They are the watering holes of the not-so-rich and the not-so famous. Places where you can walk into wearing a scruffy t-shirt and well-worn hat to down some beers after work or to have a few cold ones with friends.
They are dive bars and nearly every city or town in America has one, as does just about every place around the world. In some countries they may be called pubs or taverns, but they are the mainstay of a city’s bar scene, many of which have been around for decades. They can also be hot nightlife spots for the young and thirsty who don’t want to put up with the prices and hassles of going to a nightclub, places that do not have a cover charge and may even have a band.
Dive bars are an essential element to a city’s nightlife. And did you know there is a National Dive Bar Day? It’s July 7.
There are, of course, certain signs to let you know you are in a dive bar. Here are 10 of those signs that will leave no doubt that you are in a dive bar.
1.) Dive bars do not have dress codes
2.) Dive bars are usually dark and some open at sunrise.
3.) Dive bars are have juke boxes, not DJs. Some even have beer and whiskey-drinking bands.
4.) Drink prices are reasonable.
5.) There are no “speciality cocktails,” tho a dive may be known for shot, like an orange concoction served at Shellback Tavern in Manhattan Beach, CA.
6.) Cocktails in dive bars are stronger than lounges or nightclubs and are basics – Jack & Coke, for example.
7.) Bartenders are usually men and women who have worked in the place for decades, rather than “hip” bartenders with slick-backed hair who frequently change bars. Occasionally, tho, you run across one with super-hot bartenders dressed in bikini or low-cut tops. PubClub.com likes those dive bars!
8.) Dive bars have funny bumper stickers stuck to coolers and the wall behind the bar. In fact, the walls are so full of bumper stickers, beer signs and other things that y0u can’t really even see the wall.
9.) The decor is dated, pictures on the wall are faded and so, too, are some of the patrons.
10.) There’s a condom machine in the men’s bathroom!
Link: In Praise Of Dive Bars
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