A Busy Day

Had a bit of a double header today. I went out in the afternoon by myself and hit four places and then, after drinks at the pool at sunset, made the rounds with my buddy.

282) Los 3 Delfines

This, place, at the end of M.M. Diequez on the south side of town, was just opening up at a bit after 3:00 P.M. A fairly large courtyard in front where tables were being set up. The bar itself is inside and is a light pink and gray marble looking tile affair. There was a squawking parrot in a cage sitting on one end of the bar. He didn't have a drink so I assume he wasn't a customer. The walls were blue painted plaster and there were a lot of green horseshoes over an open window looking out on a small courtyard in the back. There were three, mostly empty, shelves behind the bar. There was a small plaster statue of a dolphin on each shelf and a statue of three dolphins on the end of the bar opposite the parrot. There was some metal wall hangings of flowers, butterflies, and flowers. Also three ceramic toucans. There were a bunch of somewhat sad-looking plants in pots and in a cement planter along one wall.

I had a Pacifico.

283) Asadero's

This was a pretty big place on Badillo with the bar in the back. The bar was brick with a brown cement top. Colorful plastic glasses hanging on a rack above the bar. My drink came in a yellow one. The bar had a green cement floor. There were two shelves and mirrors behind the bar. These shelves were much better stocked than the last place. A large electric coffee urn that was set too high kept the smell of somewhat burnt coffee wafting over me. That, coupled with the smell from their wood-burning cooking stoves made this a fairly aromatic place.

The walls of the interior dining area were brick up to about waist-level and then woven bamboo. The roof/ceiling was red tile. There were a few interesting paintings on the wall. Somewhat primative but very colorful. One was of a mariachi band and the other was of a bullfight. There is an outside dining area in the front that might be pleasant later in the evening when it is cooler.

I had a large, refreshing, frozen margarita that had a bit of a bite to it.

284) Freddy's Toucan Sports Bar.

Down the street a bit was this kind of a surprise find. It used to be pretty much of a pancake place up until just a few weeks ago. They took over the corner space and put in a bar, a nice dark-wood bar with padded stools. There are also light wood tables and chairs around the windows on two sides. It usually doesn't open until 8:00 P.M. and then stays open until 6:00 A.M. There was someone in the back and he graciously served me a beer. There were three televisions that I could see but only one was on. It was Mexican ESPN and it was showing horse-races.

Eric, the bartender, asked where I was from and when I said I was originally from Minnesota he said his boyfriend was a big Minnesota Viking fan. We discussed football for a bit, sharing our frustrations with the Vikings and my new team, the Jets.

I had a Negra Modelo

285) Santa Barbara Theater

There is a nice marble-topped bar in the front of the small theater area that is used to serve drinks during performances. It is located on Olas Altos. There was a rehearsal going on for a future production so there were about ten small children on the stage singing. I don't know if the place was really open for business but the owner, Ed, served me beer and had one with me. Tomorrow night my wife and buddy and I are going to a performance of Manhattan Nights, The Music of New York. I have gone to performances here in past years and they are always a lot of fun.

I had a Pacifico and headed home for a sunset drink at the pool.

Later, after the sun had set, by buddy and I headed out. He wanted to hit the Blue Whale first because he hadn't been there yet this visit. He had a couple of shots of tequila and I had a beer. The place was much busier this time of the evening than during my last visit, lot's of hooting and hollering. Always a fun place in an interesting way. I don't think I would like to hang around until closing time though.

286) Chavas

This place is located three blocks south and 1/2 block to the right if you are walking from the flea-market. Not that that is of much help unless you know where the flea-market is. It is on the corner of Insurgentes and Cardenas, not far from the Blue Whale. It is a second-floor bar, up a narrow staircase. There is a good sized wooden bar and the sound of buses reverberates through the place until the jukebox begins to play, at which point your heart, head, and everything else begins to reverberate to the beat. When the music mercifully started my buddy popped in 5 pesos and we played another couple of tunes. Hey, when in Mexcio. There were a few pictures of soccer teams on the walls and some tables on the very small open balcony that looked out on two, very busy, streets. This is another bar where you are unlikely to find many tourists because it is somewhat easy to miss. There is a very large sailfish mounted on the wall and two televisons. The one that was on was showing a soccer game.

I had a Tradicional tequila.

287) Frida un Bar

This place is also on Cardenas and is "Un bar Alternativo amistoso." That means, basically, that is is a gay bar. This one caters to an older crowd and, in New York at least, would be known as a "wrinkle parlour." Aside from the being gay part my buddy and I fit right in. A fairly friendly crowd, but nobody offered to buy us a drink. I must be losing my charm. Just about every square inch of this place was covered of pictures or plaster masks of Frida, the Mexican artist famous for both her artwork and her one big eybrow.

I had a Pacifico.

288) Chaves

This place was across the street, I think, and was a pretty typical Mexican bar. There was a large wooden wagon-wheel heading from the ceiling. There was a large pinata hanging from the ceiling as well. The bar was wood-topped cement and had cushioned wooden stools. There was a Mexican cowboy movie playing on the television and the walls were covered with pictures, mostly of Marilyn Monroe. The bartender's father had been a bullfighter so there were a couple of pictures of him as well. Sadly, the place was up for sale so who knows what will be there next year.

My friend was waxing poetic so he wrote this about the place:

"I wondered into this bar. I carried with me a heavy load. A typical Mexican restaurant/bar. A large picture of a parrot adorned one of the walls. Toilet paper was almost late in arriving. But enough of my temporary difficulties. We, my friend and I, were the only ones, almost the only ones in the place. There was also a young Mexican who could have been Al Pacino, although a tattered version. It had that smell, that smell of a typical Mexican bar. I had a margarita. It was fine."

I also had a margarita.

289) Aquy Sp.

I may have to check the name. This is what the bartender wrote on my card and I forgot to double-check it when I left. There were 3 televisions and a pool-table upon which a young couple looked to be about to consumate their relationship. The bar was brick with a red tile top. The barstools were iron with iron backs but the seats were wooden. There were sparkly tin stars hanging from the ceiling. The bar had a nice brick arch back to it with mirrors and glass shelves holding the liquor.

I had a Pacifico.

290) High

This place, on Cardenas, was just starting to open up. It's hours of operation are from 11:00 P.M to 9:00 A.M. I can only describe this as Starwars meets Mexico. It had a ceramic tiled bar with barstools that looked like they came from the Mad Hatter's tea party in the Alice In Wonderland animated film. There were a couple of large, velvet covered swings and I can only wonder at the use they might be put to when the place starts cranking. There were several plush sofas strewn about and cone shaped lamp shades that matched the colors of the bulbs (yellow, blue, and orange) hanging above the bar. There was one room that had a glass brick wall with some kind of lighting that made it feel like you were sitting inside a lava-lamp. There were also black-lights hanging overhead so everybody's teeth really shined. There was another back room with 2 pool-tables. They actually had velvet ropes out front with a couple of bouncers to control what, I guess, will be a big crowd later in the evening. This place would be weird if it was in New York and was totally incongrous with anything I have ever seen in Mexico. I has been open for 10 months so let's see if it is a sign of things to come.

I had a margarita and we staggered on home.

A pretty good day, all in all. Tomorrow I may try to hit a few places after the theatre, but will give it a rest during the afternoon. Creeping ever onward, with 290 down only 710 left to go.