Dive Bars
I’m obsessed with cities, geography, and cool places, and no other establishment reflects better the character of the people who live in these places than dive bars.
Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge
New Orleans, LA
C’mon now. In all seriousness, this is the best dive bar in New Orleans, potentially America. I wandered by one night during COVID and Mr. Jake himself was just hanging out with some friends. I got to make some drinks with him and shoot the shit, which was brag-worthy during that time. Fun fact: Bonnaroo (the music festival) was conceived inside Snake’s.
Don’s Club Tavern
Denver, CO
Everyone who just moved to Denver (98% of its population) doesn’t know that an entire city exists outside of LoHi and RiNo. You can blow visitors’ minds by exposing them to so many things below Colfax, but the one spot that has a place in my heart is Don’s. This unassuming, practically windowless building feels like it is straight out of the Midwest. I also got to see the KC Chiefs win a Super Bowl here, pretty electric.
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop
New Orleans, LA
Right off the main stretch of Bourbon Street exists Lafitte’s, the (supposedly) oldest building in New Orleans and one of the oldest bars in America. Legend has it the privateer Jean Lafitte ran a smuggling and contraband business out of this building. Also, the piano player is responsible for some of my most cherised memories in New Orleans. Ask for the purple drank and shoutout Gavin.
Lizard’s Pub
Houston, TX
Idk this place had a weird energy to it. I mostly have a soft spot for Houston because we fled from New Orleans to Houston during a hurricane.
4100 Bar
Los Angeles, California
This one is for the people who think “the entirety of LA is a literal slum.” Visiting Silver Lake and eastside LA blew my 2016 Mac Demarco worshipping mind (and still does). Honorable mention: El Cid.
The Ship
Kansas City, MO
The West Bottoms in KC still feel like an under-the-radar creative scene is happening there, and it hasn’t been found. I would say to keep it like that, but then people wouldn’t find The Ship. Cheap drinks, cool interior/exterior, good eats, and a vibe that feels unmistakably Kansas City.
The Saint
New Orleans, LA
Iykyk