Buddy's - Richmond, Virginia

Buddy's is an old Northeastern type corner bar stuck in The Fan section of Richmond.
Bars come and go in Richmond. Not many have staying power. Confiscatory ABC laws does not make bar ownership attractive and profitable to many in Virginia.
Somehow Buddy's has found a way to survive along with keeping it's old neighborhood feel.
Not much has changed at Buddy's in the last 25years.
A single bar with wooden booths along the outer wall. A few flat screens which broadcasts mostly sports in the evening.
Decent pub fare from the kitchen. Always a hustle and bustle in the evenings.
Buddy's is well off the Virginia Commonwealth campus, which is located at the other end of The Fan.
The clientele is a mix of local Fan residence and upscale suburbanites from the West End of the city.
Most have a connection with Buddy's from the past.
It is one of the few places I will take out of town visitors.

The Beach Bar-St John USVI

St JohnVI- The Beach Bar is an outdoor spot which sits on a small beach in Cruz Bay, St John's main port.
Just a ferry ride from St Thomas, you can let the Caribbean lap at your feet while enjoying a cocktail. Cheap tropical drinks are plenty like the $4 Painkiller (rum, orange and pineapple juices, coco lopez and nutmeg). There’s live music on most weekend nights, plus jazz on Sundays.
From local favorites to Trey Anastasia of Phish, you never know who may show up to play at The Beach Bar!
Part of the fun is trying to catch the ferry back to St Thomas if you are not staying on the island. Especially if it is the last boat of the evening.

Sullivan's Tap, Boston

An old time joint which sits perpendicular to the front of the old Boston Garden. With the new barn built just 8 feet from the wall of the old, Sully's is still a staple before and after Bruins games.
A tight but long bar with scattered sports memorabilia on the walls.
It is a place with roots in a sports crowd but appears to try hard not to brand itself as a sports bar.
Usually there is no room to walk or even belly up to the bar.
There is a warmth to the place when you walk in from the bitter chill of downtown Boston on a winter's evening. The sounds of the hustle and bustle outside disappear when you walk though the doors.
On a St Patrick's Day 2 years back while attending a hockey tournament I picked up the first round. Fighting to get my place at the bar a guy next to me ordered a beer called Brubakers.
He looked over and asked me if I ever had that gem. Then began raving about how good it was.
I couldn't resist. I ordered 5 for the crew.
I think my round came to like $6. Not a good sign.
That coupled with the fact the bottles were 1950's thick and weighed close to 10 pounds a piece and were covered with dust.
I muscled my way through the crowd to dispense my buy. And caught holy shit for it.
Some good came out of the it. I was forbidden from buying another round the rest of the night.
It was St Patrick's Day so I save a boatload.

Dirty Franks, Philadelphia

No windows. No frills. No level bar. No sign. If you don't know about it, you'll never find it.
This is only a place you would find by accident. In my case, a co-worker happened to live on the block and suggested this place.
Growing up in a seedy neighborhood with tap rooms on every corner, this place was not too foreign for me.
I once took an out of town friend here one Saturday morning before an afternoon Flyers matinee game. I went to use the bathroom when I noticed there was no door and with the pisser in full view of the bar.
When I got back to the bar, I told the bartender I was here on Thursday night and swore there was a door at the mens room. He informed me there was a fight last night. A guy ripped the door off the hinges to beat the other guy over the head with.
You never know who will be there. The crowd is a cross section of society's seediest. Where everyone seems to be welcomed.
I once took another out of town buddy who was from a large Northeast city. A former offensive lineman in college. Very large and never intimidate. After the first round I went to order a second. He leaned in and said, "Let's get the fuck outta here".
My last excursion was this summer after a Phils v Red Sox game. After the afternoon game, we went with a first timer. We couldn't get him to leave.
May be the best dive bar I have ever been to. And how bad can a place with a mural of Frank Sinatra painted on the outside wall?

Stan's Sports Bar, Bronx, NY

Stan's is located under the elevated train tracks on the outside of (old) Yankee Stadium.
The bar is located in the center of the floor and walls decorated with old Yankee memorabilia.
A great atmosphere before, during or after ball games.
The crowd is spirited. One Saturday afternoon after the Yankees beat Seattle, the Little League World Series championship game came on the TV. The US team was from Toms River (NJ).
The crowd was engrossed and hung on every pitch. After runs were scored or the locals finished off an inning, the entire place erupted in "U.S.A. U.S.A" chants.
We are not sure how the dynamics of the place will change once the Bombers move next door.
The view from Stans is basically tressels and the tall backside of the (old) stadium.
Once the old stadium is demolished, the site is going to be a park.

It's Always Sunny.....

Long before the hit show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Paddy's was an Old City standby in the shadows of the Ben Franklin Bridge.
I was introduced to Paddy's by a guy at work who lived in the neighborhood.
On a scale from dive bar to upscale, condemned comes to mind.
One night after a Flyers game I took an out of town buddy here. A Harley was parked on the sidewalk and no patrons were inside. The Harley was the bartender's. The female bartender.
We got to talking about cheap beers we drank in college. We asked for the shitiest beer she had behind the counter.
She opened the cellar trap door behind the bar, climbed down a ladder and emerged a few minutes later with a case of Ortliebs (out of business long ago).
We each drank one. Being the objective was to drink the cheapest beer, we asked how much we were being charged. The response was; "You can drink this shit all night for free".
A good idea at the time. Until later that evening when my new seersucker sofa was introduced to some new shades of greens, reds and vomit pinks.
Paddy's also, before their $45 renovation, had one narrow bathroom. On the wall hung a sign that read something to the effect: "State Health Dept Requires Handwashing Prior To Returning to Work". The sign hung above the toilet. The room had no sink for the food servers to wash their hands.
Behind the bar are plenty of police related memorabilia along with a photo of Mayor Rizzo.
This is the inspiration of the bar on the sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Neither the outside or the inside of the bar on the TV show are the real Paddy's.

Mutt Lynch's Newport Beach, CA

A beachfront bar located on The Strand in Newport Beach. A local institution since 1976. I was introduced to Mutts in the early 90's when I made annual trips to Dodgers and Angels games from Boston while visiting an old fraternity brother.
It has become a Southern California destination since.
With a quintessential So Cal surfer decor, Mutt's is a friendly type pub with great pizza.
It doesn't hurt that the bartenders are usually female. Very talented females.
When things get rocking during a sunny summer day, a crowd of men occupy the large picture window facing the beach and yell scores to the constant parade of bikini clad local.
A Southern California "4" is an East Coast "9".
A great place to hang out even on a Sunday morning with a copy of the LA Times to take you through the first football or baseball game.
I opened the place on Game 1 day of the Angels 2002 World Series at 10 AM.
Working for a So Cal based company, I was always able introduce the local office boys to this joint. On their dime.