Speakeasy
Tuesday, September 9 : 1:21 AM : 0 comments :
I went to a secret bar just now and we all know how much I like secrets. Here's how it works. You walk up to a random door in the Tenderloin and ring the bell. A nice girl answers and says, "Password?" You confidently give her a wink and one of two passwords: the password of the day or the generic one that gives you normal access. She gives you the once over and then lets you in. You're instantly cool. Like instantly.Okay, the actual location of the bar and the password(s) aren't necessarily super secret in this Internet age but it's still pretty awesome. When's the last time YOU went to a secret bar?
Once you get inside, the decor brings you to another world. Dark oak everywhere, a whitewashed brick wall, dim lighting, and rules you need to follow to maintain the ambiance. No cell phone use, no asking for "a cosmo," no photography, and no standing at the bar. I know, I'd seem to be a poor candidate to be a patron here but whatever, I was just thrilled to be in a secret place. I barely used my phone and I didn't take a single moblog picture. Who am I?
Gemma told me she usually goes to the back room -- accessible through a secret book case! -- but tonight we just chilled at the bar. The bartenders are knowledgeable and seriously dedicated to their craft. We watched them shake the crap out of mixed drinks, very very vigorously, before pouring them out as works of art. I wish I had more tolerance so we could have drank more. This particular bar is the perfect setting for grand conversations because it's really intimate and the environment just screams "Tell me your secrets!"
Maybe I'll be looking for a secrets bar everywhere I go. A place where deep dark things are divulged and revealed. In SF, this shall be the place. Come with me, let's swap some skeletons.
By the way, Gemma also took us to a delicious Filipino breakfast place on the way to the airport. It was located in the back of a casino. On the list of life axioms to live by, "Trust Gemma" should definitely be high on that list. She's like flawless when suggesting fun activities to do. Hell, I trust her so much I even turned and drove down a one way street (into incoming traffic no less) just because she said, "Take this right."
