Washington Square (Bangkok)

Last updated

Washington Square was an entertainment area in Bangkok, Thailand, located for many years at Sukhumvit Soi 22, near the Phrom Phong skytrain station. It contained bars, restaurants, massage parlors and a katoey theatre. Popular mainly with Bangkok expatriates, Middle East oil field workers and older, male, white Americans including many Vietnam War veterans, [1] Bourbon Street was well known for serving Cajun and Creole food and was written up by the Bangkok Post in 2005. [2]

The area features in Christopher G. Moore's series of crime novels about private eye Vincent Calvino, [3] [4] and the Texas Lone Staar bar was often mentioned in the mystery novels of Dean Barrett, who once rented an apartment in the Square. [5]

Washington Square was completely demolished in 2013, pending the construction of a shopping mall and several high rise buildings. The restaurants and a few of the bars have relocated elsewhere on Sukhumvit Road, but most have simply closed. [6] The Mall Group planned to build a shopping mall on the site. A dinosaur theme park was established on the site in 2016. [7] The theme park closed in April 2018 [8] and construction of the mall, now known as EmSphere, was completed in December 2023.

Notable bars in Washington Square included Texas Lone Staar, Silver Dollar, Cheers, The Green Room, Hare & Hound, The Prince of Wales, Happy Pub, Wild Country Bar, Taffy's Hairy Pie Club, Denny's Corner, Flyers, The Dubliner and Easy Pub. The original version of the Sportsman Bar opened in the basement of the old theatre before relocating to Sukhumvit Soi 13.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BTS Skytrain</span> Elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Pathum thani and Samut prakan, Thailand

The Bangkok Mass Transit System, commonly known as the BTS Skytrain, is an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System PCL (BTSC), a subsidiary of BTS Group Holdings, under a concession granted by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) which owns the lines. The system consists of 62 stations along three lines with a combined route length of 70.05 kilometers (43.53 mi). The BTS Sukhumvit Line runs northwards and south-eastwards, terminating at Khu Khot and Kheha respectively. The BTS Silom Line which serves Silom and Sathon Roads, the central business district of Bangkok, terminates at National Stadium and Bang Wa. The Gold Line people mover runs from Krung Thon Buri to Klong San and serves Iconsiam. The lines interchange at Siam station and Krung Thon Buri. The system is formally known as "The Elevated Train in Commemoration of HM the King's 6th Cycle Birthday".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuwit Kamolvisit</span> Thai politician (born 1961)

Chuwit Kamolvisit is a controversial Thai politician who was once the country's biggest massage parlour owner, known as the "tub tycoon". After an arrest in 2003, he publicly claimed that he paid large bribes to many Thai police officers. He then sold some of his massage parlors, formed his own political party and unsuccessfully ran for Bangkok governor in August 2004. In 2005 he was elected for a four-year term to the Thai House of Representatives, but in 2006 the Constitutional Court removed him from parliament. In October 2008 he again ran for governor of Bangkok as an independent but was not elected. In the July 2011 general election his party won four seats in the House of Representatives. He used the pseudonym Davis Kamol on occasion.

The International School Bangkok is a private PK-12 American-style school in the Pak Kret District of Nonthaburi Province, Thailand in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in the United States. ISB was the first school in Thailand to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khlong Toei district</span> Khet in Bangkok, Thailand

Khlong Toei is a district in central Bangkok, long known for its slum. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River and contains major port facilities. It is also the site of a major market, the Khlong Toei Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bang Na district</span> Khet in Bangkok, Thailand

Bang Na is one of the fifty districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbors, clockwise from the north, are the Phra Khanong and Prawet Districts of Bangkok and Bang Phli, Mueang Samut Prakan, and Phra Pradaeng Districts of Samut Prakan province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siam Paragon</span> Shopping mall in Bangkok , Thailand

Siam Paragon is a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. It is one of the largest malls in Thailand, along with Iconsiam, CentralWorld and Central WestGate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emporium (Bangkok)</span> Shopping mall in Bangkok

Emporium is a luxury shopping mall in Khlong Toei District, Bangkok, Thailand. It opened in 27 July 1997. It is owned and operated by The Mall Group, who also operate the EmQuartier and Siam Paragon malls in Bangkok.

