Man, the weather here has been really unusual this year. Unusual in that it has been heavily overcast and even a bit drizzly a lot. And that is very unusual for this time of year. Yesterday was no exception. Hopefully this will blow over pretty soon.
No glory yesteday. Picked up the Vallarta Tribune and there was no picture. Wasn't too surprised. When they took the pictures on Friday and said it would be in the Monday edition I didn't think that would give them enough time. It is a weekly publication and their stories are always about a week or more out of date. We shall see what happens next week.
The wife and I took a bus to the hotel zone and hit a few bars though, so the day wasn't a complete wash. Hey, we still have the sand and the sea.
295) Referee's Sports Bar
This place is on the main bus-route to the hotels from out of town, next to the Mega supermarket. The name of the avenue is Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio. There was a good-sized 3 sided reddish-brown formica-topped bar with a maroon vinyl arm-rest. Several brown wooden stools with brown-padded vinly seats made for a comfortable place to park oneself for the first beer of the day. There was a big area behind the bar filled with shelves, beer-cases, a large sink, and a couple of large coolers for beer. There were three televisons high on the wall behind the bar. Two were showing sports and the one with the volume turned on was showing Mexican videos. There was a decent looking pool table by the entrance.
There was a fairly large interior with nice looking tables and chairs. The tables by the windows had little padded booth-like seating. The was lots of sports memorabilia hanging about, mostly posters and pennants. The overhang above the bar had faux stained-glass team logos. My wife told me that the woman's bathroom, or banos damas, had many pictures of well-buffed, mostly naked men. Suddenly I had the urge to pee. No luck though, just pictures of scantily clad women in the banos caballeros. The picture of Madonna was a real stunner though.
I had a Negra Modelo
296) Citrus
Down the road a bit and back into Plaza Villas Vallarta was this relatively new, and new-looking place. It had a primarily salmon and white color scheme. The bar had a black marble top and a black cinder-block front to it. There were half a dozen black bar-stools with backs and salmon cushions. The back of the bar was also black cinder-block with light tan shelves holding a large selection of liquors. The lights above the bar were coverd by large, rectangular, fabric-coverd shades, one on top of the other. A lucky bamboo-shoot in a citrus-yellow vase sat at one end of the bar.
The back and side walls of the place was lined with tables and chair that matched the bar-stools except for the front-half of the back wall closest to the the glass entrance. That had salmon settees. The floor was vinyl made to look like light wood, but not doing a very good job. The outdoor area had the same type of tables and chairs as inside except for a couple of larger lounge chairs off to one side. The outdoor area was covered by a large salmon covered awning. There were overhead fans with lights.
I had a gin and tonic.
297) Le Petit
This place had at least three versions of the name on various signs and cards. Aside from the one above it was also referred to as Le Petite and Le Petite France. Take your pick. It too was on Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascensio, next to the Fiesta Americana hotel. There was a large life-like mannequin at the door to greet you. It had a large dark-wood bar with a real brass rail. It also had both tall and short barstools for which my wife, fairly short, was grateful. There was an octagon liquor cabinet in the middle with a fairly large metal sculpture meant to evoke the Eiffel Tower. Above the bar was a similar shaped wooden structure supported by brass poles. This held the overhead lights and was fronted by stained-glass patterns.
There were large and small paintings and posters by Henri de Toulouse-Latrek and fewer by other artists on the walls. There were a couple of victrolas on display and other knick-knacks as well. There was also an antique cabinet displaying antique silverware. This place had real dark-wood plank floors and a dark wood-beamed ceiling with lots of track lighting that might make it interesting at night. The dining area looked out over a well-manicured garden. The combination of a colonial French looking restaurant and the somewhat tropical looking graden evoked images of what Indo-China might have been like.
I had a Pernod on the rocks at the bar and then we had a late lunch, early dinner (it was 2:30 P.M.). Food was fantastic and I highly recommend the place if you are ever in town. We then caught a bus back to our part of time and I picked up a bottle of coffee liquor and made after-dinner coffees.
