Joyce's 3a-6a: Below Market, Altitude, Red C Lounge, and Yardhouse in San Diego
Saturday night, 2.03.07
Below Market
I was glad to wander in here after walking the Gaslamp for a good half hour plus in search of a simple bar. Dodging many clouds of smoke (not the good kind) and loogie mines all over the sidewalk, while making my way through boobies and guidos among an unlimited supply of wannabe bourgie clubs with bad names like "Thin", and "BeLo", the Gaslamp is (as Jones said), SoCal's Man Jose. After rounding the corner from yet another club charging $20 to listen to "Fergalicious" all night long, our tennis-shoed gang saw our sign: "Below Market, Now Open. No Cover."
We walked down the stairs into this chill, uncrowded, underground (literally) bar with a dj spinning classic top 40 hiphop. "Ain't nothin' but a G thang" is always good. A brick wall with a projector playing visuals over it lended nicely to the look and atmosphere of the place, and low comfy couches along the opposite wall made it easy to kick back and watch some of the interesting characters. Standard drinks, a cool chill spot if you're looking for something mellow, if not slightly dull to spend an entire night. next stop,
Altitude Sky Bar
660 K St.
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 446-6088
This sky bar on the roof of San Diego's Marriott made me say "Ooh!" when I stepped out of the elevator. A large vine-covered trellis with hanging heat lamps and rope lights highlights a main seating area and leads the way to the fancy bar set against a stone-backed waterfall. Add the giant fire-pit surrounded by more comfy looking seating, and a view of San Diego, Altitude made for a pretty nice setting. The tanq and tonic was on the weak side, but at least reminded me how good this old favorite is. Hmm, come to think of it, it was quite tasty. Well, it was either weak or really well made! The cheesy dj playing horrendous house music and the somewhat standoffish all white crowd made this a one drink stop. "Luv yaaaa...." (that's what DJ Niko said! lmao)
Worth seeing, not worth staying.
Red C Lounge
756 5th Ave
San Diego, CA
(619) 233-2830
Our friend of a friend host led us to this unassuming spot in the middle of the Gaslamp for our final stop on Saturday night in San Diego. Another (literal) underground bar with a relaxed dress code and no cover made it worth checking out. Better house (and classic pop) music than Altitude and more lively than Below Market, C Lounge was not a bad place to make our last call. A Jager shot woke me up, the jack & coke was standard, and I wouldn't have minded staying longer to get a little dance on had the lights not come on.
Superbowl Sunday, Feb 4, 2007
Yardhouse
1023 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 233-9273
Beers on tap galore! This stepped up BJ's (think BJ's meets Pottery Barn) boasts the "most beers on tap in the world." If it's not true, I'm sure it comes pretty damn close. The two-sided bar is comPLETEly lined with taps on both sides, and you can view the numerous barrels pumping the taps downstairs on your way to the restrooms. Exciting, even to the mild beer drinker such as myself. Mad props to our fabulous waitress, Donna, who was down-to-earth friendly and had excellent, knowledge-based recommendations. I went for the Rogue Hazelnut Brown, which was like a thin Newcastle with a hint of hazelnut. Yes, yum! Jones had some pretty interesting beers as well, which I'll let her describe. Food was good, not great, but certainly satisfying. The fresh-baked brownie with vanilla ice cream was pretty yummy and goey (just as Donna said). As a place to watch the superbowl, it wasn't bad. There are certainly enough TVs, but not enough speakers, which made hearing difficult at times. Also, I like to have a straight on view of the TV which was really probably best at the bar. (We lounged more comfortably in a booth.) All in all, a pretty comfy place to spend 3 and a half hours (with restroom stalls private enough to feel comfortable to complete #2).
Pics to come
Below Market
I was glad to wander in here after walking the Gaslamp for a good half hour plus in search of a simple bar. Dodging many clouds of smoke (not the good kind) and loogie mines all over the sidewalk, while making my way through boobies and guidos among an unlimited supply of wannabe bourgie clubs with bad names like "Thin", and "BeLo", the Gaslamp is (as Jones said), SoCal's Man Jose. After rounding the corner from yet another club charging $20 to listen to "Fergalicious" all night long, our tennis-shoed gang saw our sign: "Below Market, Now Open. No Cover."
We walked down the stairs into this chill, uncrowded, underground (literally) bar with a dj spinning classic top 40 hiphop. "Ain't nothin' but a G thang" is always good. A brick wall with a projector playing visuals over it lended nicely to the look and atmosphere of the place, and low comfy couches along the opposite wall made it easy to kick back and watch some of the interesting characters. Standard drinks, a cool chill spot if you're looking for something mellow, if not slightly dull to spend an entire night. next stop,
Altitude Sky Bar
660 K St.
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 446-6088
This sky bar on the roof of San Diego's Marriott made me say "Ooh!" when I stepped out of the elevator. A large vine-covered trellis with hanging heat lamps and rope lights highlights a main seating area and leads the way to the fancy bar set against a stone-backed waterfall. Add the giant fire-pit surrounded by more comfy looking seating, and a view of San Diego, Altitude made for a pretty nice setting. The tanq and tonic was on the weak side, but at least reminded me how good this old favorite is. Hmm, come to think of it, it was quite tasty. Well, it was either weak or really well made! The cheesy dj playing horrendous house music and the somewhat standoffish all white crowd made this a one drink stop. "Luv yaaaa...." (that's what DJ Niko said! lmao)
Worth seeing, not worth staying.
Red C Lounge
756 5th Ave
San Diego, CA
(619) 233-2830
Our friend of a friend host led us to this unassuming spot in the middle of the Gaslamp for our final stop on Saturday night in San Diego. Another (literal) underground bar with a relaxed dress code and no cover made it worth checking out. Better house (and classic pop) music than Altitude and more lively than Below Market, C Lounge was not a bad place to make our last call. A Jager shot woke me up, the jack & coke was standard, and I wouldn't have minded staying longer to get a little dance on had the lights not come on.
Superbowl Sunday, Feb 4, 2007
Yardhouse
1023 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 233-9273
Beers on tap galore! This stepped up BJ's (think BJ's meets Pottery Barn) boasts the "most beers on tap in the world." If it's not true, I'm sure it comes pretty damn close. The two-sided bar is comPLETEly lined with taps on both sides, and you can view the numerous barrels pumping the taps downstairs on your way to the restrooms. Exciting, even to the mild beer drinker such as myself. Mad props to our fabulous waitress, Donna, who was down-to-earth friendly and had excellent, knowledge-based recommendations. I went for the Rogue Hazelnut Brown, which was like a thin Newcastle with a hint of hazelnut. Yes, yum! Jones had some pretty interesting beers as well, which I'll let her describe. Food was good, not great, but certainly satisfying. The fresh-baked brownie with vanilla ice cream was pretty yummy and goey (just as Donna said). As a place to watch the superbowl, it wasn't bad. There are certainly enough TVs, but not enough speakers, which made hearing difficult at times. Also, I like to have a straight on view of the TV which was really probably best at the bar. (We lounged more comfortably in a booth.) All in all, a pretty comfy place to spend 3 and a half hours (with restroom stalls private enough to feel comfortable to complete #2).
Pics to come
posted by assgass at 1:17 PM
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