Old Towne Pub is the kind of bar that requires a purposeful visit.  A locals spot, if you will.  The bar’s main entrance is hidden in an alley behind high-end shops on Holly Street.  The sign is difficult to see if you are simply taking a stroll.  But walk through the short alley and through the inconspicuous door and you find a small venue of simple drinks and loud music awaits.  The tap selection is decent, with about six to twelve beers on tap, depending on if they are serving from both tap stations.  The full bar also allows those not interested in brews to wash the work day off with liquor, which is cool too.  We don’t judge.

Coming after work can be a bit of a drag.  As I said, due to its location it doesn’t get a large crowd of the casual after-work folk, making for a very empty bar.  Unless you’re looking for an intimate conversation with the bartender, there’s probably some other place you can hit up.  But come the later evening, head back through the alley to Old Towne Pub.  Be sure to check their website for your next visit and come to hear one of the many bands that make their home on the small stage.  Head outside to the back patio on warm summer nights in Pasadena and relax with your friends over drinks while the music vibrates off the brick walls.  Who doesn’t love a little rock music with their Raging Bitch?  The beer, not your friend- at least I’m assuming.

Transit

Metro Rail: Gold Line Station @ Memorial Park

Metro Bus: 780 Rapid, 762 Rapid, 180, 260

Old Towne Pub is conveniently located a mere two-blocks west of the Memorial Park station for the Metro Gold Line light-rail.  This is probably your best bet getting to here from pretty much anywhere.  Whether your coming from the Westside, the Valley or Long Beach, simply grab your respective transit to get you to Union Station and transfer to the Gold Line to take you in to Pasadena.  If you’re more of a bus person (or stay out beyond midnight), there are a few bus options.  Westsiders and all those in between can grap the 780 Rapid which travels from Culver City and up Fairfax before making a dart to Pasadena via Hollywood Blvd.  The 762 Rapid is for those heading south to the Artesia Station (near Compton) on the Blue Line and those spots in between.  The 180 and 260 serve those same routes respectively.

Old Towne Pub
66 N. Fair Oaks Ave.
(Enter via alley on Holly St.)
Pasadena, CA 91103
www.theoldtownepub.com

As anyone who has every been to an institute of higher learning knows, the only thing better than beer is more beer.  And Busby’s doesn’t dissapoint.  Plenty of beer available to chose from with a decent selection of brews on tap.  They also offer a full bar if you are just not feeling the game day suds.  Come in with your blue and gold or cardinal colors and grab a seat.  Don’t be surprised if alumni from the Cal Band bust out instruments and begin playing fight songs at will.  But that’s ok, you can drink to enjoy or drink until you just stop caring.  It’s all good.

The bar is crawling with LCD screens so you wont miss any moment of college sports action.  The secret spot may be the far right corner at the front.  It is often ignored (or avoided) because it gets a little warm.  But it offers a big LCD screen virtually all to yourself with easy access to the bartender.  Busby’s also serves food and the prices are decent.  It’s bar food so don’t expect anything special.  Its pure salty, greasy goodness at Busb’y to quench your over-the-legal-limit cravings.  All your needs in one place!

Not a Cal or Stanford alum?  That’s ok, nobody’s perfect.  Busby’s West is still a great sports bar.  Come in for drinks and games and root for any of your favorite college or professional teams.

Transit

LA Metro: 4, 704 Rapid, 20, 720

The LA Metro 4 bus will drop you off right at the corner of Santa Monica & Berkeley, just a few yards from the front door of Busby’s.  The 704 Rapid bus will drop you off a few blocks away if you get off at Bundy or 26th Street.  Busby’s is pretty much in the middle of those two stops.  If Wilshire Blvd. is a better street for you to originate from, then take the 20 or 720.  This bus route is parallel to the directions for the 4 and 704, just two blocks north.  So you can get off the 4 at Wilshire & Berkeley and simply walk south on Berkeley for two blocks to get to Busby’s.  And so on.

