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"

Kibitz Room - Passover Spectacular!
419 N. Fairfax Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90036

This Wednesday, as the predominantly goy and shichtza WDBT gears up for Easter Sunday — the Super Bowl of Christ — we pause for a stop on the tour to remember who really runs this town. As we celebrate Easter, our agents, lawyers, producers, and, in stark contrast, most of the town’s great comedy writers, celebrate something about a burning bush in a festival of lights called, "Passover". In the spirit of multiculturalism, we journey into the belly of the beast — the Fairfax District — and the Kibitz Room, adjacent to 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).

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

Coronet Pub
370 N. La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048 (Almost Beverly Hills)

As you know, the Co-Czars strive to select not just a diverse variety of dives but also ones in different parts of the city from week to week. However, there is one part of LA that has never been graced by our presence due to a lack of suitable venues: Beverly Hills. I was told this week that there’s actually a secret BH Gestapo in charge of seeking out businesses that sell booze for less than it costs to gas up a Maserati. And, apparently, these fascists threaten their licenses by institute new policies upon them such as something known as a "dress code." Thus, we take great pride in closing out WDBT 2006 at one of our classic dive stops, the Coronet Pub, a mere three blocks from this haughty municipality.

With a strip club and Trashy Lingerie across the street, the Coronet is one of the more seedy bars we’ve visited, despite being situated on a major LA thoroughfare. The narrow storefront opens into an even narrower bar area with limited seating and only the glow of the neon in the window to illuminate the glass in front of you. These decorative choices were undoubtedly intentional, meant to conceal the haggard visage of any dancers from across the street who occasionally drop in to loosen up before their shift.

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

"This is the cleanest and nicest police car I’ve ever been in in my life. This thing is nicer than my apartment." - Eddie Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop

Gabe’s Sports Bar
2965 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064 (Palms)

Ahhh ’tis autumn again, and in the midst of the football season, the air blooms with the thick, pungent scent of brats, charcoal grills, and the occasional beer fart. ‘Tis a time when men and women alike gather together at their favorite sports bar to enjoy the Monday-night game, or in the case of WDBT regulars, the Wednesday-night highlights. While many a sports bar in LA may bear the outward characteristics of a dive, few posses the character and comfort found inside Gabe’s, this week’s Wednesday retreat.

Unlike the "nice" LA sports bars, Gabe’s lacks the sea of pool tables, walls covered with plasma screens, $15 pitchers, cover charges, and college sluts at the door. Aside from the cheering patrons on game days, you’ll find Gabe’s to be an affordable, serene neighborhood watering hole, adorned inside with sports paraphernalia, a few modest TVs, and the obligatory big screen in the corner. A large whiteboard tracking the NFL season standings hangs in another corner among the trophies of different bar teams. Two pool tables and dart boards are available for your entertainment as well as a jukebox full of respectable dive bar music.

Plenty of parking in the back if you find none on the street. And, don’t forget to take a walk around the corner to Hamburger Habit for pre- or post-dive eats.

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

"Never show weakness. The only pain that matters it he pain you inflict."

Jon Voight, Varsity Blues

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

As WDBT occasionally leaves us in a "haze," we neglected to check our calendars for important holiday that might land in proximity to our Wednesday gathering when creating the initial schedule. Not wanting to anger any Irishmen, we’ll celebrate St. Patty’s this week at one of LA’s finest pubs, Irish Times.

One could argue that if you’ve been to one Irish pub, you’ve been to them all. With the mandatory Guinness on tap, stained hard-wood decor, and Celtic music in the background, you have just about all you need to transport you to the land of majesty. However, complete with a Golden Tee golf, 75 cent pool tables, and a juke box full of the best rock n’ roll, Irish Times also brings together the best dive bar characteristics for the ultimate conglomeration of cheap entertainment and celebration of another culture through excessive drinking.

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 Drinkem,

Alex, Damien & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

"The problem with the world is that everyone is few drinks behind."
- Humphrey Bogart