Major Cineplex Group Public Co. Ltd. is the largest operator of movie theaters in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Combined with its subsidiary, EGV Entertainment, the company has 838 screens in 180 locations around Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Among its properties is Thailand's largest multiplex, the Paragon Cineplex at Siam Paragon, with 16 screens and 5,000 seats, along with the IMAX theater. The second-largest chain in Thailand is SF Cinema City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CentralWorld</span> Shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand

CentralWorld is a shopping plaza and complex in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the ninth largest shopping complex in the world. The complex, which includes a hotel and office tower, is owned by the company Central Pattana. In 2006, after three years of design and renovation, CentralWorld was expanded to 550,000 m2 (5,900,000 sq ft) of shopping mall and 830,000 m2 (8,900,000 sq ft) of complex, topping nearby rival Siam Paragon in terms of size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuvit Garden</span> Park in Bangkok, Thailand

Chuvit Garden was a private park in Bangkok, at Sukhumvit Soi 10. It was created in 2006 by Chuwit Kamolvisit who owns the area. The block was formerly known as Sukhumvit Square. The park was open to the public daily from 08:00 to 10:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jomtien Beach</span> Beach in Thailand

Jomtien or Jomtien Beach is a town on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand about 165 km south-east of Bangkok in Chonburi Province. It is about 3 km south of Pattaya and is home to high-rise condominiums, beach side hotels, beaches, and restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lek Nana</span> Thai businessman and politician

Lek Nana was a Thai businessman and politician. He was one of the founders of Thailand's Democrat Party at the end of World War II. Lek Nana served as Deputy Foreign Minister as well as Minister of Science, Technology, and Energy. A Muslim of Gujarati ancestry, he was a senior member of the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand. The Nana area on Sukhumvit Road derives its name from him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phrom Phong BTS station</span>

Phrom Phong station is a BTS Skytrain station, on the Sukhumvit Line between Khlong Toei and Watthana Districts, Bangkok, Thailand. The station is on Sukhumvit Road at Soi Phrom Phong. The area is a popular shopping destination, and the station is linked by skybridge to EmQuartier, Emporium and EmSphere shopping malls with urban green space Benjasiri Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asok BTS station</span> Station

Asok station is a BTS Skytrain station on the Sukhumvit Line in Watthana and Khlong Toei Districts, Bangkok, Thailand. The station is located on Sukhumvit Road at Asok Montri Intersection, with an interchange to MRT Blue Line at Sukhumvit station. Around the station, there are many hotels and facilities for foreign tourists and business people. The area to the west is a continuation of the Nana entertainment zone, and to the east is a dense commercial area with numerous skyscrapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terminal 21</span>

Terminal 21 is a chain of mixed-use complexes with 4 locations in Thailand; Asok and Rama III in Bangkok, Korat, and Pattaya. The first location was opened in October 2011, located on Sukhumvit Road, by the Asoke intersection, in Watthana District of Bangkok, Thailand. The second location, Terminal 21 Korat, was opened in December 2016 and is located on Mittraphap Road in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Terminal 21 Pattaya was opened in October 2018 and is located in Pattaya District of Chonburi Province. There is a proposal for Terminal 21 Rama III to be built by the Chao Phraya river in the Rama III neighbourhood of Yannawa District in Bangkok. On October 20, 2022, Terminal 21 Rama III officially opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park</span> Building in Khlong Toei, Bangkok

The Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, formerly known as The Imperial Queen's Park Hotel, Bangkok, is the largest hotel in Bangkok with his 1,251 rooms. Located on Sukhumvit Road, the hotel stands near the Emporium (Bangkok) complex and the Benchasiri Park. Its large function rooms of 2,500 sq. m. can seat up to 2000 persons, and professional staff to accommodate any special theme, for conventions and banquets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EmQuartier</span> Mixed use in Bangkok, Thailand

The EmQuartier is a large shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand opened in May 2015. The mall is connected to Phrom Phong BTS Station on the Sukhumvit Line of the BTS Skytrain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EmSphere</span> Shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand

EmSphere is a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand which opened on 1 December 2023. It is the third mall in the "EM District" complex near Phrom Phong BTS station along with Emporium and EmQuartier. All three malls are operated by The Mall Group 15 billion baht was invested in the development of the mall adjacent to Benchasiri Park. It houses Thailand's first downtown IKEA, the world's largest in a city centre, as well as a 6,000-seat arena "EM Live" sponsored by UOB and managed by AEG in addition to numerous shops and restaurants. UOB Live opened with an Ed Sheeran concert on 11 February 2024.

References

  1. ↑ Carlisle, Peter (7 October 2012). "Washington Square Demolition Leaves Bangkok's Elderly Sexpats Lost, Confused". Thailand Construction and Engineering News. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  2. ↑ "Louisiana's twin cuisines". The Bangkok Post. 20 May 2005.
  3. ↑ Moore, Christopher G. (2010). Paying Back Jack. Atlantic Books. ISBN   978-0-85789-249-2.
  4. ↑ Moore, Christopher G. (2008). "6. Washington Square". Spirit House. Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. ISBN   978-1-55584-868-2.
  5. ↑ Barrett, Dean (26 April 2013). "Farewell to Washington Square". Stickman Bangkok. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Cole, Carleton (8 December 2013). "Bygone era of bars gone by". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Is EmSphere Being Put On Hold For A Dinosaur Park?". WOS. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  8. ↑ "Fire at closed Dinosaur Planet theme park". Bangkok Post. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
Gender symbols (4 colors).svg

This sexuality-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

13°43′55″N100°33′58″E / 13.73194°N 100.56611°E / 13.73194; 100.56611

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.