Busby’s West
3110 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
www.busbysla.com

Date night should begin, rightfully so, with food.  Since you can’t get all your needs at one place, there are many options in the area for food.  If you’re going to more high-end route, check out Wood & Vine for some small plats and great drinks.  If you want the more casual, yet fun, date hit up one of the many great burger spots nearby (Umami, Juicy Burger, Fuku Burger).  After dinner, head to Hollywood Blvd. for a night of more drinks and good laughs.

Right in front of the club’s main stage (entrance on Hollywood Blvd) is a simple, straight to the point bar.  A host of liquors and a small collection of draft beers mean you can enjoy whatever drinks you see fit at dive bar prices.  Stand close with other comedy club fans and enjoy your drinks.  If you didn’t buy your ticket in advance, head to the end of the small room to the ticket booth.  Tickets for a Friday will be $10.  Shows on other days of the work week can be as low as $5.

When the show starts, feel free to take your drink into the main stage.  If you finish half way through the show, there is table service available.  Besides, comedy is more fun when your buzzed, anyway.  Some shows include celebrity guests from popular shows like Chelsea Lately, Mad Men, Community and others.  I would recommend you visit on a Friday night for “Opening Night”.  For the low price of $10 a ticket, a group of performers take a suggestion from the audience as inspiration for a 1-hour long play, complete with musical numbers.  Get ready for random suggestions and equally random yet hilarious frivolity.

Don’t feel like a comedy show?  The bar is still a bar and there is no obligation to pay for a ticket.  But that would your loss and if you don’t like comedy then I also assume you hate America.  And Freedom.  Christmas and puppies too.

Transit

iO West has an excellent location for transit.  The Hollywood & Vine Metro Rail station is just a couple blocks down Hollywood, providing you easy access to the San Fernando Valley and Downtown Los Angeles.  If you plan to stick around past midnight, grab the 2 bus, which runs all night between Downtown LA and the Westside, or the 217, which also runs all night between Culver City and Hollywood & Vermont.

If you’re coming from the Westside, hop on the 2 or the 302 near UCLA and take it into Hollywood and get off at Sunset & Vine.  Walk up a couple blocks to the bar.  Culver City dwellers can enjoy the 217 bus that will drop you off right at Hollywood & Caheunga.  If you can grab the 780 from Pasadena, then this too will put you near the club at Hollywood & Vine.

iO West Theater
6366 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
www.ioimprov.com/west/

Located literally steps from the Figueroa St exit of Metro Rail’s 7^th St/Metro Center station, Dublin’s is the dictionary definition of transit-oriented drinking. And the bar itself ain’t half bad, either. Boasting nearly 100 taps – almost all of which are priced at $4 each, all day, every day – Dublin’s is a large yet cozy Downtown haunt lacking the pretentiousness one might expect in the Downtown drinking scene.

While $4 pints are the biggest reason to go to Dublin’s, there are several other reason why you might wanna stick around for a while. The beer list is extensive, if not exactly eclectic. You won’t find rare beer delicacies here, but you’re all but guaranteed to find something you’ll get $4 worth of enjoyment out of. Ample seating, both at tables and the bar, means that you’ll rarely be standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers you don’t care to run up against. The bar is large and features several flat screen TV’s like most typical sports bars. It’s a great place to catch the game, but the ambient noise levels are low enough for you to enjoy a conversational night out with friends.

As a side note, architecture aficionados would be well-advised to take a moment to admire the building’s nifty façade before barreling through the front doors on your way to getting hammered.

Despite great offerings, many of the beers of their tap list will more often than not be unavailable (perhaps they have issues with delivery on occasion).  If you’re feeling hungry, the food is decent but it’s nothing to write home about – totally average bar food.  And the bathrooms, located in the dimly lit basement, are charming in their griminess and dubious state of maintenance.

Regardless, Dublin’s is an excellent place to knock a few back if you’re Downtown after work or during a big game. Perpetual happy hour, despite the occasional draft beer Russian roulette, is difficult to best. If you’re on a tight drinking budget, Dublin’s is worth the trip Downtown. And who knows, you and your party may accidentally discover one of the several thousand other things that make Downtown one of LA’s most underrated spots.

