Sunday, December 07, 2003

 
I recently abandoned New York City for Los Angeles this past February to pursue a career in writing. In the eight years I lived in New York, between lending money to now defunct Telecom companies and other Corporate criminals, I became a familiar kin to numerous dive bars in and around the New York City area. So familiar, it became a premeditated hobby and/or excuse to connect with new neighborhoods. Some people took the Circle Line Tours, I searched for neighborhood bars. The fading Irish wife-beater bars of Inwood, the "dress shoes only" bars of East New York, the NYPD watering holes of Flatbush, the Huntington Long Island Frat boy beer halls, the Aqueduct mob bars of Howard Beach, the Islip Korean dives under the LIRR, I loved them all.

Los Angeles is a different deal, but a conundrum worth exploring nonetheless. It seems (and I'm still new to LA so what the hell do I know) there is a disconnect between the people that drink recreational and the true professionals. This city simply cannot be compared to the alcoholic fun-parks of cities like New York Paris or Taipei. LA is too regionally fragmented with people on the fringe of becoming shame-infested liars, always weighted down by the tickling fear of a Drunk driving record. I say, let them all go to hell. They are destined to guzzling discount vodka from Ralph's grocery stores anyway.

However, if an LA dive bar guide could bring just some of these people out of the woodwork it could prove to be just the social reawakening the city needs. In an era of a dwindling middle class, where Biff can't decide if he should hire Mario the illegal immigrant outside Home Depot to help mulch his 1,000 Square foot yard in Santa Monica, I say yes! A Dive bar guide to LA is needed.

Will this get Biff to the warehouse call-girl dive bar in Watts? Probably not, but Mario might consider it on his way home from a long day of mulching. If there was a guide to point Mario in the right direction, perhaps the Watts, the Riversides, and, the Glendale underbellies could cater to the well deserved few.

That alone would be worth it.

Look forward to speaking with you soon.

Ps.

The Formosa Hotel Bar near LAX is a keeper. African American 20-somethings from Inglewood mingle and sometimes collide beautifully with Japanese Tourist, Westchester housewives and Singapore Airline Stewards. Happy hour and karaoke of course all included.


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