Three more bite the dust and 703 left to go.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Sunday Stroll
It was kind of a gloomy day, not really beach weather. I was growing a bit restless so I decided to take the bus to the far side of town and just stroll around to see what I could see. The area I chose was around the public sports park where there are a few soccer fields, a baseball diamond, a running track, etc. You may recall that I have already visited a couple of other bars right across the street from this park, but I decided to wander a bit further afield. There weren't a lot of bars and the first place I found by hearing the click of billiard balls.
293) Centro Butanero Caballo Ballo
The only word in the name that I know is 'caballo' that means either horse or rider, depending upon its useage. All there was was the sign above a little doorway that opened directly onto a flight of cement stairs. I found the doorway and saw the sign because I had heard the click of billiard balls and was tracking it down. There was a Corona sign in the stairwell so I took a chance and went upstairs. The doorway was located on Rio Danubio (the street, not the river) just down the street from Brasillio.
There was, indeed, a bar there. It was a long old wooden bar with six wooden bar stools or chairs (they had backs). There wasn't a brass rail but there was a small brick protrusion that you could rest your foot upon if you chose to stand. The plave had a red-tile floor, the standard variety you see everywhere, and a jukebox playing Mexican melodies. There was a billiard table and a couple of older guys playing three-cushion, although not very well, from what I could tell. They were drinking and having a happy time though, keeping an eye on a soccer game that was playing on the one televison set. To the side of the billiard table was a large wooden cue holder with a broken mirror. Looked like the kind of place where a mirror might get broken. There were a couple of pictures of a Mexican rodeo on the wall, one mounted on either side of the pool cue holder. Maybe that is where the place got its name. There were seven white plastic tables covered with red and white checked tablecloths with the Corona logo on them. The white plastic chairs also had the Corona logo.
I had a Pacifico.
294) Nuevo Maracaibo Bar
It turned out that I wasn't too far from a fairly large walled cemetery. I walked around it but didn't find anymore bars so I walked straight down the street from the entrance. Mexican cemeteries are really interesting affairs and if I wasn't on a mission I might have spent some time looking around in it. They have many ornate tombstones and such, usually brightly decorated with flowers. Many of them have framed pictures or portraits of the deceased. They are usually very well maintained.
Anyway, I digress. Down Belice, the street, and just about at the intersection to San Salvador was this lively little place. It had a small wooden bar with blue-wash walls. There was a pool table and the place was fairly crowded. There were two white brick decorative arches along one of the walls with paintings of Puerto Vallarta on the wall underneath them. The rest of the decor consisted primarily of posters of scantily clad women and cars. Kind of what you would expect to see in a garage. There were a couple of pictures of Marilyn Monroe as well. There was kind of a darker room of to one side with a few tables and chairs and several people were in there drinking but I didn't pop my head in to check it out. There were plenty of people in the main room where I was and a couple came over to ask me where I was from, where I was staying, how I liked Puerto Vallarta, etc. Seemed like a friendly enough crowd that probably didn't see to many tourists in the place. Definitly a local hangout, looked like everyone in the place pretty much knew each other.
I had a Pacifico and ate some of the tasty spiced peanuts in the bowl on the bar.
I couldn't see too much more in the area so I decided to simply take the long walk home. It was getting really cloudy and I actually thought it might rain, although that would be most unusual for this time of year.
Knocked off 2 more on a day I thought would be a day-off so I now have 706 left to go.
293) Centro Butanero Caballo Ballo
The only word in the name that I know is 'caballo' that means either horse or rider, depending upon its useage. All there was was the sign above a little doorway that opened directly onto a flight of cement stairs. I found the doorway and saw the sign because I had heard the click of billiard balls and was tracking it down. There was a Corona sign in the stairwell so I took a chance and went upstairs. The doorway was located on Rio Danubio (the street, not the river) just down the street from Brasillio.
There was, indeed, a bar there. It was a long old wooden bar with six wooden bar stools or chairs (they had backs). There wasn't a brass rail but there was a small brick protrusion that you could rest your foot upon if you chose to stand. The plave had a red-tile floor, the standard variety you see everywhere, and a jukebox playing Mexican melodies. There was a billiard table and a couple of older guys playing three-cushion, although not very well, from what I could tell. They were drinking and having a happy time though, keeping an eye on a soccer game that was playing on the one televison set. To the side of the billiard table was a large wooden cue holder with a broken mirror. Looked like the kind of place where a mirror might get broken. There were a couple of pictures of a Mexican rodeo on the wall, one mounted on either side of the pool cue holder. Maybe that is where the place got its name. There were seven white plastic tables covered with red and white checked tablecloths with the Corona logo on them. The white plastic chairs also had the Corona logo.
