Sheddy’s Public Parlour
361 S. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
map

There are a few things we’ve learned on the Tour about dives in Los Angeles, and the most important may be that no matter how upscale, redeveloped, or polished a community there are always dive bars. Where you least expect them, often hidden in plain sight, these little gems are what keep us well nourished in our ongoing dive bar explorations.

Sheddy’s is one of these places. Almost like the bipolar counterpart to the eastside Tiki Ti, Sheddy’s is time capsule and a monument to a singular vision of a perfect drinking establishment. It is a wine and beer bar from an era before there was such a thing as a wine or beer bar. This may be because the owner, Jim Sheddy, is a Canadian. Or it may be because Jim simply loves a good Dogfishhead IPA or a complex Spanish red with a plate of cheese - and thinks we all should too.

There is parking in the back for a few cars, they take plastic, and the rest is more or less by the book. It will also the birthday of Co-Czar Travis, and he specifically picked out this bar (never before on the tour) given his general agreement with Jim Sheddy’s vision.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM and gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

St. Nick’s
8450 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
map

It’s a Holiday Miracle! In recognition of an incredibly awesome 2009, and in the season’s spirit of giving, the World Dive Bar Tour Executive Committee has added a bonus venue to the calendar: St. Nick’s, located in the shadow of the Bev Center for convenient post-shopping libations.

Featuring decent pub grub and drinks that make up for mild priciness with their respectable volume ($7 gets you a mixed drink, but it fills a pint glass), St. Nick’s is an excellent casual mid-week watering hole that stands, with the passing of The Coronet Pub, as the only oasis in the vast dive wasteland between West LA and East Hollywood.

Additionally, our cleverness should be acknowledged in that the bar is named for the noted Turkish gift-giver and patron saint of pawnbrokers, St. Nicholas. As we all remember from fond childhood memories, over the centuries the legend of St. Nicholas was stripped of his Middle-Eastern appearance to more closely resemble the Europeans who worshipped him (just like what they did to Jesus), and this once frail desert-dwelling Saint now appears during the Christmas season as a jolly, fat white guy from the North Pole, extolling the virtues of shopping at Macys and drinking Coca Cola. Associations between his activities and the pawnbrokers for whom he patrons have also been stripped from most folklore, despite remaining a common occurrence during depressed economic times. Merry Christmas!

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9:00 and gets really interesting by 10:00.  Come for one drink, or stay for one too many, bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drinkem,

Alex, Damien, and Travis — WDBT Co-czars

Kid: Your beard’s not real.
Willie: No Shit! It was real, but I got sick and all the hair fell out.
Kid: How come?
Willie: I loved a woman who wasn’t clean.
Kid: Mrs. Santa?
Willie: No it was her sister.

–Bad Santa

Kibitz Room
419 N. Fairfax Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90036
map

Following the observance of Yom Kippur, the predominantly goy and shichtza WDBT will pause for a stop on the tour to remember who really runs this town. While our agents, lawyers, producers, and, in stark contrast, most of the town’s great comedy writers, observed a 25-hour fast, praying for atonement and repentance in the utmost ritual purity on Monday, this Wednesday, we will pollute ourselves with manischewitz in the spirit of multiculturalism, entering the belly of the beast — the Fairfax District — to visit the Kibitz Room adjacent Canter’s Deli.

Although our understanding is that "kibitz" is a pickled herring jelly, meant for spreading on bagels or rye bread, the bar itself is Dive Bar Tour Kosher, with an old man serving up cheap drinks at a reasonable price, and a wide range of friendly clientele. The only reminder of the bar’s Jewry is the relentless singing of classic Hebrew drinking songs… "Have a tequila, have a tequila…"

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM and gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you, if the friendly regulars don’t find you first).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis - WDBT Co-czars

"Five thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Kaufax, YOU’RE GODDAMN RIGHT I’M LIVING IN THE PAST!"
- Walter Sobchak

Lotus Lounge
1135 N. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
map

There are times when this city can still surprise and delight. It’s the feeling one gets in a slightly grimy neighborhood, which you have passed through hundreds of times, when you wander in a slightly grimy doorway, which you have never before noticed, and find a dive bar that warmly welcomes you and serves up the most inexpensive pitcher of beer seen in years. It is harder and harder to uncover a new dive never before seen on the tour, but this week we will bring such a bar into the fold.

