Bar 107
107 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
map

This week, the World Dive Bar Tour heads downtown to visit one of the dwindling holds in this once-beleaguered city center. Wasn’t it just yesterday that any adventurous soul could find themselves downtown, tiptoe around questionable sidewalks, and duck into a dark establishment to find a cheap drink within easy reach? Now there is a different movement afoot around our historic core, one which requires dress codes, cover charges and lines of credit; things well beyond the scope of our Wednesday night mandate.

Luckily, when converted from an old Latino gay bar several years ago to its present state, Bar 107 eschewed any of the trappings of gentrification and instead installed copious amounts of taxidermy, a 50’s style jukebox, mildly pornographic bible art, an extremely large doorman (if we are lucky), a few old school video games, a photo booth in the backroom, and tall cans of fine macro-brews (such as Pabst, Tecate, and rumblings of Olympia) for just a few dollars. While all this might seem like a bit much rest assured that it all hangs together for a ramshackle good time.

An item of note: the weekends can get a bit busy, with a DJ often spinning for the dance floor, sometimes a cover at the door, and as the bar is the official after party destination of the Los Angeles Derby Dolls.

As it is our compulsion to visit such dives mid-week, we will miss such distractions and should expect plenty of room in the comfortable booths for a relaxing drink or two. 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

"One Hundred And Seven is the 28th Prime Number"
- Wikipedia

Cha Cha Lounge
2375 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Map

This week the tour marks a truly special occasion. Very rarely has a dive bar, previously on the path of velvet ropes and crowded excess, reversed its tact, dropping out of the public eye, some might say even falling from grace. Or as we feel, falling back into our good graces. This week, at the Cha Cha Lounge, the WDBT welcomes a wonderful spot back into the fold. And like the father of the Prodigal Son, we have nothing but open arms and happiness for the return.

Blame it on the proliferation of new nightspots along the stretch of Sunset Blvd. between Downtown and Hollywood, blame it on the resurgence of the Red Lion Tavern across the street (how we loved thee so), or even blame the upcoming global economic apocalypse, but the Cha Cha has lost the capacity crowds and the meat market mentality which disqualified its inclusion before. Now, the bar is just the type of place which reminds us why we love living in this bacchanalian city. Stepping into the bar is like stepping into the strange love child of Tiki culture and a Mexican Pinata. There is a lovely horseshoe shaped bar, clad in split bamboo and topped with a palm frond canopy (the Tiki), surrounded by dark black banquettes under arched window-like mirrors and no less than a few hundred velvet paintings of rottweilers, kittens, unicorns, the occasional pin-up girl and a ceiling covered by Sombreros and associated bric-a-brac (the Pinata).

Behind the bar is a collection of Foosball tables, a photo booth, and an infamous vending machine. The fellow drinkers will likely be a smattering of Silverlake regulars - including that guy from that that commercial for Best-Buy or Del-Taco or something and a few folks with creative haircuts. But they fit right in (or maybe we will) next to the life size Willie Nelson cut out near the entrance.

A surprise at every turn, the Cha Cha lounge promises to bring us a quality evening to celebrate the return of a quality dive. And the PBR is $2.50 on draft.

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