I had a Pacifico.
294) Nuevo Maracaibo Bar
It turned out that I wasn't too far from a fairly large walled cemetery. I walked around it but didn't find anymore bars so I walked straight down the street from the entrance. Mexican cemeteries are really interesting affairs and if I wasn't on a mission I might have spent some time looking around in it. They have many ornate tombstones and such, usually brightly decorated with flowers. Many of them have framed pictures or portraits of the deceased. They are usually very well maintained.
Anyway, I digress. Down Belice, the street, and just about at the intersection to San Salvador was this lively little place. It had a small wooden bar with blue-wash walls. There was a pool table and the place was fairly crowded. There were two white brick decorative arches along one of the walls with paintings of Puerto Vallarta on the wall underneath them. The rest of the decor consisted primarily of posters of scantily clad women and cars. Kind of what you would expect to see in a garage. There were a couple of pictures of Marilyn Monroe as well. There was kind of a darker room of to one side with a few tables and chairs and several people were in there drinking but I didn't pop my head in to check it out. There were plenty of people in the main room where I was and a couple came over to ask me where I was from, where I was staying, how I liked Puerto Vallarta, etc. Seemed like a friendly enough crowd that probably didn't see to many tourists in the place. Definitly a local hangout, looked like everyone in the place pretty much knew each other.
I had a Pacifico and ate some of the tasty spiced peanuts in the bowl on the bar.
I couldn't see too much more in the area so I decided to simply take the long walk home. It was getting really cloudy and I actually thought it might rain, although that would be most unusual for this time of year.
Knocked off 2 more on a day I thought would be a day-off so I now have 706 left to go.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Another Slow Saturday
Didn't do any bar-hopping today. Went out for breakfast and then my buddy did some last-minute shopping before he leaves tomorrow. Kind of an overcast, drizzly day. Most unusual for this time of year. We went out for dinner and did stop for one cocktail on the way.
292) Kit Kat Club
This is a New York style martini bar on Pulpito, not far from my place. It has a small, marble-like bar with four modernistic metal backed stools with rattan seats. There is a black-light under the bar overhang. The wall behind the bar is painted tangerine and their is a large round mirror mounted on it. Two nubians holding up lamps are on the shelf behind the bar. There is a small Red-Bull refrigerator there too that looks a bit out-of-place. The wall to the left of the bar is painted the same color of tangerine as behind the bar and there are five of the same round mirrors mounted on it. The rest of the walls are painted white. The floor is light tan and dark tan linoleum. The large darker squares are set off by slightly raised, and quite sharp, metal dividers. A buddy of mine fell off a chair here a few years back and took off a major patch of skin on the tip of one of his fingers. Lot's of blood and subsequent pain. We got no sympathy from our spouses, just lots of grief.
There are large glass sliding doors that separate the interior from a small outside seating area. There are nice marble topped chairs about the place with comfortable white-fabric covered chairs. Parchement cone shades sit atop the lamps on the tables. The chairs on the outside area are more like backed cushions.
I had a Lime Drop martini (vodka, lime, sugar served in a sugar rimmed martini glass) and my buddy had a Dreamsickle (vodka, orange-juice, cream).
We finished these up and went to dinner and ended up stuffing ourselves to the point where nobody felt like going anywhere for an after dinner drink. No common sense.
I will probably take tomorrow off. It is Sunday and my buddy is leaving so we probably won't be doing much. I plan on being back at it again on Monday though. One more notch on the bottle and 708 left to go.
292) Kit Kat Club
This is a New York style martini bar on Pulpito, not far from my place. It has a small, marble-like bar with four modernistic metal backed stools with rattan seats. There is a black-light under the bar overhang. The wall behind the bar is painted tangerine and their is a large round mirror mounted on it. Two nubians holding up lamps are on the shelf behind the bar. There is a small Red-Bull refrigerator there too that looks a bit out-of-place. The wall to the left of the bar is painted the same color of tangerine as behind the bar and there are five of the same round mirrors mounted on it. The rest of the walls are painted white. The floor is light tan and dark tan linoleum. The large darker squares are set off by slightly raised, and quite sharp, metal dividers. A buddy of mine fell off a chair here a few years back and took off a major patch of skin on the tip of one of his fingers. Lot's of blood and subsequent pain. We got no sympathy from our spouses, just lots of grief.
