There isn’t much that brings the warm and fuzzies like ponying up to your local watering hole for a cold one. It’s a very visceral experience that keeps us coming back. Sure, the booze helps, but what makes a great dive bar so alluring?
When looking for that perfect “hole in the wall” dive bar there are a few criteria that need to be met. These are usually off the beaten path and filled with locals. Regular bar flys buzz in and drink their sorrows away with cheap beer laden with regret.
Let's now discuss smells. Every dive bar always has a very unique smell. An olfactory onslaught with no perceivable origin. We can’t say it’s unpleasant, just distinct. Its old air, hard booze, stale cigarette smoke and maybe a hint of B.O. It gives the place character and acts like a pheromone to the locals.
You won’t meet the girl of your dreams at a place like this, but that really is not the point of these places. The role these institutions play fill a very specific void for a very specific group of folks. No pinkies up while sipping high-end martinis here. Just cheap beer and good times. Cheers!
