best bars in america

Man, I guess it was like May 2003. Real shady deal. Something in the kitchen caught fire right after the place closed one night.
When I went back for my better half's graduation, they had rebuilt the thing, and while it was much nicer from a building aspect, it had none of its old feel.

I figure in about 10 years, I'm going to put the brick I kicked out of the wall on EBay and see what I get for it. I'm sure some nostalgic j-school alum will be all over it.

 

I did that scene in the early '80s, and most of it's not around anymore, save for the Dugout Cafe on Comm. Ave. Sure, it's been gentrified a bit, but I try to pay it a visit if I'm in town during the summer. Last time I was there was to watch the June '04 Sox-Yankees game in which D-Lowe allegedly got hammered before he got hammered by the Yankees.
Didn't get to do the Rat regularly, but I saw an awesome postgrad Lyres show there (I've seen them probably a dozen times since). And I've seen cult heroes Mr. Butch and Aqualung stumbling around campus often.
For going just slightly upscale, I really miss the Eliot Lounge on Mass. Ave. Big pre- and post-marathon hangout, and the joint Bill Lee immortalized the morning of Game 7 of the '75 Series ("Don Gullett may be going to the Hall of Fame after tonight's game, but I'm going to the Eliot Lounge.")
And please, please, don't do Whiskey Park (I belong to a group that's had a couple of soirees there). Unless you're into cocktail waitresses with blatant implants, that is.
R.I.P., Venus de Milo on Lansdowne Street.

 

Speaking of tourist traps, this is one. Outrageous cover, the "password" stuff is b.s., and once you get inside you get to drink Miller. It's a fun idea, but just a novelty.

 

I second (or third) State Street in Madison. If you can get past all the 19-yr-olds, it's a fun place. I'm a big fan of any Irish pub outside of Wrigleyville in Chicago. But my favorite neighborhood bar is El Patio in Mesilla, New Mexico.

 

RIP

http://archive.columbiatribune.com/2003/aug/20030818news004.asp

 

I could see it being a tourist trap. The night I went, a buddy of mine and I were taken there by a pair of local gals we met at a Brewers game. The four of us, already inebriated from the ballgame, shared a fishbowl-style drink (those ones that are full of like seven liquors and are dyed to look like Kool-Aid) and later, swam in the river that runs through Milwaukee (grosser than gross).

 

Any motorcycle buffs on here should check out Jim's Tap in Brookings S.D. during ride-through weekend. (I think it's over for this year.)

Bikers on Harleys on their way to Sturgis stop over in Brookings through the night, and ride the bikes through the bar.  Hundreds of 'em.

It's the loudest, smelliest good time you'll ever have.

 

Is that near Picacho Street?

 

Sadly, there are no really good bars this far north of Houston, but when I liked in Connecticut, there were two which were memorable, one in Waterford and one in Groton: McNamara's in Waterford has individual TVs in each booth, so you watch what you want and the setup still allows you to hear most of what's being broadcast in your area. Skybox, in Groton, may not even be open any longer, but it was TVs galore with absolutely nothing but sports, and the owner was willing to try and get just about any game imaginable. And for the regulars, he had an open bar on New Year's Eve one year.

 

joe jost's - long beach, ca.
stevie ray's - louisville

 

I believe they used to drive drunks home on that bus before retiring it and turning it into a bar in the back. that's ingenuity.

one of my favorite things in the bar is this picture behind the back inside bar of the owner's son, chris brandt, who used to play basketball for auburn. he was of the 6-foot-6 white stiff variety. in the picture, he's trying to man up on shaq when he was at LSU. it's funny to see, especially when you'll occasionally see chris brandt walking around doing security there...can't remember what happened to that shaq guy.

 

MU, that is unfortunate. A lot of people I know who are now happily married with 3.5 kids and a white picket fence had their first dates with each other there.

Do they even still have the Field House?