Describe your favorite local bar...

[Hawkeye]

Begin...
(I'll jump in later, gotsta go)

[EC]

well, we have a lovely one called the communist's daughter that is wee and has a KICKASS jukebox.

tonight was some kind of anniversary, so there were many free jager shots.

i also saw a man, who'd had WAY too much to drink, go skidding on the pavement, dragging his face along.  it was actually pretty  horrible.

but the communist's daughter is super.

i also like squirrely's, dora's and c'est what.  :)

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

ah, there are many favorites here in Louisville, but my all time favorite is the Magnolia Bar & Grill.  Unchanged since it reopened in the early 90's, it has many features that make it feel like your buddy's basement hangout.

1.  Best jukebox in the city.  I mean that.  Kickass to the maximum.

2.  Perfect size-not too big, not too small.  there's just a handful of pool tables in the back, and seating is somewhat limited, but that's part of the charm.

3.  The decor has remained exactly the same since the beginning.  It's mainly a semi-dive bar, but God love em, it has a charm to it.

4.  The clientele reflect the neighborhood it's in-Old Louisville.  Sometimes, it's cute lesbians and transients, sometimes it's punk rockers, sometimes it's just a mish-mash of college students, and then, on those special nights, it's all of the above mingling like a bohemian stew of culture, with the aging hipsters thrown in for good measure.

5.  You always feel at home there.  No attitudes.  This isn't some Highlands yuppie watering hole-oh no.   This is an old skool, hardcore bar.  

6.  I used to live across the street from this place back in the 90's, in my party-hearty glory days.  It was not uncommon to get off work, eat dinner, and just go shoot pool and drink a beer or two pretty much everyday.  There was this winter storm in 94 that shut Louisville completely down-no one working, or going anywhere by car for that matter.  So, all of our friends within walking distance closed that joint down for an entire week solid-every day we'd go in around 9 and stay until they threw us out.  It was glorious!

7.  Things come and go in Louisville, but the Mag Bar is one of those landmarks that will always be there, and be special to me.  Many countless brain cells lost their lives in the smoky confines of this lovable dive.  Long live the Mag Bar!!

8.  On my 34th birthday, my good friends gathered on a Wednesday night and watched me drink 8 shots of Maker's, 2 shots of Jim Beam, and 4 beers.  I kept mumbling about "making it to 14!" and professing my love to beautiful strangers, much to the chagrin of my wife.  Despite being more intoxicated than I probably have ever been, the Mag Bar tolerated my behavior and even tolerated a two hour nonstop block of The Strokes on the jukebox!  (I had inadvertently played their debut album 3 times, start to finish)

[Jaimoe]

I'd rather show people my favourite pubs in Toronto - so if any of you are in the area...

I like a lot of different types of bars/pubs/diners, but I hate clubs.  

[realdeal]

Establishment: The Outlook Inn

Location: Louisville (Highlands)

Description: Walking distance from my apartment, cozy, comfortable, pool tables, friends with bartender, and they play MMJ more often than not.

[MMJ_fanatic]

when I lived in New Hampshire I loved hanging out in this place called "The Loaf and Ladle" in Exeter.   they served great homestyle food cafeteria style and the entertainment was always laidback.  I like how the whole place was lit with those tiny white lights used for Christmas trees--very melloooooooow

[realdeal]

Thats funny. I have a friend that used to play hockey in Exeter. Small world.

[primushead]

This is one of the cooler ones I've been to.  

http://www.jackofthewood.com/

It's CRAAAAAAAZY on St. Patties day :)

[MMJ_fanatic]

Thats funny. I have a friend that used to play hockey in Exeter. Small world.

For Phillips Exeter Academy?  

[ali]

my local pub is the Empress of India (flash name, but everyone just calls it the empress) which is a little bit crappy as far as being a pub, but its a really good band venue. quite small, does really good pub-food, and relatively cheap beer.


my favourite bars would probably be mink (a very cool below-street level vodka bar) in st. kilda, or a new bar called 3 below in the cbd

[dogandponyshow]

Mine is called The Yamhill in Portland, OR.   Total Dive bar but in the good way.  All sorts of deifferent people....great bartenders, big shots, great juke box, etc.    

D.

[Sleazy Rider]

Riley's in Fayetteville, Ar. It has a virtual jukebox so I can download as much Jacket as I want, or if I'm broke I can hear Cobra for $0.50. that's pretty fuckin' cool.

[pawpaw]

...bump...

I think a neighborhood bar has to be within walking/stumbling distance...here are a couple favorite bars from different neighborhoods I've lived in...

LaSalles (Chico, CA) - GREAT live music, outdoor patio, $2 pitchers of Sierra on Thursday nights, plenty of bike parking out front...probably my favorite bar of all time.

Double Play Bar (San Francisco, CA) - I drank at a lot of bars in SF, but this one was the most comfortable, the most hospitable - my favorite. It's across an intersection from where the old SF Seals baseball stadium used to be. Old school, no-nonsense bartender, working class regulars...they eventually warmed up to us. They knew us and liked us, would bring us free plates of spaghetti, and we'd usually get a free round.  Not near where I lived, but a few blocks from my office, and across the street from my bus stop.

Still trying to find my go-to bar here in Sacramento...

[BH]

... $2 pitchers of Sierra

Enough said.

[Hawkeye]

Just realized I never replied to this.  I live in Dubuque, IA and there aren't really many great bars to choose from, but the Busted Lift is a good bar no matter where you're from.  Andrew Bird has played there several times.  They have the biggest and best beer selection around (they don't have La Binchoise anymore though :( ), a 9 ft kickass pool table, shuffleboard, old-school darts with the metal pointed tips (probably not the best thing to have in a bar but hey), and the best live music around.  It used to be a little better a few years ago when they had the "chill" room for reading, playing chess, using the computer, or doing coke (not me of course) and they gave out WAAAY more free drinks.  And they had open-mic night every Wednesday and the houseband was great.  But it's still good.  They also have this little game where you swing this little metal circle that's attached to a string on the ceiling at this old-school telephone.  If you hook the circle on this hook on the phone you get a free drink.  You get 3 tries.  Just a little quirk that I like.  They also have Trivia Nights every Tuesday where you can win 2 or 3 free rounds of drinks.

http://www.thebustedlift.com/music.html

[red]

i also like squirrely's, dora's and c'est what.  :)

Best name ever!

[purvis9876]

The Blues Bar in Greenville, MS. The owner goes by "Danny"(not really sure if he has a last name). I'm not much into the alcohol, but they have some of the best blues act from around the Delta(Mississippi Slim, T-Model Ford, Willie King, etc..). Besides the good music, I enjoy playing pool and people watching.  ;)

[TheBigChicken]

... $2 pitchers of Sierra

Enough said.

$2 pitchers.....this looks like a job for Captain Blackout ;D ;D

[pawpaw]

... $2 pitchers of Sierra

Enough said.

$2 pitchers.....this looks like a job for Captain Blackout ;D ;D

Dude, I know. Thursdays were always sloppy. That's what you get though, going to school in the town where Sierra Nevada is brewed. I was a mess, but so was everyone else ;D

Hey BH, LaSalles is a favorite stop of the Mother Hips too...some of my favorite shows were the Hips at LaSalles. In fact, they'll be up there in a couple weeks, on a Friday night...if you go, I'll go ;)