Columbian readers share their memories of The Quay

We asked Columbian readers to share their stories of the now-closed Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at The Quay, and they responded with decades of memories. Here are some of the best:

I had painted an oil painting of the Red Lion and downtown Vancouver in 1994. I would sell some of my prints to the hotel. They would give them out to their employees when they retired or left the business. You’ll notice the skyline in 1994 was different than it was today, especially noticeable is the (now demolished) Lucky Lager Brewery.

— Diane (Gelormino) Stevens

In 1964 my date and I made the trip from Toledo to dine at the Quay before the Junior Prom. I still have a copy of the menu and the pressed corsage I wore that night.

— Sharon Hippi, Vancouver

In January 1977 the Quay restaurant hosted a Governor’s Ball for Dixy Lee Ray, the first woman to be elected governor of Washington. My husband’s 18-piece band, The Dick Schwary Big Band, played for this happy occasion and I was the vocalist. Our band played for numerous New Year’s Eve galas over the years at the Quay.

— Sandra Schwary, Camas

My husband, Rick Owen, designed the distinctive Quay sign. He worked for the Vancouver Sign Co. as the lead artist-designer.

— Bonnie Owen, Vancouver

A little preface: Several Vancouver businessmen were cornered by George Goodrich to invest in a restaurant he was planning to build on the Port of Vancouver’s dock near the Interstate Bridge (there was only one bridge at the time). All of us thought him out of his mind to want to build a restaurant in a warehouse infested with rats and bird droppings and turned him down cold. Well, George did build his restaurant and it was an immediate hit.

The Quay became a restaurant where many of the businessmen took their clients for lunch (and in those days it was usually a “martini lunch”).

— James S. Poage, Vancouver

I was a sixth-grader at Truman Elementary in 1987 when our teacher, Mrs. Simons, had our class prepare presentations for an education conference held at the Quay. For our reward we were treated to a lunch with linens, table service, and chicken cordon bleu. For a blue-collar kid whose idea of going out to dinner was all-you-can-eat fish and chips at Skippers, this was an amazing meal. I will always remember my first cordon bleu as being the best.

— Dane Hobbs, Vancouver

June 19, 1976. Went to Red Lion for dinner. Had a special evening planned. Dinner, Columbia River cruise, marriage proposal on the river. Turned out the cruise no longer operated (company sold the boat). Nice start. Ordered champagne. Couldn’t formulate the words; this was supposed to happen on a boat. Bubbles in glasses fading quickly. Finally managed “Will you marry me, will you be my wife?” She said, “YES, I WILL.” We drank a toast with flat champagne, gazing at the river. Celebrating 40 years in September 2016. Haven’t thought about the boat since.

— Michael and Sylvia Roll, Vancouver

My husband and I had planned to go to the Quay for a special weekend for our 10th anniversary, but when one of the kids got sick, what little money we had went to the doctor’s bills instead. There wasn’t even enough for a nice meal. Years later, I told the story to my grandson, who was about 5-6 years old. “Don’t worry, Grandma, I will bring you here for dinner when I grow up,” he said. Now that he is old enough to take me to dinner there, it’s too late. So sad!

— Linda Curry, Hazel Dell

Growing up, my mother’s favorite restaurant in the Portland/Vancouver metro area was the Thunderbird Inn at the Quay. She loved their table-side Caesar salad presentation, so every few months we would drive over from our home in Canby, Ore. I remember sitting at a window table looking out at the river being very awed by the experience.

— Ty Stober, Vancouver

One of my many memories is of the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. My father worked at The Quay for almost 25 years and that night he had to leave us at home while he and other employees went to try and save the restaurant from severe damage. I remember going there days later and the broken windows were boarded up and lots of damage from water but I think it was up and running again within a few days.

— Jeff Falco, Orange, Calif.

In 2011, I was privileged to be part of a celebration. Using my horse-drawn carriage, I picked up a lovely couple in front of the restaurant after they enjoyed a meal with their daughter, who had arranged the ride. He was 97, she slightly younger. I heard many stories of his youth and how he worked with horses and used horses as their method of transportation. How sweet that after 72 years of marriage they were able to enjoy a carriage ride though town.

— Pam Wolle, Ridgefield

Back in the early ’90s, my husband worked in the kitchen. When our first child was only weeks old, I started working in the banquet department for the holiday season. Whenever banquets were short on something, I would be sent to the kitchen to grab some extra since they figured I would have a better chance of getting more of whatever it was that we needed, and less chance of getting yelled at by the kitchen staff.

There were a lot of late-night banquets, and since my husband and I shared a car, I would get off work to go pick up our baby. Once I came back, baby in tow, I would continue to work cleanup, and wait for my husband to get off work. Our daughter was adored there … she learned to crawl on the banquet hall carpets, and oftentimes the bar manager, “Big Wave Dave,” would come grab her if she was fussy, and sing her to sleep with karaoke in the bar.

— Tracie DeMars, Woodland

For the past nine years we four have gone to the Quay for happy hour on Fridays. Sheena and Jean have been our guardian angels, as well as Ron. The folks that work there are the best, most friendly, efficient and just down-to-earth nice. The thought of not seeing all of those friendly faces each and every time we walk into the bar is too much to digest.

— Pamela Gunn, Vancouver

When my husband had an opportunity to work for Weyerhaeuser in Vancouver, the company moved us from Minnesota. Since everything was new we were so warmly welcomed by all staff as The Quay became our home for the first few weeks. As a longtime employee of Weyerhaeuser, we have so many memories of Christmas parties and social events there.