Transit

LA Metro Rail: Red Line, Purple Line, Blue Line at 7th & Figueroa Station (“7th Street Metro Center Station”)

LA Metro Bus: 20, 720 Rapid, 760 Rapid

There are literally dozens of transit options you can use to get to Dublin’s, more than can be practically talked about here.  So here are the major ones:

Metro Rail Red, Purple, and Blue Lines are your best bet, as either line will take you directly to 7th and Figueroa, less than half a block from Dublin’s at 7th & Flower. Metro’s Silver Line bus way that connects Downtown LA to the Gardena area will drop you a block away on 6th and Hope. Then just grab a seat on the Rapid 720 and 760 buses which will get you within a few blocks.  Or you can, you know… walk it.

For those coming from the Westside, where trains are slow on construction and implementation (Subway to the Sea, anyone?), grab a seat on the 20 or 720 Rapid which will bring you all the way into Downtown LA.  Hop off the 720 Rapid at 6th & Hope and walk only a few blocks west.  If you took the 20, you can get off Wilshire & Flower.  Dublins is just on the other side of the block.

Short version: if you’re reading this blog and can’t get downtown on transit, then god help you.

Dublin’s Irish Pub
815 W 7th St
Los Angeles, CA 90017

While this blog normally focuses on specific bars and clubs, I couldn’t talk about any one club in this specific area of West Hollywood because they are all right here.  To single out one is to neglect the fact they are all accessible!  And they are all pretty good.  So put on your Abercrombie shirt, tighten those Deisel jeans and brace your liver.  It’s on!

The Abbey
692 North Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Named “world’s best gay bar” by MTV’s LOGO (a gayer network than Bravo), this is one of THE most popular bars in West Hollywood if not all of Los Angeles.  It is a gorgeous club housed in a beautiful building of old sand brick, dark wood beams, Spanish tile roofs and iron crosses.  This is where you start your night, or should start your night.  No cover.  The drinks at The Abbey aren’t cheap compared to other nearby clubs but they are objectionably better.  This is where you come when you still care about what you are drinking.  Order yourself a mojito or a wild berry cosmo.  Stand under the heat lamps and do some pretty-people watching and gossip with your friends.  After one or two drinks, it’s time for stop two on this tour.  Besides, it can get almost obnoxiously crowded on Friday and Saturday late  nights.

Motherlode
8944 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Near the corner of Santa Monica & Robertson, and not to far from The Abbey, is Motherlode.  This is one of the least pretentious bars on this strip of SMB, both in terms of customers and staff.  It’s a more mature crowd who just doesn’t have time to do the bitch thing.  This is the type of place that plays random music videos on CRT TV’s that in no way match with what is being played over the speakers.  Simple, cheap and strong drinks await in decently large amounts.  No cover here as well.  Come here when you are looking to hit the ground running with your friends.  It’s a pretty small space that can be deceptive with the wall of mirrors on the upper tier (don’t walk into them you lush).  There is even a single pool table on this upper tier, but it can be more of a nuisance than a asset, especially when people are inches away from hitting your crotch with their cue stick (no pun intended).

The place is cash only but they have an ATM ready right at the front door (how nice).

Fiesta Cantina
8865 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Oh, Fiesta.  It’s a purposeful attempt at a trashy Cancun beach bar.  It even has a fake straw roof.  But that’s ok.  You know you love it and there’s no cover. If you happened to start your night a little earlier and feeling hungry, the food at Fiesta isn’t terrible.  But stick to what you know.  Go for the big plate of nachos.  It’s a definitely a crowd pleaser.

Wait, what time is it?  It’s 10:30!! 10:30 is fiesta time! Yes, they really call it that.  But its true.  At 10:30 begins 2-4-1 specials on all drinks.  Your recession-era dollar just gained purchasing power!

