Heinold's First and Last Chance

Heinold's First and Last Chance fue el bar donde el autor norteamericano Jack London se sentaba a estudiar sus lecciones y a escuchar las aventuras de los marineros que llegaban al lugar. La historia del lugar contada en inglés…

Más abajo explicamos el término bunk.

 

Heinold's First and Last Chance is a waterfront saloon opened by John M. Heinold in 1883 on Jack London Square in Oakland, California, United States. The name "First and Last Chance" refers to the time in which for many sailors, the pub was the first and last chance to drink alcohol heavily before or after a long voyage.

Heinold's First and Last Chance is also known as "Jack London's Rendezvous", as it was the inspiration for scenes from the Oakland writer's novels Call of the Wild and The Sea Wolf.

 

Heinold´s interior

Beginnings and name

The pub in its original form was a preserved building from 1880, built from the remnants of an old whaling ship at the foot of Webster Street in Oakland, where it remains today. It was originally designed as sleeping quarters for the workers of the nearby oyster beds, and was used as a bunk for nearly three years. In 1883 it was purchased by German-born Philadelphian Johnny Heinold for 100 U.S. dollars and with the help of a ship carpenter, converted into a pub which he named J.M. Heinold's Saloon.

The pub's central location near the ferry between Oakland and Alameda made it a popular first or last destination to drink alcohol, as its consumption and sale were illegal in Alameda. Heinold's First and Last Chance was also a popular spot for sailors leaving or arriving through the Oakland port on long trips, known as the first or last place to drink alcohol in larger quantities. The popular nickname "First and Last" stuck, and the pub's name was eventually officially renamed to Heinold's First and Last Chance.

 

Jack London's Rendezvous

Oakland author Jack London, after spending some time out at sea and traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada, returned to his hometown to complete his high school education. As a schoolboy, London would study at the bar's tables that remain today. At 17, he confessed to Johnny Heinold during his stay at the pub that he was planning to attend University and pursue a career in writing. Heinold leant London the money needed for tuition, and he enrolled at the nearby University of California, Berkeley.

While London only made it through his first year of college, Heinold's pub introduced him to the sailors and adventurers that would influence his writing.

Jack London's Rendezvous became the bar's nickname in more recent years because of its influence on the author. A sign was added to the original roof with the title.

 

Vocabulario

Bunk: A bunk bed is a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another, allowing two or more beds to occupy the floor space usually required by just one. They are commonly seen on ships, in the military, and in hostels, dormitories, summer camps, children’s bedrooms, prisons, and the like.

Bunk: litera.

 

bunk beds

Artículos relacionados

... vive cómodamente en California pero su destino cambia totalmente cuando un empleado lo vende a traficantes que aprovechan la fiebre del oro… The Call of the Wild. Summary

… establecieron como regla vestirse regularmente para la cena a fin de mantener el respeto por sí mismos y evitar… The Riddle of the Sands

… y una extraordinaria evacuación que vio a 5.000 chicos españoles embarcados desde Bilbao, que estaba por ser tomada por Franco, a Southampton, donde fueron cuidados por una cadena de colonias a… Los chicos de la guerra

 

Suscribite al blog para recibir datos interesantes sobre los autores y sus obras.