This week sets us down smack in the middle of town, on axis with the great dive bar heaven of San Pedro and somewhere between the neighborhoods we often call "east" and "west." The bar is just a block from a stop on our often neglected subway system between downtown and the valley. It is just a stones throw away from the 24 hour Mexican restaurant known affectionately as ‘The Gran’. A pitcher of beer will set you back just 12 dollars. There is a dart board, a pool table and over sized 80’s macro-brew posters all over the walls. If you do decide to drive (rarely has a dive bar destination been so accessible to public transportation) you will find copious amounts of street parking and a small lot in the back. Stay long enough and you might find yourself in a crackpot conversation about the economic future of the United States of America with a nice old-timer. With all these factors taken into account, I am beginning to think the Lotus Lounge could be a lynch-pin of the entire Los Angeles dive bar universe.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

Irish Times
3267 Motor Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90034 (Palms)
Map

Los Angeles has long been known for its poor emulation of the cultural trappings from other parts of the world, which is why if you’ve been to one Irish pub in LA, you’ve been to them all. We’ve been lead to believe that "authentic" Irish pubs these days are decorated with glossy, varnished bars, shamrock bric-a-brac, and plasma screens — the kinds of places that are packed to the brim every St. Patrick’s Day with underage college students who can’t hold their liquor. One trip to the land of majesty would quickly clear up this misconception…or you could just visit Irish Times with WDBT this week.

While all the amateurs are nursing hangovers and oxycleaning the vomit out of their clothes, WDBT is hitting up the only dive-worthy, authentic Irish pub in town. Capturing the ambiance of a quiet, Dublin watering hole, Irish Times offers Guinness on tap served by an acid-tongued Irish bartender (she’s really from Ireland, folks) in a dark , cozy space, where the pint is truly mightier than the game on TV. But, should you need additional entertainment, Irish Times provides some dive bar essentials like Golden Tee golf, 75 cent pool tables, and a juke box full of the best rock n’ roll.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM and gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em!

Alex, Damien, & Travis - WDBT Co-czars

Rae’s Lounge
10939 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034

This Wednesday marks the last dive bar visit before a new President of the United States is elected. On November 5th, a number of our dive bar regulars will have a very big reason for hitting the bottle hard. Our nation will head in a new direction, and regardless of your views, some kind "change" is inevitable. It’s times like these that we should take comfort in the little things in life that don’t change, the little constants of our existence that we can always depend on come rain or shine. It’s times like these that we turn to our local watering hole, that dive around the corner that’s withstood the test of time, that has seen presidents come and go, yet has always managed to keep the drinks cheap regardless of high taxes.

This week we visit Rae’s Lounge, a bar that prides itself on consistency. Rae’s is the paragon of dive bars, featuring all the essentials from affordable stiff drinks to darts, pool, and karaoke. While some of our dives feature clowns or singing ninjas, Rae’s needs no gimmicks or calling cards. Rae’s is low-key, inconspicuous, and relies only on its strong character to build its reputation. There are only a few bars on the Tour that we can honestly label a "dive’s dive," and Rae’s Lounge is one of them.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM and gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em!

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

]]> http://www.worlddivebartour.com/v1/2008/10/22/october-22nd-2008-raes-lounge/feed/ http://www.worlddivebartour.com/v1/2008/09/23/september-24th-2008-hms-bounty/ http://www.worlddivebartour.com/v1/2008/09/23/september-24th-2008-hms-bounty/#comments Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:05:36 +0000 World Dive Bar Tour http://www.worlddivebartour.com/v1/2008/09/23/september-24th-2008-hms-bounty/ WEDNESDAY, September 24th, 2008

H.M.S. Bounty
3357 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90010

It was the 28th of April, 1789, 30 nautical miles from Tofoa, when Fletcher Christian pulled William Bligh from his chambers and at the point of a bayonet proclaimed, “I am in hell, sir! I am in hell!” After six months of paradise on Tahiti as part of their mission to acquire breadfruit plants, Christian and his fellow mutineers could not cope with a return to sea and the tyrannical leadership of Lieutenant and Commander Bligh.

Casting Bligh and those loyal to him off into the dinghy (which Bligh masterfully navigated to Timor with nothing more than a sextant and a pocket watch), Christian returned to Tahiti to acquire native women before eventually burning the ship at Pitcairn Island. Fletcher Christian and most of his crew were eventually murdered, but not before siring children with their Tahitian women. The descendants of these children populate Pitcairn to this day, and in 2004, Steve Christian and six other men were convicted of sex-related offenses involving under-age girls.

The events of the mutiny have been retold in numerous films and books, and referenced in such classics as “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”, in which the crew return to Earth to face a court martial, and Commander Leonard McCoy dubs their captured Klingon Bird-Of-Prey, “The HMS Bounty.”

