You know you’re in a dive bar when…

[Ted Striker]

I love the Waterfront. Their chicken fried steak is pretty good (and cheap) too, washed down with breakfast beer or a gin Mary of course.

I will admit that bitd Waterfront fish & chips was one of my go to hangover cures (that could've been caused by The Waterfront the night before). It was the closest bar and deep frier to my first place in town for years.

FYI, in a similar vein, The Horseshoe (supposedly Washington's oldest restaurant) is just up Holly St, and serves a solid greasy spoon breakfast. Fully licensed, and open 24 hours. Plus they have their own dive bar attached: The Ranch Room. Haven't been there since pre-pandemic and apparently they've remodeled to make it less divey, but a tiger and its stripes...

Last time I was there with Thing#2 we walked outside to witness two young buck deer having an antler battle in the empty lot next door.

I'm assuming you mean across the street because The Waterfront building is entirely on pilings over the bay. We had a running joke that if you got too drunk they'd throw you out by opening a trap door in the floor a la Mr Burns.

[Name Redacted]

I will admit that bitd Waterfront fish & chips was one of my go to hangover cures (that could've been caused by The Waterfront the night before). It was the closest bar and deep frier to my first place in town for years.

FYI, in a similar vein, The Horseshoe (supposedly Washington's oldest restaurant) is just up Holly St, and serves a solid greasy spoon breakfast. Fully licensed, and open 24 hours. Plus they have their own dive bar attached: The Ranch Room. Haven't been there since pre-pandemic and apparently they've remodeled to make it less divey, but a tiger and its stripes...


I'm assuming you mean across the street because The Waterfront building is entirely on pilings over the bay. We had a running joke that if you got too drunk they'd throw you out by opening a trap door in the floor a la Mr Burns.

Loved the Horseshoe when i lived there. Never considered it a dive really, but yeah i guess it would qualify. Food was always good and reasonably priced.

[subtle plague]

And how would I know that???

Everything north of Interstate 80, I think [emoji6]

[MakersTeleMark]

I lament the loss of "roadhouses". I guess they aren't really PC anymore.

[Flounder]

And how would I know that???

Much like porn, you’ll know it when you see it.

[BmillsSkier]

Everything north of Interstate 80, I think [emoji6]

Stop that.

I lament the loss of "roadhouses". I guess they aren't really PC anymore.

Me too.

[Danno]

I know what we should do, let's open a bar out on the highway, where everyone has to drive there. And let's make it a dive where people want to get really drunk. What could possibly go wrong?

[dunfree]

I know what we should do, let's open a bar out on the highway, where everyone has to drive there. And let's make it a dive where people want to get really drunk. What could possibly go wrong?

aren’t you old enough to remember Road House, much less the era when everyone drove drunk? Like 1/2 of western dive bars are outside of town in places w/o cabs

anyways

dive bar traits

dysfUnctional family ownership- Brady’s Yacht Club, SC now closed because of a squabble

organized trips for bar patrons to things like baseball games - Dew Drop Inn, Capitola

patrons who are drinking, but can clear the redwood from the roadway with the chainsaws in the bed of their trucks

1/2 credit. The floor is fucked. Puerto Williams YC bar in a freighter that listed. Not a real dive, but a dive atmosphere because everyone was there because they wanted to be and there was nothing to do

[Meadow Skipper]

… (I had just gotten off the bus and was rejecting all things hippy).

Except the bindings?

[Danno]

aren’t you old enough to remember Road House, much less the era when everyone drove drunk? Like 1/2 of western dive bars are outside of town in places w/o cabs

Of course I remember Road House, Dalton was a badass! I was just laughing at the absurdity of the road house in today's culture.

Except the bindings?

I wasn't even really much of a downhill skier at that point, I had gone a few times in college (and a few times when I was maybe 9 or 10). Didn't adopt the broken bindings until 1994 or so (couple of seasons after I had moved to a ski mountain). And didn't realize they were hippy devices at the time (because the people who gave me pointers back then were not hippies).

[MarsB]

Buzz, I watched the new? Christmas movie on Prime tonight, The Feast of the Seven Fishes set somewhere on the banks of SW PA/WV land.

No shortages of the dives you describe.

That was shot in Fairmont, WV - 15 minutes south of Morgantown. I've been to a few of those bars. The only thing the prop dept. had to do to make them look like it was 1983 was to swap pull tab Budweisers for the modern cans.

[skiballs]

That is another tell, for a true dive bar, the graffiti is from the 80’s.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[BmillsSkier]

That was shot in Fairmont, WV - 15 minutes south of Morgantown. I've been to a few of those bars. The only thing the prop dept. had to do to make them look like it was 1983 was to swap pull tab Budweisers for the modern cans.

That’s awesome. If I ever find myself heading to WVU for a bball game I’m going to have to swing through and enjoy a cold domestic or three in some of those spots.

[Ted Striker]

Loved the Horseshoe when i lived there. Never considered it a dive really, but yeah i guess it would qualify. Food was always good and reasonably priced.

Yeah, I loved the shoe for years too. Don't consider it a dive either, more of a giant greasy spoon. The Ranch Room side ticked the dive boxes, but just felt low-key comfortable to me. And they had the OG potato burrito recipe (Casa Que Pasa evolved away from its humble beginnings over the years to the point where I barely recognized it when it shut down).

