Friday, April 1, 2011

My latest discovery.

STL Taverns, in which some saucy local drinkers endeavor to document the area's more traditional corner bars. You can contribute, review and browse dives, sports bars, lounges, and of course taverns of note from the Innerbelt to the East Side. The simple prose of the guide serves the subject matter well, and reveals that the writers to be no mere slummers.

These are proper old-school bars. Chances are you won't find much craft beer in these establishments, but you will find lots of character and a link to a timeless part of St. Louis that's easy to forget about. After all, these businesses don't always have websites and Twitter feeds.

I like the simplicity of this website's maps. Instead of listing every neighborhood and municipality, the authors (thus far--it's a work in progress) have used colloquialisms to designate areas. For example, everything south-central from 44 down to Bevo is just "Tower Grove," and "State Streets" is, well, where you'd expect it to be. "North City" could use a few more divisions, though, setting apart the North of Downtown area and The Ville/MLK at least. And maybe S. Broadway should be its own category. (Ok, so I'm a map freak.)

Anyhoo, great site. This weekend, try to work a corner bar into your plans. They're inexpensive, and they're the lifeblood of Old Saint Louis. Be friendly and keep it simple. I recommend the Busch cans.

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