Old New Orleans bars are layered with stories and character that accrue over years and generations.
At Bud Rip’s (900 Piety St.) in the Bywater, one piece of the past has recently been uncovered, literally, and is back in action for a weekly oyster happy hour.
It’s part of a circuit of very different oyster happy hours to emerge nearby, forming a possible oyster tour for bivalve lovers, including one with a theatrical flair, another with unbeatable value and still another bringing more variety from the local oyster harvest.
At Bud Rip’s, the long bar runs almost the length of the room, from the pool table at one end to an L-shaped counter at the other by the corner door. Underneath a plywood covering, though, there’s a century-old oyster bar with a marble top and a workspace just below…