Pics from El Rio

Hey folks. We got a few new pics for you from El Rio. Nothing to write home about, so let me know if you have any good shots that you want to add.

pics here

Jesse, you rock!

First of all, I applaud and congratulate Jesse on an extremely insightful and noteworthy post.

After seven succesful dive bar meetings, it is about time we established some guidlines and a credo that at least comes close to the tagline that started it all:

A unique monthly descent into San Francisco's underbelly and world of distinguished dive bars.

That said, I would like to invite anyone and everyone to please start commenting or ranting (even better) about anything on this blog. What the hell...nobody reads it anyway. HA!

The following is my rant:

When I leave the house, on the eve of a Dive Bar meeting, I have expectations. First and foremost, I want to see all of the people I haven't kept in touch with for a month - possibly meet more. Secondly, I want to have fun. And thirdly, I want to experience a new bar - hopefully semi divey, in a new neighborhood, that I might possibly want to go back to. And I don't think that I am in the minority with these three expectations either.

So isn't that enough?

Maybe not.

I totally agree with Jesse in that we need to, "muster the social courage and hygienic tolerance necessary to truly explore these cultural phenomena." And if that means taking a stroll around Eddy and Larkin along with Charlene (a post-op transexual) and her pimp, then so be it. I'm sure she's nice. However, I would like to remind everyone that as a group of at least 20 strong, we have the power to completely transform a bar into our little sandbox or playground. With this in mind, we have a responsibility to respect the people whose lives we change for one brief evening - the ones that call these dive bars their home. Along with the decor (or lack thereof) and the all encompasing smell of piss, they are the ones that have made dive bars divey. And we do invade their space, albeit for one evening, while possibly offering a glimpse of "...light, carefree benevolence." However, we must remind ourselves why these men and women go to a bar and stare cross-eyed at the bottom of a glass...to drink, possibly heavily, and in peace.

Hey, WTF? Who the hell cares? There's probably a nice glass of drown your sorrows at the bar next door. I bet THAT place is not full of a bunch of SFDBO'ers preparing for the week's end by getting their drink on.

I'm sure we are all anxiously awaiting the next dive bar choice. Congrats to everyone on their contribution in making SFDBO such a success.

Kaya, you're it.

The Dive Bar Manifesto

With recent runs at El Rio, The 500 Club, and Tunnel Top, I would like to pose a question:

What is a dive bar?

This question will undoubtedly yield a variety of responses, but many of us will assent to the following characteristics: A dive bar is a place with cheap drinks. A dive bar is a place with a run-down appearance, generally displaying the wear and tear of years of social functionality. A dive bar has a tacky, dated aesthetic, and predominantly unhygienic restrooms. There's likely to be a juke box. A subtly offensive aroma. Maybe a pool table or a dart board, too. And with any luck, contraceptive vending machines.

Commendably, the participating bars in the SFDBO have thus far fit these descriptions.

However, I need to pose another question:

What is an SFDBO dive bar?

If you answered El Rio, The 500 Club, or Tunnel Top, please keep reading.

Whereas those drinking establishments may physically resemble a dive bar, they do not embody one spiritually. And the spirit of a true dive bar is what makes this organization great. The aforementioned bars are actually just trendy dumps. They even border on hot spots at times. Despite their physical crudeness, their social equity sadly prevents them from attaining true dive bar status. Purists might even call these types dive bar impostors (gasp). I'm not going that far, but hear this: real dive bars are actually quite lonesome, eerie and sad. True dive bars aren't popular. They aren't crowded. They rarely have people under the age of 40 in them. There is an air of hopelessness and staleness prevalent from the moment you enter. And the joy of the SFDBO, of this great cause of ours, is to expose ourselves to the reality of these downtrodden drinking holes, while simultaneously fertilizing them with the light, carefree benevolence each of us is so fortunate to possess. Making the forsaken saken again. Even for just one evening. Temporarily transforming these bars from isolated dens of hopelessness to frolicking urban oases is what I signed up for.

I'm not here to chastise any of us for past efforts...our mission statement had not been clearly defined. But moving forward, let's be honest with ourselves. The aforementioned bars are simply too to popular and too successful to be a true "dive." Everyone knows what a true dive bar is. Mr. Bing's. The Eagle Drift Inn. Ha-Ra. And I implore each and every one of us to muster the social courage and hygienic tolerance necessary to truly explore these cultural phenomena.

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to seeing you at the next forlorn location.


Jesse G

It's On

Melissa's blub:

What can I say except March just wasn't the same without attending a Dive Bar Thursday event. With that said, we're back in the saddle and ready to ride on over to El Rio, a staple in the colorful community we call home. While I can't guarantee what sort of eclectic ensemble will be there when we arrive, what I can guarantee is that this will be a Dive Bar you won't want to miss. As usual, the more the merrier, so pony up people and show your team spirit.

NOT to mention that I came across this recently:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=96030890

I think we have competition...or do we know this person? I didn't know and I obviously drink too much, thus my short term memory is shot.

Toodles,
Melis