04/05/2014
One of the best things about being a student at The College of William and Mary in the late 1970's was living in Dawson Dorm, which was right across the street from "The Rainbow's End". All you had to do to get there was walk across Richmond Road and you were there. It was probably THE best bar ever, with live bands on the weekends, and a different theme every night during the week. When you opened the front door, there was a long flight of stairs you had to walk down and, if you could get past the bouncer (who ended up being my husband and the father of my 2 oldest children!) who collected the cover charge, you then walked into a huge room with a dance floor and stage to the right with ENORMOUS speakers mounted on big poles from which the music was always blaring. To the left was the bar, with a long row of bar stools and a couple of bartenders, and a row of pinball machines. I remember seeing Bruce Hornsby playing there, along with Nils Lofgren, and a host of other talented artists and bands. Who knew back then that Bruce would go on to be so successful and actually win a Grammy in 1987 for "Best New Artist"! There were tons of tables on the floor and some booths around the perimeter of the bar that were considered "premier seating". Then there was the "Employee booth" that was really for friends of the bar owners (I can't remember their names, but I remember they were Greeks named George - anyone remember??). This booth was in the far left corner, up some stairs, and the best seating in the house. Oh, except for the ledges by the set of 3 stairs you had to go up to get to the bar from the floor. This is where I normally sat, and got knocked backwards off once when Randy (the then-bouncer and my future hubby) was having a little dispute with a guy who didn't think he should have to pay a cover charge to get in, and Randy was in the process of letting him know he did. Luckily the people sitting at the table below the ledge saw me tumbling backwards and put their hands up to catch me so I didn't kill myself.
Then there was sort of a "secret" back staircase which led upstairs to the Green Leafe Cafe, or out the back door and into the back parking lot if you had to make a quick getaway when the wrong guy was trying to get a little too cozy.
