Here in Austin TX USA we find ourselves a fine ol’ place called the Mohawk.Not exactly a dive bar, yet it is muy fantastico.As you can see, I’ve placed their web address above for you to click upon.I don’t wish to seem as if I’m bragging, but here goes – that lil’ window that keeps popping up on the upper right corner of their site - I was at that show in the picture.It you look real hard, you still won’t see me on the roof of the bar watching the Murder City Devils 2007 reunion.That, dear friends, was the reason I found myself in what I thought would be the Elvis-forsaken wastelands of Texas.But guess what?Texas ain’t so bad, really.
Thing about Austin that I quite like, & I wish there were more of in LA, are outdoor bars.Austin is warm & most places where folks congregate have outside areas. Yay for drinking outdoors!The Mohawk is no exception.In fact, the space outside may be close to double the indoor area.This makes the whole place seem huge.The “yard” includes a large concrete area with a medium sized stage at the end opposite the building.There is a”2nd floor” that wraps around the side of the “yard” & stage, or follow the staircase up to the roof.You can watch bands playing from either vantage point.The stage view is swell!There is rustic outdoor furniture for your lounging pleasure.
I don’t know if they have food, but if you get hungry, there is a Tex-Mex restaurant up the street called Jaime’s Mexican Village that has a sign in front about how they welcome breast feeding in their establishment.I swear I’m not making that up.
The Mohawk serves Texas booze, of course.Lone Star tallboys for sure & probably Shiner & I saw a Texas brand of vodka, too.That was kind of weird.It’s fun there & a lot of good bands come through because it is an excellent place to see a show.Outside.FP
Pies & Pints In Seattle the weather is frightfully cold. Might as well be part of the Yukon Territory. Therefore, there is an undeniable need for warm, cozy bars. Some even have fireplaces. Pints & Pies does not, but it does have a wood burning stove. I can’t tell if it’s real or one of those electric deals, but it’s toasty enough.
Pints & Pies is a decent place, but it’s not far from a major university & it’s in a semi-residential neighborhood. You may find grungy college dorks or sock & mandal wearing dads here. Not always, though. You might also find dirty punks & a pack of bears just off their shift at the firehouse (I’m guessing that’s where they came from, they had suspenders on) on Saturday afternoon. They make me feel safe.
One thing I don’t like about this place is that the front portion allows the underage. You might trip over a couple ankle biters if you arrive before happy hour. Just head straight for the back, settle into a comfy armchair or vinyl booth & for Elvis’ sake order a Rasputin Stout from the friendly, relaxed staff. They won’t pester you, you can lounge like a fool. The main thing, the best thing, you should know is that they serve absolutely incredible individual size homemade savory pies. Served fresh from the oven, they go with beer like nothing else. I swear to Elvis it’s better than nachos. Once you taste one, you will cease to view that last statement as sacrilegious. I especially care for the beef burgundy pie. If you feel gluttonous, you can have yr lil’ pie crowning a pile of mashed potatoes or floating in gravy or soup. Genius! They have Guinness chocolate layer cake, too. It’s damn good. No jukebox, but they’re usually playing perfectly acceptable mix of rock/punk/alt-country music. You won’t hulk out over it.
So during the rainy time, go there, snuggle up with the paper, enjoy many delicious rotating beers (they have cocktails too, of course). Play pool. EAT PIE. FP
Lucky 13 My Space page...blah! Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Bar Nun.The title for this column was the idea of my partner, who laughed for hours (to himself) after he thought of it.I think of myself as more of a Bar Hag, but he claims I’m really not so much in the hag category yet.You be the judge. So since he calls me a nun due to my modesty issues, we’re calling it Bar Nun.He thinks this is an absolute scream.
Something you should know about me is that I love bars.Bars of all kinds.But for me, the best kinds are dive bars.You know them.In every city, there they are, dark, dank, possibly smelling of used ashtrays, whether smoking is allowed or not.Dogs &/or motorcycles parked outside.Tatooed bouncers.Cracked vinyl.Beer in cans.Lovely.I’m a total boozer, so don’t expect any reviews of taverns, no matter how charming & ye olde-y they are.Full hard alcohol service required to entice the Bar Nun.