[Ted Striker]

That is another tell, for a true dive bar, the graffiti is from the 80’s.

Will the early 90s do?





Yeah, FU $B0B$!

[m2711c]

I know what we should do, let's open a bar out on the highway, where everyone has to drive there. And let's make it a dive where people want to get really drunk. What could possibly go wrong?

in teh upstates? not a damned thing... t'was good business model in the '30s,




worked great in the '60s,





and still rocking it in the 21st century...







still gotta get there early if ya want a parking spot on a friday night...







so hallowed is this ground that bikers spread the ashes of their fallen on the road in front





ride on Mr. Betz, godspeed.


fact.

[Art Shirk]

A few more remember-when’s:

Can someone else please let me know if they ever stepped foot into the Maple Leaf Tavern in Bremerton, WA? It’s been torn down: https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news...vern/95185262/

but this was the diviest dive I’ve ever been in and need to commiserate and validate.

It was built into a rock quarry with a putt putt course in the back that was hobbled together by drunken patrons with whatever detritus fell off passing trucks. There was a full football goal post back there too, but no footballs.

The bar floor was so angled that you felt drunk before a single drink and depending upon where you posted up, drinks would slide off the bar.

The bathroom was clad with ripped out nudie mag pages. Everyone was drink Miller High Life and Black Velvet.

Anyone ever wandered in? I recall it was on the outskirts of the town.

And one last. Remember when a few select Denny’s had their own bar attached through an arched brick corridor? Once inside, there was zero Dennys branding besides the ability to eat their food. The kind of people who hung out there were the kind of people who decided to go to the bar at a Dennys instead of literally anywhere else.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Buzzworthy]

That was shot in Fairmont, WV - 15 minutes south of Morgantown. I've been to a few of those bars. The only thing the prop dept. had to do to make them look like it was 1983 was to swap pull tab Budweisers for the modern cans.

Got my first tattoo in Fairmont early 90s at ThinknInk. What a town lol.

[BmillsSkier]

A few more remember-when’s:

Can someone else please let me know if they ever stepped foot into the Maple Leaf Tavern in Bremerton, WA? It’s been torn down: https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news...vern/95185262/

but this was the diviest dive I’ve ever been in and need to commiserate and validate.

It was built into a rock quarry with a putt putt course in the back that was hobbled together by drunken patrons with whatever detritus fell off passing trucks. There was a full football goal post back there too, but no footballs.

The bar floor was so angled that you felt drunk before a single drink and depending upon where you posted up, drinks would slide off the bar.

The bathroom was clad with ripped out nudie mag pages. Everyone was drink Miller High Life and Black Velvet.

Anyone ever wandered in? I recall it was on the outskirts of the town.

And one last. Remember when a few select Denny’s had their own bar attached through an arched brick corridor? Once inside, there was zero Dennys branding besides the ability to eat their food. The kind of people who hung out there were the kind of people who decided to go to the bar at a Dennys instead of literally anywhere else.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

SeaTac Denny’s bar was a favorite place to grab a G&T and Moons over my Hammy heading home after a Whistler trip.

I’m pretty sure we smoked the last of our Canuck weed at the table there before heading to the airport one trip.

[Art Shirk]

SeaTac Denny’s bar was a favorite place to grab a G&T and Moons over my Hammy heading home after a Whistler trip.

I’m pretty sure we smoked the last of our Canuck weed at the table there before heading to the airport one trip.

Totally forgot they had one in SeaTac but that’s super on-brand. They actually had one in Ballard but the hipsters and condo overlords killed that a few decades ago.

I can’t say I’ve ever eaten anything but Moons over My Hammy at a Dennys. The hands down best on the menu.




Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[half-fast]

I was in a bar in Massena, NY (upstate) 10 or so years ago. Everyone in the bar was totally shitfaced when we got there. Played some pool, a couple guys wanted to fight because we were playing against their girlfriends, but nothing happened. All of a sudden everyone in the bar except the crew I was with left, including the bartenders. After 5 minutes or so they came back in with snotcicles hanging from their noses. They were all in the alley doing coke. (It was below zero) I ordered 5 or 6 Blues (of course) and the bartender said 5 bucks

[whipski]

Any of the WI rest areas. There's one about every mile on secondary roads with sleds parked in winter.

[RShea]

proper operational smoking section is up there for me, good mention

i like to leave brunch feeling like a sinner on sunday

You mean improper operational- as in no fans or at least vents for the smoke building up and just one big cloud that you see maybe across the booth or table or a few seats down if at the bar... Walk out thinking that you may not even be able to get the smoke out of your clothes after 2 cycles in the wash.

Another sign is when the bar has 2 shelves- and top shelf is the regular bottom shelf at most other bars... You know the good stuff like $10 a bottle Vodka, Gin, Whiskey that is well drinking everywhere else. No drinks that require a knowledgeable bartender or a book on the mixing of things like a Manhattan, or similar.

[muted reborn]

I can’t say I’ve ever eaten anything but Moons over My Hammy at a Dennys. The hands down best on the menu.

Good lord I used to love some Moons over My Hammy!

What about the "Grand Cru Slam; $300 gets you a Grand Slam breakfast for two and a bottle of Dom Pérignon."

Only available in NYC and that location went of biz years ago. A real classy breakfast I never knew existed.

[RShea]

A place that you could hang your hat(s) and everyone else hat also.