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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Dive bar Archive
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#1703: Dubliner Pub
Posted on October 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1703rd bar, first visited in 2023. I tried to visit this bar on an August Saturday night back in 2009, but it was so packed I... -
#1697: McShane’s Irish Pub & Whiskey Bar
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(Corktown, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1697th bar, first visited in 2023. And another great bar! We love Detroit. We stayed here for quite a while, sharing several plates of appetizers while... -
#1697: Nemo’s Bar
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(Corktown, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1697th bar, first visited in 2023. And another great historic dive bar! As we approached we were worried we wouldn’t be able to get in because... -
#1696: Nancy Whiskey
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(North Corktown, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1696th bar, first visited in 2023. An absolutely amazing 120+ year old neighborhood dive bar just outside of downtown Detroit! Inside there’s an antique phone... -
#1682: Loose Caboose Saloon
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Hermann, MO) Scooter’s 1682nd bar, first visited in 2023. I was expecting a dive bar, but this was too clubby for my tastes. I think I would have enjoyed... -
#1679: Concert Hall & Barrel Tavern
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Hermann, MO) Scooter’s 1679th bar, first visited in 2023. After the wineries closed for the day, we took a break for a couple of hours back at the rental... -
#1673: Sharp Corner Tavern
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Hermann, MO) Scooter’s 1673rd bar, first visited in 2023. Our train was late arriving in Hermann so we wandered around a bit looking for a place still serving food... -
#1664: The Landing Tavern
Posted on July 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Port Austin, MI) Scooter’s 1664th bar, first visited in 2023. And this is the bar we ordered our (really good!) pizzas from! I had a Bell’s Two-Hearted IPA. 8724... -
#1663: Lake Street Local
Posted on July 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Port Austin, MI) Scooter’s 1663rd bar, first visited in 2023. I came here for a round of drinks while waiting for pizzas we ordered from the bar next door.... -
#1655: Red Dog Saloon
Posted on May 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Juneau, AK) Scooter’s 1655th bar, first visited in 2023. This Old West themed bar is the traditional bar everyone who visits Juneau is supposed to experience. It proved to... -
#1651: The Alaskan Hotel & Bar
Posted on May 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Juneau, AK) Scooter’s 1651st bar, first visited in 2023. We used this historic bar as our meet-up spot after our group converged from three different directions. I was the... -
#1639: Alderman’s Bar
Posted on April 2023 | No Comments(Leavenworth, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1639th bar, first visited in 2023. Somehow I’ve missed this spot on previous visits even though it’s right across the street from a former bar I... -
#1635: Otter’s Saloon
Posted on April 2023 | No Comments(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN) Scooter’s 1635th bar, first visited in 2023. This tiny little karaoke dive bar was packed but a lot of fun, I’ll plan to come back here... -
#1634: Whitey’s Old Town Saloon
Posted on April 2023 | No Comments(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN) Scooter’s 1634th bar, first visited in 2023. When I was 10 years old, Navin R. Johnson (and his family) taught me “Don’t trust Whitey“. But this... -
#1618: Gopher Bar
Posted on March 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, St Paul, MN) Scooter’s 1618th bar, first visited in 2023. Wanting to mix at least a few dive bars into my journey, I picked Gopher Bar because I liked... -
#1603: Jim’s Alley Bar
Posted on February 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 1603rd bar, first visited in 2023. A new bar built in dive bar style, and they pulled it off pretty well. Feels a lot like... -
#1601: Checker Bar
Posted on November 2022 | No Comments(Downtown, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1601st bar, first visited in 2022. We had almost stopped in here earlier in the evening while walking back to our hotel from Grand Trunk Pub,... -
#1600: Suzy’s Bar
Posted on November 2022 | No Comments(Hamtramck, MI) Scooter’s 1600th bar, first visited in 2022. We almost didn’t stop here because of the party bus parked out front, but we decided to give it a shot.... -
#1599: The Painted Lady
Posted on November 2022 | No Comments(Hamtramck, MI) Scooter’s 1599th bar, first visited in 2022. Our next spot made out initial short list simply based on the fact that we liked out the exterior looked. This... -
#1598: Abick’s Bar
Posted on November 2022 | No Comments(Michigan-Martin, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1598th bar, first visited in 2022. Now THIS is what looking for good neighborhood dive bars is all about. Easily in my top 5 of all... -
#1595: Detroiter Bar
Posted on November 2022 | No Comments(Downtown, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1595th bar, first visited in 2022. We decided to make one more quick stop before checking to see if our companion back at the hotel had...