— Karen Venema, Battle Ground

When I moved from Walla Walla to Portland in 1966, it was my first move away from the family home. To celebrate my independence, my older and only brother, Michael Ansbro, took me to dinner at The Quay. I ate my first steak; I drank my first cocktail, a whiskey sour. I have always remembered that evening. We sat by a window and watched the sun go down. Everything was simply lovely.

— Jane Meuler, Louisville, KY

The Red Lion was the place to go — whether for watching the Christmas ships in a suite, enjoying a nice dinner, or dancing to some great musical groups that played there. But my favorite memory is the Back Bar when it was The Quay. It was so fun, the bartender was unbelievable — she wore big swoopy hats, sang and told jokes — and tended bar! If you did not get there early (5 p.m. or so) you could not get in. The place was packed!

— Nanci Primley-Stenshoel, Vancouver

I first went there right after George Goodrich opened it. My father was a friend of George’s and thought it was the best place in town next to The Holland. It took me awhile to learn to pronounce it correctly. My parents always had to go to The Quay for Mother’s Day and I endured many of those “Hallmark holidays” there. I finally figured out what a Quay was.

My wedding reception was held there and I think a couple of my friends required a police presence after the party. It seemed to be the nicest place in Vancouver at the time. My sister Judy was a waitress there in the ’70s. Several HBHS reunions followed.

— Jim Brown, Wenatchee

My mom worked there for years. After she passed away we had her memorial there in the banquet room.

— Joe Hagge, Vancouver

That is where I met my husband. It was our first date in November 1996 and we’ve been together ever since!

— Kellie Jo DiNucci, Camas

My beloved wife, who passed away five years ago, frequented the Red Lion Inn at The Quay as an antique and doll vender. She loved the location, service and setting.

— Lucas Lucero, Ridgefield

My husband and I have been married for 53 years. One of our very first dates in 1960 was at The Quay. It was so special and so romantic for a young girl. My handsome date and a couple of wonderful friends made for a magical evening. The Quay will always hold a special place in my heart, right there with my husband and the many special memories we have.

— Mrs. Stuart (Scotty) Neil, Vancouver

My first time dining at The Quay was in June 1964. My friend Helen and I had just graduated from high school in Boise, and we caught the Union Pacific City of Portland streamliner train the next night to arrive in Portland at 10 a.m.

Our parents agreed that we should stay at the Portland YWCA. We spent our days shopping downtown: Chas F. Berg, Nicolas Ungar, I. Magnin, Meier & Frank, Lipman’s, Nordstrom Best. We were in heaven and had next to nothing left for food. One afternoon the executive director of the YWCA , who was a friend of my mom, called from downstairs and invited us to dinner. We jumped at the chance. She drove us to Washington state(!) after stopping at the I-5 Bridge north and throwing coins into a net — yes, there were tolls then to pay for the new bridge.

At The Quay, we were given paper bibs to eat bouillabaisse (a new experience) beside a window looking right onto the Columbia River. It was an unforgettable time for two girls from Boise. My husband’s job moved us to Vancouver in 1969, and we’ve enjoyed many meals at The Quay since.

— Becky Spence, Vancouver

My wife and I have had many wonderful meals over the years and especially enjoyed the Sunday brunch. However, we had a couple of duds as well. We invited out-of-town guests to join us for dinner one evening. It was the salad that was served to my wife that was memorable. In the process of eating her salad she came across a large piece of someone’s fingernail. The chef came and talked to us and then had the audacity to ask us to show him our fingernails, thinking we put one of our fingernails in the salad. Needless to say we wanted management involved. The end result was they paid for our dinner.

— Duane Huntley, Vancouver

When our kids were young in the early ’90s we used to routinely go to brunch there on a Sunday morning. Since we had no family in the area, it was our best opportunity to have a meal to ourselves, since the Red Lion offered a baby sitter with activities and videos in part of the restaurant. It was great: we could feed the kids and send them off to play then enjoy a quiet meal with a beautiful view! We loved it. There was even a time they would weigh the kids and we would pay based on their weight.

— Lynn Samuels, Vancouver

I grew up with the story that my mother had treated a good girlfriend to a birthday luncheon at The Quay, when the announcement that JFK had been shot went through the restaurant like a wave. The restaurant emptied quickly as people tried to find their way home. Later, both of my brothers and I were employed at The Quay. I remember one night, an ice storm struck and they put employees up in the hotel, so we didn’t have to risk the drive home.

— Lisa Stanczak, Vancouver

I met Amber, the social media guru for The Quay, on Twitter. After conversing for a bit about vacationing there, before I knew it, we were planning my wedding. She managed to get Evan in sales ordained as a minister so he could perform the ceremony. We drove over from Spokane and got married on the outside deck in gorgeous weather.

— Haley Vilhauer, Spokane

I had my 20th Evergreen High School reunion there in 1997. We had a group picture at the nearby amphitheater.

— Earl M. Poulsen, Vancouver

My late husband and I would celebrate our birthdays every year together by spending the night Saturday night, having dinner, drinks and dancing in the lounge and brunch in the dining room on Sunday morning.

The lounge always had the best entertainment. The brunches were amazing.

— Deborah Bonner Stapleton, Vancouver

I remember so many official occasions at the Red Lion, or The Quay as it used to be called. State of the County speeches; State of the City speeches; State of the Port speeches and receptions for visiting dignitaries.

I gave several of those State of the County addresses myself, including my last one in 2008.

Then there were the wonderful and gluttonous Mother’s Day brunches!

Vancouver Rotary met there for decades. And the very first Vancouver Rotary Festival of Trees was at the Red Lion, as were so many other charity fundraisers over the years.

— Betty Sue Morris, Vancouver