The crowd at Fiesta is on the younger side and the place will definitely fill up by 11:00pm making getting around the bar much more difficult.  If large crowds like this bother you, make sure to be here at 10:30, get your 2-4-1 special and enjoy them for a bit.  But then move on.  Because another round of drinks is actually two rounds of drinks at once.  Cool your jets, Mary.

Trunks
8809 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Trunks is a great little bar in the heart of Boys Town.  The only true dive-y bar in the area.  A simple bar with two great bartenders (I think they’re brothers).  Carpet floors, glass walls and wood beams with plenty of TVs that give the  place a mixed feel of sports and video bar.  In the back there are two pool tables, usually always in use so stake your claim early.  The drinks are good and strong served at San Francisco prices (meaning cheap).  If you’re looking for a bar in the area where you can still hear what your friends are saying and drinkers wont judge you for enjoying a Bud Light, then Trunks is a good choice for you.  No cover for this bar as well.

Rage
8911 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Rage is just one of those clubs everyone should go to at lest once (or twice).  It’s a pretty good dance club due to its large, dedicated dance floor and stage and the fact the bar area is wisely separated from the dance area.  You don’t want people waiting for drinks to get in the way of you dancing wide.

Cover is around $8.00.  There is actually a trick to avoiding this cover and still gaining in-and-out privileges but I hesitate to advertise it in detail.  Nevertheless, I will simply state that if you come early enough before they begin the cover around 9pm, try and score a wrist band from the security guard.

If Firday is your fun day, Rage does “Gameboi” night on Fridays, which is essentially gay Asian male night (hence “GAMeboi”).  Other nights include a Latino night, which is on Wednesdays and called “Fuego” (Spanish for fire).  In either case, the music at Rage is pretty great.  Pop dance remixes and top club hits burst into your ears.  All the songs are nicely mixed and blend in to one another allowing for constant belligerent dancing.  Plus, someone really hot right next to you is bound to take off his shirt at some point.  What’s not to like about that?

Mickey’s
8857 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Mickey’s is your Rage alternative (or vice versa).  It’s another dance club only a few hundred feet away from Rage with its own dedicated dance floor and separated bar area.  But they have two levels of bars, which to us is a win in the right direction.  The staff is hot.  Bartenders serve up your liquid courage shirtless, if not a tad pricey for a two-ingredient drink (around $10).  But you forgive them shortly thereafter because the go-go dancers get up close and personal.  Did you remember to bring dollar bills?  There’s a Bank of America nearby.  Just saying…

The music at Mickey’s is great as well, but less pop dance remixes and more top 40 remixes.  Depending on how you roll, I don’t see a problem.  Besides, when you’re drunk, its really all just bass beats, anyway.

Mickey’s does have a cover, also around $8.00 but without the means to avoid it.  Come in before  or after, you need to pay.  But the club stays open until 4am! (alcohol service stops at 2am per California law).

Ultra Suede
661 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Ultra Suede is arguably the best dance club in the area.  Though a steep cover for the neighborhood at $10 (after 11pm, $5 before), its decently worth it.  A large dance floor with an excellent DJ mixing a range of music over the smell of sweat, alcohol and a fog machine.  Always a good sign.  Come on Saturdays for “Cherry Pop”, definitely the best night for dancing.  Every other Saturday night they have “Super Cherry Pop”.

To understand Super Cherry Pop, you need to understand that this is actually all one building.  On the Robertson Blvd. side, the club is called Ultra Suede.  On the other side of the block on La Peer Dr., it’s called The Factory.  Each club is separated by a set of double doors in the middle, usually closed.  Super Cherry Pop is a night when they open those doors and club goers can travel freely between The Factory and Ultra Suede, experiencing two clubs, two vibes, and two DJs.  Pretty awesome.

Transit

LA Metro Bus: 4, 704 Rapid, 105, 705 Rapid, 305

The intersection of Santa Monica Blvd. & Highland is a good stop for those traveling anywhere between Downtown LA and Santa Monica (city) on along Santa Monica Blvd.  Hop on the 4 or the 704 Rapid and meet in the middle in West Hollywood.  Hop off the bus at Santa Monica & San Vicente and make your choice as to what club you will hit up first.