A place that is particularly high on my list is the Lucky 13 in San Francisco, CA, USA.It’s in the Castro on Market Street not far from the Church Street Muni stop, which I appreciate because I do not want to go to jail for driving drunk.I aggressively advocate against my going to jail for driving drunk (or any other reason).
The Lucky 13 is dark & deep. It has no windows.The further in you go, the more ensconced in the bar atmosphere you become.Everything outside the bar melts away like a single ice cube in a hand warmed glass of Jameson.
Obviously, there’s a wee bit of a Halloween thing going here, but I swear it’s not a corny “theme” joint.The décor is spooky-cute with spider web murals & an extensive collection of unique rock show art posters.The cavernous ambiance is undisturbed by TVs or bar top trivia games.Rare lately.No food is served, but there is a super salty popcorn machine to keep you thirsty for beers.Sometimes, unpredictably, a cigarette girl-style snack vendor will materialize to sell you a $4 box of Milk Duds.Also, there is pinball.I care a great deal for pinball.
The kind of folks you will find hanging out at the Lucky 13 are modern bikers, laid back rockers & punk kids.Dogs are allowed too, but you will not find many hipster or scene-maker types.If you do feel like making a scene, take it to the photo booth, chumps.You can capture your antics on film with your choice of borders on the four picture strip, including the classic Wanted Poster.My favorite, of course.
The most wonderful thing about this bar, however, is that it hosts the most amazing punk rock packed jukebox the Bar Nun has ever encountered.A lot of the records are compilations, presumably made by the staff.It’s pretty eclectic.Last time I was there, the selection included Motorhead, a little Zeke, a smidge of Dead Boys, Teen Angels, some Germs & Cramps.Oh yes, that jukebox will rock you ALL NIGHT LONG, Lionel Richie.Don’t expect to find anything that’s ever been in the Top 40.
Now I’ve heard tell that some folks think the jukebox at Casino El Camino in Austin, TX USA is the best punk rock jukebox in the nation, but I must disagree. When I last looked it over, it was approximately 50% country discs. & really, nowhere else have I ever seen Zeke in a jukebox. Which is a damn shame, as I must admit it prefer it to Ernest Tubb. So check out the Lucky 13 when you’re in SF. They have a lot of booze.
In the immoral words of D. Lux Interior “Let’s go downtown & get beat up”.FP
Have you ever seen that dorky guy on public TV that tours around Europe going through the backdoor? OK, it's Rick Steves and I think we can all agree he is a very knowledgeable (albeit quirky) resource. If you have never been to his site before, I highly recommend you check it out. We have used his guide books on several occasions in France, Spain, Italy and England. The Rickster has saved us some serious cash and from certain embarrassment on many occasions.
My partner never goes to a street market without the damn fold-up backpack she bought from his site for $10. She's incessantly bragging about how it folds up smaller than her cell phone.
One exceptionally great area of ricksteves.com is the Graffiti Wall. Full of real user insight, it's always great to get other traveler's opinions. Even if they are a bit crazy at times. As Rick would say, "keep on travelling". JJ
This is going to seem strange, but I was not looking forward to traveling to Kona, on the “big island” of Hawaii.Why?I’m a city girl.I like seeing sights via walking or public transportation.I prefer museums, architecture, & bars to driving a Jeep, looking at nature & lying around baking myself in the sun.I read up on Kona when Thunderball & I received an invitation to a wedding there.I thought it sounded like a real snoozer.Plus, I abhor Spam.Had to eat it at summer camp once.
I began to change my mind when we deplaned at a tiny airport outdoors into embracing warmth.The baggage carousels were protected from occasional downpours by umbrella-like thatched roofs.Charming, yes?