There are large glass sliding doors that separate the interior from a small outside seating area. There are nice marble topped chairs about the place with comfortable white-fabric covered chairs. Parchement cone shades sit atop the lamps on the tables. The chairs on the outside area are more like backed cushions.
I had a Lime Drop martini (vodka, lime, sugar served in a sugar rimmed martini glass) and my buddy had a Dreamsickle (vodka, orange-juice, cream).
We finished these up and went to dinner and ended up stuffing ourselves to the point where nobody felt like going anywhere for an after dinner drink. No common sense.
I will probably take tomorrow off. It is Sunday and my buddy is leaving so we probably won't be doing much. I plan on being back at it again on Monday though. One more notch on the bottle and 708 left to go.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Slow Day
Today was a bit of a slow day. We went to the production of Manhattan Music at the Santa Barbara Theater last night. I had talked to the owner earlier about my thousand-bar quest. After the performance he had me get up on the stage and introduced me to the audience. Their was a photographer from the Vallarta Tribue and he took a few pictures. Supposedly one or more of them will be in next week´s edition of the paper. We shall see, and I will keep you posted.
291) Que?Pasa
This place is right upstairs to the Santa Barbara Theater so I popped in for a quick drink before the performance. It had a gray marble bar and a red tile floor. The place was pretty crowded and it was open-mic night. The guy singing was pretty good. There were a lot of Christmas tree lights strewn about and those lite-from-within tin star things hanging from the ceiling. This place used to be owned by the same people that own the Santa Barbara Theater and they used to have a weekly bingo game that was quite fun. Sadly, they have been discontinued.
I had a gin and tonic and headed back for the show.
After the show we just headed home. Not much progress, as I said, but nibbling away and now 709 left to go.
291) Que?Pasa
This place is right upstairs to the Santa Barbara Theater so I popped in for a quick drink before the performance. It had a gray marble bar and a red tile floor. The place was pretty crowded and it was open-mic night. The guy singing was pretty good. There were a lot of Christmas tree lights strewn about and those lite-from-within tin star things hanging from the ceiling. This place used to be owned by the same people that own the Santa Barbara Theater and they used to have a weekly bingo game that was quite fun. Sadly, they have been discontinued.
I had a gin and tonic and headed back for the show.
After the show we just headed home. Not much progress, as I said, but nibbling away and now 709 left to go.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Marina and More
Today I decided to take a trip out to the marina here in town. It is a bit of a bus ride, but not all that far. Lot's of boats, as you would expect, and more bars than I could reasonably hit in one day. I will be back again at least once and probably twice.
274) Brando's
The bar is pretty much right on the water. It has a pastel ceramic front and a light wooden top. The bar has a palapa top to it and the supports are wrapped with Christmas lights, although they weren't turned on at this time of day. There is a red tile floor and it is open all around. There are a couple of televisions, but they were turned off as well. There are two blue-felt covered pool tables off to one side. A great view of the sailboats and yachts in the harbor. The bar had comfortable blue cushioned wrought-iron stools. Although I only had a beer, my wife and friend had non-alcoholic drinks, a lemonade and a clamatoe concoction of some kind. The bartender was like a chef, tasting here concoctions and then adjusting the ingredients as she saw fit. A real pleasure to watch.
I had a Pacifico, and the bartender did not taste it.
275) El Fogon
This place had their bar set well back from the water. It also had nice wrought-iron barstools with soft cushions. Needless to say, the comfort of the barstools gets to be a matter of concern at times. The back area where the bar is located had a tan tile floor and the walls were orange and yellow painted plaster. The much larger front area had a red tile floor. This area is open air with a white plaster ceiling covering half of it and a bright orange awning covering the rest. There is a lady griling tacos on a small grill in the front and after finishing my beer I joined my wife and friend to have a few. Quite good.
In the back by the bar was a table with a little fish-bowl containing a small turtle. The small son of the proprietor explained that it was his pet but I didn't quite catch its name.
