« Zadie Smith | Main | salty.org »
April 25, 2001
Pool
Patrick and I started out last night thinking we were going to have a beer and head over to his place to hang out while he made hats. He's a hat maker for the SF Opera, and he makes hats for fashion shows, art shows and the like on the side.
We went to the 7-11 Club on Market Street and had a few beers with his co-workers, and then we headed for the train across the bay. So far, so good. Then, Patrick decided he wanted to blow off making hats (after consulting his calendar, saying "if we go tonight, I can't go again for three weeks.), and so we headed to the ever-seedy Gino and Bears.
While there, Jenny called and asked if I was out with Patrick, and I said "Ayup." She asked where we were and I told her we were at Gino and Bears. She said, " I think it's so funny that you guys go there week after week."
It's true, we do unfailingly go to Gino and Bears on a weekly basis. I think I like it because there is so little attitude -- a rarity in a San Francisco Bar (even though it's in Albany), except for the pride it has in being a dive-y bar with no new-economy influence or infiltration. I like that. It reminds me of Minneapolis in a way that no other bar here does. The only problem with it is that the folks we spend our evening with are all in their upper forties and older. They're not necessarily our peer group.
The generational gap is part of the fun, though. While some of the folks exhibit certain intolerances and prejudices, they generally leave you alone and let you do what you want.
So far, I've met a former pool champion (who yelled at me to "Shoot Softer," and spit in my face in the process), a gentleman who introduced himself as Irish-Latino (who proceeded to tell me what it was like living in The City in the 60's-early 70's as a non-white, non-hippy in The Mission), and a number of other local characters. And they are local. And that's the nice part. Most of them live within blocks of the place (the Marine-lie Ex-Pool Champion lives just behind, across the road - or so he told me), and most are regulars, far more regular than our once-a-week visits.
In addition to all that, the bar tenders are truly nice. They buy you drinks on a regular basis, yell good night when you leave, and offer friendly advice on the various bar-type games.
I like it there, and I like the fact that it's in my neighborhood.
What's your favorite dive bar?
Posted by tdotjay at April 25, 2001 9:56 AM
