I love to go to downtrodden parts of town and visit shady bars. The ones that open at 6AM are my favorites even though I very rarely drink that early. Establishments in California cannot legally serve alcohol between 2AM and 6AM. At this point the only bars in Los Angeles that have the ability to open at 6AM are those that have occupied the same location for many years. Presumably most cities in Los Angeles County will not grant any new liquor licenses that permit taverns to start serving so early. The cities are probably just hoping that the old stalwarts that open their doors at 6AM will eventually go out of business. That would really be a shame because those old dives are fascinating gateways into the past. No one I know understands my fascination with these places. I just go to them by myself and don't mention it to anyone because it bugs me when they shake their heads with disgust and warn me that I'm going to get in trouble. These are the same people that go on vacation to Mexico.

Anyways, I came across some interesting stories today on the Net. Evidently the editor of the LA Alternative Press assigned a group of writers to go check out some bars in Los Angeles County when they openned for business at 6AM. Some of the writer's impressions are very interesting. I was most amused by how some of the authors enjoyed the experience and others were completely disgusted by what they found in the dimly lit venues. Here's a link to their words:

www.laalternativepress.com/v03n23/feature/feature.php


- XXOO Tanya