Welcome!
Some people collect autographs, some collect antiques, others collect stamps. My hobby is a little different, I collect bars. This site represents my collection, documenting each bar I visit.
This is not a review site, there's plenty of those already. Most posts in this bar diary are slice-of-life recaps of the half hour or so I spent having a beer. I hope you enjoy browsing through my collection!
--ScooterJA Few Random Favorites
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*Favorites* Archive
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#440: Big John’s Corner Bar
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(The Square, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 440th bar, first visited in 2008. A very tiny, long-standing institution in the heart of downtown Independence. Since this was my first visit we were... -
#363: Johnnie’s On Seventh
Posted on August 2007 | No Comments(Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, KS) Formerly Johnnie’s Club, Johnnie’s Sports Bar Scooter’s 363rd bar, first visited in 2007. aka Johnnie’s On Seventh We’d tried to come here 3 weekends ago... -
#266: The Scheme
Posted on May 2007 | No Comments(Salina, KS) Scooter’s 266th bar, first visited in 2007. B had a Bud Light, I had a Miller Lite. Bottles, I believe they were $2 each. B’s was an insulated... -
#253: Twilighter Country Club
Posted on May 2007 | No Comments(Topeka, KS) Scooter’s 253rd bar, first visited in 2007. We had been searching for a bar recommended by a bartender at an earlier stop, following a set of scrawled instructions... -
#208: Back Door Lounge
Posted on December 2006 | No Comments(River Bend, MO) Scooter’s 208th bar, first visited in 2006. This is a tiny dive bar on the back side of a gas station at 291 & 210 Hwys. Access... -
#189: What’s Happen’n Lounge
Posted on September 2006 | No Comments(Marlborough, Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 189th bar, first visited in 2006. Formerly a trolley barn, this run down old building next to the railroad at the southern end of Prospect... -
#165: NE Palace
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN) Formerly First Chance, Last Chance Revisited 17 years later in 2023, scroll down for more. Scooter’s 165th bar, first visited in 2006. This place used to... -
#161: Dusty’s Bar
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) Scooter’s 161st bar, first visited in 2006. The bar was pretty busy so we sat at a table and the smell of Dago Burgers was mouthwatering.... -
#159: Stand-Up Frank’s
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(North Side, Minneapolis, MN) Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location. Painted lime green, redecorated with a zombie theme, shows horror movies, and now called “Donny... -
#145: Liquor Lyle’s
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(Uptown, Minneapolis, MN) Scooter’s 145th bar, first visited in 2006. Yep, it was happy hour, so we had no choice but drink two beers. This place had a cool, funky,... -
#126: Elly’s Lake Front Tap
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(Clear Lake, IA) Scooter’s 126th bar, first visited in 2006. It was a warm, overcast Thursday afternoon in August as we walked around downtown Clear Lake, Iowa, enjoying cold drinks... -
#109: Berts Pub & Grub
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(Afton, IA) Scooter’s 109th bar, first visited in 2006. Afton, Iowa is the former county seat of Union County, and has a nice town square to prove it. While people... -
#107: Darlene’s Place
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(Ellston, IA) Scooter’s 107th bar, first visited in 2006. We sat at the short end of the L-shaped bar under the watchful eye of a mounted goat head smoking a... -
#106: G & L Bar and Grill
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(Diagonal, IA) Scooter’s 106th bar, first visited in 2006. From the outside this was probably the most run-down looking of any place we visited but once we stepped in we... -
#81: PR’s Place
Posted on June 2006 | No Comments(Downtown, Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 81st bar, first visited in 2006. Located on the eastern edge of Kansas City’s West Side, PR’s Place is a popular hangout for Kansas City’s... -
#75: Zoo Bar
Posted on June 2006 | No Comments(Downtown, Kansas City, MO) Open Monday thru Saturday, 11am to 1:30am. Mon-Thurs call ahead before arriving late as it sometimes closes at 11pm during the week if it’s slow. Scooter’s... -
#70: Caddy Shack
Posted on June 2006 | No Comments(Downtown, Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 70th bar, first visited in 2006. Caddyshack, or “The Shack” as many of the regulars refer to it, is a popular dive bar and night... -
#55: Village Lounge
Posted on May 2006 | No Comments(South Waldo, Kansas City, MO) Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location. Now Swagger Scooter’s 55th bar, first visited in 2006. The movie “First Knight” was... -
#43: Pat’s Pub
Posted on May 2006 | No Comments(North Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 43rd bar, first visited in 2006. Pat’s Pub is my favorite of the bars on the Swift Avenue dive bar row. It and River City... -
#30: Winslow’s City Market Barbecue
Posted on September 2005 | No Comments(Downtown, Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 30th bar, first visited in 2005. BBQ restaurant with a separate bar on the other side of the kitchen. The bar opens to the largest... -
#28: Drafter’s
Posted on August 2005 | No Comments(Downtown, Kansas City, MO) OUT OF BUSINESS Closed in 2007. Started to re-open as The Belfry but that went under before it got going. Scooter’s 28th bar, first visited in...