For those looking to come from a more southerly direction, you can take the 305 which travels from UCLA to West Hollywood to South LA via a random route.  But it will get you to Santa Monica & San Vicente just fine.  However, service for this line stops by 10:30pm.

There is also the 105 or 705 Rapid up La Cienega to West Hollywood.  The 705 rapid service stops around 7pm but the 105 route is 24-hours, which is good for all night party goers.  You can either get off the bus at Santa Monica & La Cienega and walk about 15 minutes to the club area or take it to Santa Monica & San Vicente (stop may vary).

The bar is small with a carpet floor.  Sure, the room has this hidden aroma of urine, but thats ok.  You’re roughing it.  Besides, after a few shots you hardly notice it.  Walk up to the bar with your friends and order a Modelo Negro and a shot of Jameson (a great combo).  Stake your claim at the pool table in the back and play a few rounds.  Prices are cheap so there’s no problem when loser has to buy the next round.  More than two people?  Let the odd-man out play a round of darts while you two battle it out on green velvet.

There should never be any logic to a good dive bar’s music and Frank ‘n Hank’s jukebox means a wonderfully random selection of bar tuneage:  Metalica transitions to Dave Mathews, which transitions to Willie Nelson, which transitions to All American Rejects.  Akward?  To other people, maybe.  To you, its awesome.

Frank ‘n Hanks.  Beer is $4.00.  Mixed drinks are $4.50.  Whiskey is $5.  And there is not a tapas plate or credit card machine in sight.  You may never leave.

Transit

LA Metro Rail: Purple Line station at Wilshire & Western; Red Line (transfer); Gold Line (transfer).

LA Metro Bus: 20, 720 Rapid, 207, 757 Rapid.

Frank ‘n Hanks is located two blocks north of the Wilshire & Western station of the Purple Line.  This is also a major transfer point to many Rapid bus lines.  Simply grab the subway anywhere between here and Downtown LA and take it to its end (Wilshire & Western).  If you’re coming from Pasadena or the San Gabriel Valley, hop on the Gold Line and transfer at Union Station to the Purple Line.  Coming from the Valley?  Grab the Red Line and transfer at Wilshire & Vermont station.  You’re only one stop away!

For those coming from the Westside, you’re taking the bus.  And that’s just great.  Hop on the 20 or the 720 Rapid bus anywhere between K-town and the Westside and head towards Downtown LA. Hop off the bus at Wilshire & Western and walk two blocks north.  For those looking for a north-south route, take the 207 or the 757 Rapid that travels on Western Ave. between Hollywood and the Green Line station at Crenshaw near Hawthorne Airport.

Frank ‘n Hanks
518 South Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 383-2087

Next Door Lounge is kind of amazing: a speak-easy inspired theme serving up serious and well-crafted cocktails and small bites, protected by a well dressed door man in a boulder hat.  First, let us both come to an understanding that these are serious drinks provided by the former Edison bartender.  Please leave your rum and cokes at home (and I like rum and cokes).  Next Door is for those looking to enjoy a properly made Manhattan, a bubbly kick from a French 75 or refreshing Moscow Mule.  Even Don Draper would have to approve of their Old Fashions.

Next Door is already making its mark on the late night scene.  The first tip is to consider a reservation if you plan to arrive with four or more people a little later in the evening, say around 7pm or after.  This is especially true on a weekend as the bar quickly fills up as 7pm draws nearer.

The bar has a great feel.  Its’ dimly lit revealing hints of the lush leather, dark wood and exposed brick walls.  Jazz plays in the background, old books adorn the coffee tables and a gorgeous chandelier hangs above the bar.  On one wall they play old movies, perhaps a hint to the long gone era of silver-screen greats that once drank their way through Hollywoodland.  Waitresses wear flapper outfits and are incredibly friendly and attentive, ensuring you may never see the bottom of your glass. (who would want to?)

