best bars in america

ok folks, here's a topic we should rock on -- as an offshoot of jones' assignment -- best bars in america

i'll start:

the manhattan cafe, athens, ga.

 

Moose's -- Kalispell, Mont.

Charlie B's -- Missoula, Mont.

 

Implied was *without* peanut shells on the floor.

 

McDuffy's; Tempe, Ariz. (which will likely be closing soon)

Casey Moore's; Tempe, Ariz.

The Linebacker; South Bend, Ind.

Any real neighborhood bar, which, sadly, there are none of in these parts.

 

Neither has peanut shells, although Moose's does have sawdust.

Both are a really good place to pick up the local ambiance, but I'm sure you'd prefer a sterile hotel bar, Poin.

Do you actually have anything to add to this thread?

 

It's not the place, it's the people.

Neighborhood bars are the best; that's why Chicago's Northwest side is so great.

 

Amen, pally.

I listed Casey Moore's because it's the closest thing to a neighborhood bar in the Phoenix area, but it's really a college bar.

 

The Oak Room at the Plaza , one of the most remarkable spectacles of the niche.

 

. . . and Siro's, at Saratoga, on the nights it's hoppin' . . . after 11:30.

 

Ocean Deck, Daytona Beach, Fla.

 

I'ved moved around a lot the last few years (four different states), and neighborhood bars have pretty much gone the way of the mom & pop store. Too bad, too, because the average bar/club/whatever it is these days is almost devoid of character. And I mean character on a couple of levels.

 

Lafitte's Blacksmith in New Orleans, the oldest bar in America.