Wed Sep 18 11:52:00 UTC 2024: ## From Bombs to Boas: A Look Back at the Infamous Willow Inn
The Willow Inn, once a fixture at the base of the Queensway area and Water Street (now a parking lot), holds a place in the memories of many, including local author and journalist, Charlie. In a recent conversation, Charlie shared his unique experiences at the hotel, from its turbulent past to the colorful characters he encountered during his time working there.
Charlie’s earliest memories of the Willow Inn were as a young boy, witnessing the aftermath of two bombings by the Sons of Freedom. He also remembers the building serving as a Greyhound Bus depot, a familiar stop for him in his youth. Later, Charlie’s father would take him to the Willow Inn restaurant for a hamburger and hot chocolate, unaware of the unique journey the building would eventually take him on.
At nineteen, Charlie, disillusioned with his newspaper career, decided to pursue a career as a bartender. This decision landed him at the Willow Inn pub, where he experienced the full spectrum of the hotel’s notorious atmosphere. From serving drinks to patrons ranging from bikers and strippers to blue-collar workers and even RCMP inmates, to working in the lounge and even the kitchen, Charlie immersed himself in the Willow Inn’s world.
His time at the Willow Inn was an education in life, exposing him to a world he had never known before. He learned to navigate the complex lives of the dancers, understanding their struggles and becoming a protector of sorts. He even befriended some of them, gaining a unique perspective on their lives.
The Willow Inn was also home to its fair share of unusual patrons. Charlie recounts the story of “Talking Tony,” who would come into the lounge every Wednesday and engage in animated conversations with his invisible friend, leaving behind only a dime tip.
However, Charlie’s most memorable encounter at the Willow Inn was far from invisible. A drunken patron, attempting to stab him with a broken glass, left him with a permanent reminder of the pub’s dangers.
The final nail in the coffin of Charlie’s time at the Willow Inn came in the form of a boa constrictor. A dancer, who had apparently stored her snake in a suitcase, lost it somewhere in the hotel. The next morning, Charlie was warned to be on the lookout, only to find the reptile lurking in the kitchen.
Charlie’s stories paint a vivid picture of the Willow Inn, a place filled with both danger and adventure. His experiences, from the bombings to the boa constrictor, highlight the unique and sometimes unsettling realities of life in a world that has long since disappeared.
First Piper 