Pico Pub Crawl — The Turf Tavern, Oxford, England

This is a late October look at the The Turf, a famous hole-in-the-wall pub in Oxford, England, a town where the city is synonymous with the university. The Turf Tavern is ensconced in a hidden byway of what I think is one of the university’s colleges, or maybe nestled between two colleges. I’m not sure. But it’s such a meme to actually locate the pub that I saw T-shirts with a slogan something like “I found The Turf!” ¶ I have made these “pub crawl” videos for several reasons: a) because I love Irish and English pubs of strong and distinctive character, a look & feel that have carried forward, in some cases, for centuries; b) because eating & drinking at these establishments is a pleasureable and relatively inexpensive way to get our calories, and so they’ve become a necessary and enjoyable part of this journey, thus part of what I’m showing through this blog; c) because part of living in Anchorage, Alaska, is to know I’ll never see anything like this there, so I’m having the experience of patronizing such a place more than once — many times more than once if I can stand to look at these videos again. ¶ Which brings up a problem with them: Those who’ve looked at the two I’ve posted so far and now at a third will notice that they’re repetitive. People — workers and patrons — are certainly active but they don’t have an unlimited repertoire of activities. So the charm is wearing off. You can do only so much with a camera held at your belt buckle as you walk about a well-occupied venue without trying to attract attention. Therefore, the next “pub crawl” video I post will be the last, at least until I find something new to do with them. But the next one will be a nearly 2-minute glimpse through an absolutely fantastic pub, with a fantastic history.

This board hangs along one of The Turf’s passageways & outdoor eating alcoves.

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Pico Alaska

Former newspaper reporter and editor (Anchorage Daily News). Co-founder of the Alaska Poetry League and coach of the first Alaska teams to compete at the National Poetry Slam (2000, 2001). Adjunct instructor (expository, critical and creative writing) for 30 semesters at the U. of Alaska Anchorage. Volunteer-in-the-Park in Denali National Park and manager of Denali’s Kahiltna Base Camp (1986, 1987). Bronx native, son of immigrants from the Italian Mezzogiorno (Calabria and Lucania). Educated by Irish Catholics, liberal Jews, and the New York Review of Books. Husband to Kathleen, father of Maeve, and author of “Wind Blown and Dripping,” a play about Dashiell Hammett’s service as editor of a GI newspaper in the Aleutian Islands during WW2.

4 thoughts on “Pico Pub Crawl — The Turf Tavern, Oxford, England”

  1. Peter you are a reporter at heart. Use that Alaska card and interview the bartenders. Or let them interview you. I’m sure there something they would want to know about our home.

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    1. To interview the bar workers or have them interview me would be far more than I care to do, Angela. I’m only trying to bring off a sense of what the place is like and do it quickly. It would be exhausting to give the barkeeps and the waiters their say. Also, they would want to know where it’s appearing and when and all that. I’m getting tired and bored just thinking about it. Better these quick hits. … BTW, the “Alaska card” is always playable, and it gets played a lot. People — the ordinary ones, the workers, the whoever — are always asking us where we’re from and we say immediately “Alaska.” Never fails to raise a few eyebrows and get a chat going. The English are very friendly and sociable. Easy to talk to. They don’t need an excuse, but we provide one if we get the chance.

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  2. Peter you are a reporter at heart. Interview the bartenders. Or use the Alaska card and let them interview you. There must be something they would like to know about our home.

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  3. Pingback: Pico Pub Crawl — The Eagle, Cambridge, England – picoalaska

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