me you were kidding about the Necto.... Gay night, when there were two stories, sliding down the slide from one level to the other, the great alternative dance music in the cellar, the patio.
September 5th, 2020 at 1:52 PM ^
I remember laughing and sighing the first time I noticed that Charley's sign had added "Est 1979." It was the newest bar in town when I was a freshman . . . in 1979.
September 7th, 2020 at 11:05 AM ^
My buddy from Tappan worked in the kitchen and they would prop the back door open on busy nights and a few of us underager's would sneak in and the bartender would slip us drinks. I think it was spring of '85 or '86. Great memories...
September 9th, 2020 at 1:16 PM ^
I would pay all of the dollars for a commemorative Mitch's Place shirt.
September 10th, 2020 at 10:28 PM ^
Mark me down as loving the concept but not liking this particular shirt design.
For at least some of the future designs, particularly for places us middle aged+ (early 90s grad) alum might remember, keep it simple. Stick to the basic logo for the business; no need to add something clever or cheeky. Throw in a mgoblog logo somewhere if you need to differentiate from what the places already sell.
Then again, maybe I’m the only grumpy old man who would prefer a basic, classic design.
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