I had a Pacifico.
276) Port Hole
A blue ceramic tile-front par with a black and silver faux granite top. Tan linoleum with pastel flecks covered the bar. The walls were painted blue with clouds on one of them and white smears on the others. Maybe the artist grew weary of his work. Blue glass fronting bare bulbs above kitchen type cabinets were behind the bar. There was a bit of a flamingo theme to the place, from the one peaking through the port hole on the sign, to the plastic flamingos in front, and down to flamingo glasses and stir-sticks. This was a very friendly little place being run by two Canadian women. They also sold ice-cream. The cooking channel was on and the patrons as well as the help, and us, seemed to take great interest in the shows. My friend was particularly interested in the segment about how to cook steak.
I had a healthy gin and tonic and my friend had a shot of tequila that was definetly poured with a heavy hand.
277) Las Palomas Doradas
This was a really nice place with a very nice wooden bar and a glass and wood liquor cabinet. Mirrored pillars and nice paintings of Mexican scenery and village life on the walls. There was a wooden buddha sitting on the bar that has an Indonesian rather than Chinese look to it. A shelf above the bar held Mexican crockery and some Mayan type statues. The place had very nice tables and chairs. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and then had smaller white tablecloths on top of those. Elegant place-settings completed the look. There were sprigs of coleus on each table and a large potted ficus near the back wall. There was also an very ornately framed mirror on one wall.
I had a refreshing frozen margarita.
278) Fajita Banana
My last stop in the marina, at least for today, was this sports bar. It had a fair amount of sports memorabilia about the place and several televisions. Mexican music videos were on the one behind the bar, a Mexican soap opera was on the one in the back, and various sports shows, primarily soccer, were on the rest. There were behive type of light fixtures, fairly common in Mexico, above the bar with yellow bulbs. We got to stare at a purple and yellow Camel cigarette sign behind the bar with the cautionary "FUMAR ES CAUSA DE CANCER" warning. The bar it said was made of some cement/plastic like surface with a bamboo front.
I had a chilled Tradicional tequila.
279) Esmeralda
On the way home we kind of took the wrong bus. It would have gotten us back to where we wanted to go, but in a round-about way. When it took a left off the main road back we got off. It stopped right across the street from the bullfight ring and in front of a little, up a narrow staircase, bar. Today was the day of the weekly bullfight, but it appeals mostly to tourists. The caliber of the bullfighters are probably the equivalent to a very minor league baseball team. The top fighters fight in larger cities with some of the best in Mexico city. I have never been to a bull fight here. The bar is open air on three sides and overlooks both the bullfight ring and the busy road that our bus was originally on. It also afforded a nice view of three of the four cruise ships that were in port. The place has a fairly new pool table. Just a two stool wooden bar in the back but lots of tables about the place. After finishing my beer at the bar I sat and joined the others who were served a plate of cucumber slices with their drinks. Once, a few years back, my wife locked herself in the bathroom here and couldn't get out without assistance. We don't talk about that much anymore.
I had a Pacifico.
280) Maguelito's
We walked across the street and caught the "right" bus back into town. On the way back to our place from the bus stop we passed this fairly nice place. It is also known as the Treehouse because it is a two story affair built kind of around a large tree. It is pretty much right across the street from Steve's. It has a dark wood bar fronted by bamboo. The stools are also nicely padded. The back of the place has wooden plank floors and the front has mexican tiles. There was some interesting artwork on the walls that looked to be made out of a combination of leather and rope. The walls were bright red and there were shelves with old books and other assorted stuff on the walls. There was a dart board on one wall but, given its proximity to the bar and tables, I am not sure if it is used very often. There is a nice waterfall in the entrance and you cross over a little wooden bridge to enter.
I had a Don Julio reposada and we all headed home for sunset at the pool.
281) Boca Bento
We went here for dinner but I had a drink at the bar before joining my companions. This is a fairly new place. Last year it was the 180 and it had a swimming pool that customers could use and live music a couple of days a week. The pool has been covered and there is now a roof over what was an open-to-the-air area. The bar was a very nice wavy wooden topped affair with a light cement front. There was a very nice wrap-around mural that is somewhat hard to describe. Not exactly abstract, but not realistic either. Bright colors, people smoking cigars, some of which looked like calypso drums, wine bottles, etc. It had a bit of a Cuban look to it and was painted in 2004 by someone named Maciaf (if I read the name right). Their beer and martini glasses were kept chilled in a refrigerator behind the bar.
