Our very local columnist, John Horgan, has a column today that is being widely read due to its pointed comments about Terry Nagel's campaign tactics.  It's already been posted as a comment here.  I found another part of the same column interesting.  John writes

Rising property values are all well and good, but there are downsides to going upscale. There was a time when most of the Peninsula was not considered high-end at all.

There were a few notable tony enclaves like Hillsborough and Atherton, but, for the most part, they were exceptions to the generally middle-class rule. That's all changed now. And there's no going back.

Consequently, evidence of a blue collar ambience is disappearing. You can chronicle that shift in the number of true working class bars left in these parts. They are few and far between.

Three which are especially missed by former regulars are Welte's in South San Francisco, John's Place in Burlingame and Malley's in San Mateo.

Those were very basic joints that served an honest drink. There were no pretensions, no nods to political correctness. Tobacco use was rampant; spittoons were available well into the 1960s; as for language, well, let's just say that freedom of speech meant precisely that.

You didn't see too many ladies hanging out in those gritty establishments. If they did, you wondered why.

Not being a native local, I referred to my 1952 Directory to learn that John's Place was apparently owned by George G. Garbuio and was located at 346-348 Lorton Ave.  I believe that space is currently The Holiday House, next to All Fired Up!  Garbuio lived at 840 Linden (one of our tree streets).

After the election we just had, I would love to go back in time and have an "honest drink" at John's Place.