Come by after work for happy hour.  Drinks may seem sparse, but the ones offered are excellent.  The bar food is also incredibly well made.  Pork sliders, you ask?  Is that apple on your spinach and goat-cheese pizza? All great questions and all require you to say yes.  Get them.

Can you say date night win?  Oh yea, you’re winning.

Transit

LA Metro Bus: 4, 704, 2, 302, 156, Orange Line (transfer)

LA Metro Rail: Red Line at Hollywood & Highland

Next Door Lounge is at the corner of Highland Ave. & Lexington Ave.  Grab the 4 or 704 Rapid on Santa Monica Blvd. anywhere between Downtown LA and Santa Monica Blvd and head towards the middle.  Get off at Highland & Santa Monica and walk one block north.  Similar directions apply to the 2 and 302 from the Westside and Downtown LA.  Just get off at Sunset & Highland and walk a little farther southward on Highland to Lexington Ave.  And if you’re feeling like a good walk to sober you up before and after some fabulous drinks, consider the Metro Red Line.  Get off at Hollywood & Highland and, again, head south (don’t complain. It’s totally doable).  Finally, for those on the westside of the San Fernando Valley, you’re in luck.  Grab a seat on the Orange Line and transfer to either the Red Line (see above) or the 156.  At least the 156 will drop you off Fountain & Highland.

A bright yellow key sign marks the spot.  Doesn’t it always?

Next Door Lounge
1154 N Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
www.nextdoorhollywood.com

Bar Chloe is a dimly lit enclave with a door directly to the left of the main entrance to Hotel Carmel.  A simple, yet elegant wood bar stands to the left of the room with couches and other cushion seats to the right.  Hit this place up with a friend or even a date on a weeknight (yes, you can still enjoy a drink Monday through Thursday).  The bar is hidden enough and just below the radar of local drunkards that it maintains an appropriate level of patronage on weeknights without the douchebaggery of weekends.  On off nights, like the Monday when I visited, it may not be unusual to find only a handful, if anyone, at the bar.  And that’s ok.  Consider this your personal weeknight bar.

Bar Chloe has a bartender named Kim.  Kim is fromSouth Africa and a true bartender sporting an appropriately grey driving cap.  He is not shy about chatting with the customers or helping them find their way to their favorite cocktail.  For me, it was bourbon.  For you, it could be something else.  Based on your desires and preferences, Kim carefully crafts a fantastic cocktail – perfectly balanced between flavor and alcohol.  Prepare to be amazed as Kim shares the how and history of the drink he has just prepared for you.

Bar Chloe offers small plate food for your late night cravings.  On the night in question I asked for Spanish Chorizo. When patronage is low, the kitchen may close early, which it had on this night. Nevertheless, Kim traveled to the back to retrieve some chorizo for my enjoyment.  He lamented at the fact the chorizo is intended to be served with bread and mustard but he couldn’t get it. Therefore, the chorizo was on the house.

Again, Kim is a true bartender who remains loyal and respectful to the craft and customers.  He is worth your visit.

Transit

LA Metro Bus:4, 704 Rapid

Big Blue Bus: 8

Future: Exposition Line terminus at 2nd Street & Colorado

Bar Chloe is almost right to the ocean in Santa Monica.  For those coming from Downtown LA or anywhere along Santa Monica Blvd., grap the 4 or 704 Rapid bus and head all the way to the end of the line at Santa Monica Blvd. & 2nd Street in Santa Monica.  Bar Chloe is just a few hundred feet south.  For those with access to the Big Blue Bus, the line you want is 8.  It will drop you off a little closer to the bar at 2nd Street & Broadway.  For those of you looking for a long-term relationship with Chloe, the future Exposition Line Phase II is planned to terminate at the intersection of 2nd Street & Colorado, one block south of Bar Chloe.  That sounds like a win to me.

If Bar Chloe can be your personal bar, then transit can be your chauffeur.

Bar Chloe
1449 2nd Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.barchloe.com