Although a bit off of the mission statement, the food was delicious and I will, in all liklihood, be returning.
I had a gin and tonic and that was the end of my trek for the day.
Not a bad day at all and down to 719 left to go.
274) Brando's
The bar is pretty much right on the water. It has a pastel ceramic front and a light wooden top. The bar has a palapa top to it and the supports are wrapped with Christmas lights, although they weren't turned on at this time of day. There is a red tile floor and it is open all around. There are a couple of televisions, but they were turned off as well. There are two blue-felt covered pool tables off to one side. A great view of the sailboats and yachts in the harbor. The bar had comfortable blue cushioned wrought-iron stools. Although I only had a beer, my wife and friend had non-alcoholic drinks, a lemonade and a clamatoe concoction of some kind. The bartender was like a chef, tasting here concoctions and then adjusting the ingredients as she saw fit. A real pleasure to watch.
I had a Pacifico, and the bartender did not taste it.
275) El Fogon
This place had their bar set well back from the water. It also had nice wrought-iron barstools with soft cushions. Needless to say, the comfort of the barstools gets to be a matter of concern at times. The back area where the bar is located had a tan tile floor and the walls were orange and yellow painted plaster. The much larger front area had a red tile floor. This area is open air with a white plaster ceiling covering half of it and a bright orange awning covering the rest. There is a lady griling tacos on a small grill in the front and after finishing my beer I joined my wife and friend to have a few. Quite good.
In the back by the bar was a table with a little fish-bowl containing a small turtle. The small son of the proprietor explained that it was his pet but I didn't quite catch its name.
I had a Pacifico.
276) Port Hole
A blue ceramic tile-front par with a black and silver faux granite top. Tan linoleum with pastel flecks covered the bar. The walls were painted blue with clouds on one of them and white smears on the others. Maybe the artist grew weary of his work. Blue glass fronting bare bulbs above kitchen type cabinets were behind the bar. There was a bit of a flamingo theme to the place, from the one peaking through the port hole on the sign, to the plastic flamingos in front, and down to flamingo glasses and stir-sticks. This was a very friendly little place being run by two Canadian women. They also sold ice-cream. The cooking channel was on and the patrons as well as the help, and us, seemed to take great interest in the shows. My friend was particularly interested in the segment about how to cook steak.
I had a healthy gin and tonic and my friend had a shot of tequila that was definetly poured with a heavy hand.
277) Las Palomas Doradas
This was a really nice place with a very nice wooden bar and a glass and wood liquor cabinet. Mirrored pillars and nice paintings of Mexican scenery and village life on the walls. There was a wooden buddha sitting on the bar that has an Indonesian rather than Chinese look to it. A shelf above the bar held Mexican crockery and some Mayan type statues. The place had very nice tables and chairs. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and then had smaller white tablecloths on top of those. Elegant place-settings completed the look. There were sprigs of coleus on each table and a large potted ficus near the back wall. There was also an very ornately framed mirror on one wall.
I had a refreshing frozen margarita.
278) Fajita Banana
My last stop in the marina, at least for today, was this sports bar. It had a fair amount of sports memorabilia about the place and several televisions. Mexican music videos were on the one behind the bar, a Mexican soap opera was on the one in the back, and various sports shows, primarily soccer, were on the rest. There were behive type of light fixtures, fairly common in Mexico, above the bar with yellow bulbs. We got to stare at a purple and yellow Camel cigarette sign behind the bar with the cautionary "FUMAR ES CAUSA DE CANCER" warning. The bar it said was made of some cement/plastic like surface with a bamboo front.
I had a chilled Tradicional tequila.