The wedding was held in Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park, Hawaiian for “Place of Refuge”, which has a cool, unique history.There are ancient tiki idols, giant sea turtles to view, & at the time of our visit, a class of tiny girls learning to hula dance.Adorable!This park is fantastically beautiful with landscapes that simply do not exist in the continental US.In many places, the lava formed ground is folded like glossy black fabric into mind-bending shapes.Palm trees are twisted like balloon animals from being scorched & scarred by volcanic activity.It’s apocalyptic, yet lushly verdant.
Another incredible landscape worth the long drive to see it is the view into the caldera of the island’s accessible volcano, Mauna Loa.There is a geological center at the top, if you’re feeling educational. There are also scenic areas where the surrounding vegetation has been engulfed in lava & steam jets out of the ground.Often there is a sulfuric smell in the air.It’s slightly disturbing.There is no guarantee you will see lava in the caldera, unfortunately, but it’s definitely unlike any other hike I’ve experienced.It’s also a very easy hike if you’re not in particularly good physical condition.
As a fan of Trader Vic’s, painters Shag, Krk Ryden, & all things tiki, I was slightly disappointed that there weren’t more kitschy Polynesian attractions, or for that matter, even many genuine historic artifacts.However, many awesome cheap and cheesy tchotchkes abound at the ubiquitous ABC Stores.Wooden serving bowls shaped like pineapples, bobble-torso dashboard hula girls, tiki god table lamps & ukuleles are yours to be had for mere pocket change.Just don’t try to purchase anything useful there.Necessary items are insanely expensive.You might pay $10 for 5 t-shirts, but that 10 oz. tube of sun block lotion will run you $20.Still the best place for souvenirs, though.
Also unimpressive was the restaurant cuisine.I expected a lot of fresh seafood & sushi, but was disappointed to find Bubba Gump’s, one of the tackiest theme joints in existence, where everything is deep fried except the cole slaw.We were able to locate one decent Japanese restaurant, however it was quite pricey.So here is what we did – purchased fresh local produce & baked goods at the outdoor farmers markets for a fraction of the cost.We had rented a condo with a kitchen, so we were able to store produce & cook.Our condo was in a fantastically goofy complex dating from either the late 1960’s or early 1970’s on the Alii Highway.This main road has several farmers markets located along it in parks & parking lots.We had absolutely no trouble finding one whenever we felt the need.Check local newspapers for days and times.
The produce was amazing.The best deal was ripe, buttery avocados as big as my head for $1.Really, they weighed more than half a kilo.Home baked sweet bread was also abundant.It made a great breakfast with slices of sweet, drippingly juicy pineapple.
Snorkeling can also be done for very little cost, as many hotels and condo owners will loan out basic equipment.Even if you are not a swimmer, this is an activity not to be missed.Shallow, current protected lagoons dot the coast.Often they are filled with bizarre corals, incandescent fish & other amazing sea life.Just keep your hands & feet well covered, the urchins are sharp as broken glass! Underwater disposable cameras are well worth the investment.Don’t expect a soft sandy beach, though.Kona has hardly any.Most beaches here are made up of sharp black rocks.The few sand beaches are impossibly crowded.Make sure your lodgings have a swimming pool.
It is possible to be bored in Kona, I suppose, because most activities outside of beach lounging are things that must be sought out. However, with a little effort, you can make your own exciting & unusual entertainment. We didn’t explore much of the local’s area of the city, so we didn’t find any Hawaiian dive bars. Still didn’t have a chance to get bored, though! FP
Mohawk
Thing about Austin that I quite like, & I wish there were more of in LA, are outdoor bars. Austin is warm & most places where folks congregate have outside areas. Yay for drinking outdoors! The Mohawk is no exception. In fact, the space outside may be 
close to double the indoor area. This makes the whole place seem huge. The “yard” includes a large concrete area with a medium sized stage at the end opposite the building. There is a”2nd floor” that wraps around the side of the “yard” & stage, or follow the staircase up to the roof. You can watch bands playing from either vantage point. The stage view is swell! There is rustic outdoor furniture for your lounging pleasure.
I don’t know if they have food, but if you get hungry, there is a Tex-Mex restaurant up the street called Jaime’s Mexican Village that has a sign in front about how they welcome breast feeding in their establishment. I swear I’m not making that up.