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

“The code of the schoolyard, Marge! The rules that teach a boy to be a man. Let’s see. Don’t tattle. Always make fun of those different from you. Never say anything, unless you’re sure everyone feels exactly the same way you do.” - Homer

In years past, a cosmic pinch brought together the streets of Pico, Venice, and San Vicente, creating the topography for what now is the center resurgent neighborhood of The Mid City. Once a hub for the extensive Los Angeles streetcar system and the site of a popular Sears with innovative rooftop parking, the area fell into decline in recent decades, but is now one of the greatest destinations for bowling in our fair city. It is also the best deal, which is our dive bar mantra.

For the Wednesday special, simply pay a 10 dollar initial fee and each subsequent game is only a quarter. As they are open till midnight on Wednesdays, this means quite a few games at a rapidly declining price per bowl. Five can bowl per lane but they might fill up fast so come early if bowling is your forte. It is also probable that informal teams might develop, but as those who started the night early begin to feel the effects of the inexpensive oat sodas available at the attached bar will need some help to keep their averages up. Just look for the abundance of high fives, then proceed to florescent Cocktails sign near the back of the alley and order your Caucasian through the hatch (though be warned that the barkeep may look at you funny for ordering, or for simply being a Caucasian — the WDBT Executive Committee strongly suggests referring to the drink, in the parlance of our times, as a "White Russian")

Also, for a truly transcendent experience, one might stop in beforehand for a dinner at the nearby Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, then venture below the the lanes themselves for the World on Wheels, an honest to goodness roller rink, before heading upstairs for some strikes and gutters. This may be a bit much for the WDBT Executive Committee this evening, yet they might be found beforehand enjoying some dinner at the attached greasy spoon cafe.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM and gets really interesting by 10:00 . Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars (and special thanks to guest (b)arbiter Brian)

"Obviously, you’re not a golfer."

-The Dude

Frank N Hanks
518 S Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90020

This week the world dive bar tour takes us deep into the city we know and love as Los Angeles — in the heart of Koreatown near the intersection of Western and 5th Streets. Over 70 years old by some reckonings, Frank N Hanks is a veritable United Nations of libation seekers with drinkers from all walks of life and ethnic and racial histories. The Los Feliz Hipster will sit near the Gray-Haired Retiree for a cold beer from a can. The Reformed Latino Gang Member will share a story with the Son of Korean Immigrants over an old fashioned. And this week, we will add our own stories to the great narrative that this bar has witnessed.

Take care on your approach and stay alert, as blink and you might miss it. Once you make your way inside, squeezing by the jukebox and a few of the aforementioned mix crowding the door, be sure to show your ID to Snow (the kind Asian lady behind the bar), order a stiff drink for less than a five spot, and start to take a look around. It will be a quick exploration, as the bar is no bigger than a double wide trailer, more than four times as long as it is wide. After the bar and few tables, the remaining room is taken up nicely by one pool table and an electronic dart board. These environs all make for spirited and cozy conversation, making you certain to walk away with a new friend, if just for that night. Be sure to bring cash as this bar doesn’t take plastic, and be prepared to leave with high spirits.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

"More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together"

Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations

H.M.S. Bounty
3357 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90010

It was the 28th of April, 1789, 30 nautical miles from Tofoa, when Fletcher Christian pulled William Bligh from his chambers and at the point of a bayonet proclaimed, "I am in hell, sir! I am in hell!" After six months of paradise on Tahiti as part of their mission to acquire breadfruit plants, Christian and his fellow mutineers could not cope with a return to sea and the tyrannical leadership of Lieutenant and Commander Bligh.

Casting Bligh and those loyal to him off into the dinghy (which Bligh masterfully navigated to Timor with nothing more than a sextant and a pocket watch), Christian returned to Tahiti to acquire native women before eventually burning the ship at Pitcairn Island. Fletcher Christian and most of his crew were eventually murdered, but not before siring children with their Tahitian women. The descendants of these children populate Pitcairn to this day, and in 2004, Steve Christian and six other men were convicted of sex-related offenses involving under-age girls.

The events of the mutiny have been retold in numerous films and books, and referenced in such classics as "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", in which the crew return to Earth to face a court martial, and Commander Leonard McCoy dubs their captured Klingon Bird-Of-Prey, "The HMS Bounty".

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

"The Royal Navy is not a humorous institution, sir, and insubordination is no laughing matter."

- Anthony Hopkins, "The Bounty"