Let’s open with a few simple parameters, beginning with what makes a dive. It usually boils down to good drink prices and friendly people. Pool tables, dartboards, a jukebox and a slightly smoky atmosphere don’t hurt a bit. A good dive usually has more grumpy old men than the Sentinel’/i>s online comments page. And while occasional live music is allowed, the diveyness of the bar itself must remain the top attraction.
Posts Tagged: dive bars
Letters to the Editor: June 20-26
One reader supports an East Coast effort to fight obesity. Others chime in about alternatives to desalination and what really makes a good dive bar.
In Heaven They’ll Never Close
The most recent casualty to Santa Cruz’s dive scene, the Avenue Bar and Cigars was the best place to watch overaged, underpaid prostitutes flash returning customers and new victims. Those who didn’t want to see anything illegal happen simply had to close their eyes and listen to the sweet, sweet sounds of “I’ll get you the money tomorrow!”
Dive Bar Scoring Criteria
Given the sheer importance of this article, we had to design a scoring system that would be as entertaining, at least to us, as it would be fair. With that sentiment in mind, we came up with the following rubric. Each dive bar would be judged in the same manner a good beer would, through smell, mouthfeel and taste—metaphorical, of course—and overall score.
Dive Bar Hall of Fame
The cute, the cheap and the icky get a special shout-out from our dive bar guides.