279) Esmeralda
On the way home we kind of took the wrong bus. It would have gotten us back to where we wanted to go, but in a round-about way. When it took a left off the main road back we got off. It stopped right across the street from the bullfight ring and in front of a little, up a narrow staircase, bar. Today was the day of the weekly bullfight, but it appeals mostly to tourists. The caliber of the bullfighters are probably the equivalent to a very minor league baseball team. The top fighters fight in larger cities with some of the best in Mexico city. I have never been to a bull fight here. The bar is open air on three sides and overlooks both the bullfight ring and the busy road that our bus was originally on. It also afforded a nice view of three of the four cruise ships that were in port. The place has a fairly new pool table. Just a two stool wooden bar in the back but lots of tables about the place. After finishing my beer at the bar I sat and joined the others who were served a plate of cucumber slices with their drinks. Once, a few years back, my wife locked herself in the bathroom here and couldn't get out without assistance. We don't talk about that much anymore.
I had a Pacifico.
280) Maguelito's
We walked across the street and caught the "right" bus back into town. On the way back to our place from the bus stop we passed this fairly nice place. It is also known as the Treehouse because it is a two story affair built kind of around a large tree. It is pretty much right across the street from Steve's. It has a dark wood bar fronted by bamboo. The stools are also nicely padded. The back of the place has wooden plank floors and the front has mexican tiles. There was some interesting artwork on the walls that looked to be made out of a combination of leather and rope. The walls were bright red and there were shelves with old books and other assorted stuff on the walls. There was a dart board on one wall but, given its proximity to the bar and tables, I am not sure if it is used very often. There is a nice waterfall in the entrance and you cross over a little wooden bridge to enter.
I had a Don Julio reposada and we all headed home for sunset at the pool.
281) Boca Bento
We went here for dinner but I had a drink at the bar before joining my companions. This is a fairly new place. Last year it was the 180 and it had a swimming pool that customers could use and live music a couple of days a week. The pool has been covered and there is now a roof over what was an open-to-the-air area. The bar was a very nice wavy wooden topped affair with a light cement front. There was a very nice wrap-around mural that is somewhat hard to describe. Not exactly abstract, but not realistic either. Bright colors, people smoking cigars, some of which looked like calypso drums, wine bottles, etc. It had a bit of a Cuban look to it and was painted in 2004 by someone named Maciaf (if I read the name right). Their beer and martini glasses were kept chilled in a refrigerator behind the bar.
Although a bit off of the mission statement, the food was delicious and I will, in all liklihood, be returning.
I had a gin and tonic and that was the end of my trek for the day.
Not a bad day at all and down to 719 left to go.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
A Rocky Day At The Palm
Today was a not the most productive of days, but that was somewhat anticipated. In fact, I didn't even go out for a drink until 11:00 P.M.
273) The Palm
This place was mentioned before when I wrote about Reggies, across the street. It is primarily a gay bar and they were having a live performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It wasn't bad considering they did it with a cast of just seven in a fairly cramped area with no real stage, just a small area in front of a screen where they usually show music videos. The music was all lip-synched, which was a good thing I would guess. Giving the nature of The Palm, this version was even campier than the film.
The whole place is fairly dark and the bar itself is in a relatively narrow raised area to the right of the larger seating area where the performance took place. The bar is dark wood with kind of intricate "woven" wood stools. The lower area has numerous tables and chairs in the same pattern of the bar-stools. There are also a row of stools back against the rise to the bar. I sat there for awhile but not only were the uncomfortable, I kept getting in the way of the performers and they ran about.
I had a gin and tonic at the bar and then another at a table while I watched Rocky and the crew. Quite entertaining.
My progress is hardly worth noting, but a bar is a bar. Just 727 left to go.
273) The Palm
This place was mentioned before when I wrote about Reggies, across the street. It is primarily a gay bar and they were having a live performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It wasn't bad considering they did it with a cast of just seven in a fairly cramped area with no real stage, just a small area in front of a screen where they usually show music videos. The music was all lip-synched, which was a good thing I would guess. Giving the nature of The Palm, this version was even campier than the film.
The whole place is fairly dark and the bar itself is in a relatively narrow raised area to the right of the larger seating area where the performance took place. The bar is dark wood with kind of intricate "woven" wood stools. The lower area has numerous tables and chairs in the same pattern of the bar-stools. There are also a row of stools back against the rise to the bar. I sat there for awhile but not only were the uncomfortable, I kept getting in the way of the performers and they ran about.
I had a gin and tonic at the bar and then another at a table while I watched Rocky and the crew. Quite entertaining.
My progress is hardly worth noting, but a bar is a bar. Just 727 left to go.
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