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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Live music/karaoke Archive
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#1493: Enoteca
Posted on July 2021 | No Comments(Downtown, Crescent City, CA) Scooter’s 1493rd bar, first visited in 2021. We thought this was a cocktail bar based on pictures we saw in Google reviews, but beer and wine... -
#1476: Zoo Bar
Posted on June 2021 | No Comments(Downtown, Lincoln, NE) Scooter’s 1476th bar, first visited in 2021. As a long-time denizen of Zoo Bar in Kansas City, I’ve been long trying to visit the famous blues venue... -
#1424: Gaslight Lounge
Posted on December 2019 | No Comments(Downtown, Anchorage, AK) Scooter’s 1424th bar, first visited in 2019. This wasn’t a bar we were planning to visit. But we were revisiting a bar around the corner (Darwin’s Theory)... -
#1414: Ivory Jack’s
Posted on November 2019 | No Comments(Ester, Fairbanks, AK) Scooter’s 1414th bar, first visited in 2019. We came here for lunch after a morning of dog sledding. Good bar food, good beer selection, and seating for... -
#1391: Frank’s Lounge
Posted on October 2019 | No Comments(Joplin, MO) Scooter’s 1391st bar, first visited in 2019. There were a couple of other bars I wanted to check out, but it was getting late and I needed to... -
#1390: Whiskey Dick’s
Posted on October 2019 | No Comments(Downtown, Joplin, MO) Scooter’s 1390th bar, first visited in 2019. This is another place I picked just for the name. I was about to call an Uber from Flicker until... -
#1386: Shirley’s Neighborhood Tavern
Posted on October 2019 | No Comments(Cartersville, MO) Formerly Shirley’s Place Scooter’s 1386th bar, first visited in 2019. I found this gem located on Historic Route 66, about halfway between my exit and a brewery I... -
#1385: The Gallows
Posted on October 2019 | No Comments(Lamar, MO) Scooter’s 1385th bar, first visited in 2019. Stopped here on the way to Joplin because I loved the name. It was pretty quiet in there at the time... -
#1365: Dick Weed’s Bar
Posted on August 2019 | No Comments(Mt Clemens, MI) Scooter’s 1365th bar, first visited in 2019. We wanted to get a nice dive bar in on our afternoon, and we picked this one based partly on... -
#1351: AJ’s on East Court
Posted on July 2019 | No Comments(Downtown, Des Moines, IA) Scooter’s 1351st bar, first visited in 2019. This is primarily a karaoke bar but we were here way too early for karaoke. So our entertainment was... -
#1337: Mugsley’s Pub
Posted on July 2019 | No Comments(Downtown, Bethany, MO) Scooter’s 1337th bar, first visited in 2019. My friend Brandon and I tried to visit here over a decade ago when it was a placed called Right... -
#1327: Holler House
Posted on April 2019 | No Comments(Forest Home Hills, Milwaukee, WI) Scooter’s 1327th bar, first visited in 2019. I have been to a ton of dive bars. Up to the point of this writing, I had... -
#1318: Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery
Posted on April 2019 | No Comments(Downtown, Milwaukee, WI) Scooter’s 1318th bar, first visited in 2019. We began the next day with what we had intended to be a full-blown visit and tour to all of... -
#1311: Elk’s Lodge #2509
Posted on January 2019 | No Comments(Blue Springs, MO) Scooter’s 1311th bar, first visited in 2019. I’m not a member so technically I shouldn’t have been on the bar side (I was there for a private... -
#1264: Christine’s Firehouse
Posted on September 2018 | No Comments(Downtown, North Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 1264th bar, first visited in 2018. New location! Right around the corner from the old place. It’s only been open a few days so... -
#1245: 49th State Brewing Company
Posted on May 2018 | No Comments(Healy, AK) Scooter’s 1245th bar, first visited in 2018. The seating area in the very nice main building is a bit small/cramped for the crowds they get, but they tacked... -
#1177: Fat Matt’s Vortex
Posted on November 2016 | No Comments(Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, KS) Scooter’s 1177th bar, first visited in 2016. Visited this dive bar for the first time on a birthday pub crawl. Very friendly bartenders! The building... -
#1173: Possum Holler
Posted on September 2016 | No Comments(Mile Marker 61, Edwards, MO) Scooter’s 1173rd bar, first visited in 2016. We had intended to go here before Fatties, but when we arrived they were hosting something called the... -
#1172: Fatties
Posted on September 2016 | No Comments(Mile Marker 60-1/2, Edwards, MO) Formerly Rendezvous Scooter’s 1172nd bar, first visited in 2016. Odd mix of dive bar and Cracker Barrel. We had some good appetizers and Cari sang... -
#1154: James Ballentine VFW Post #246
Posted on August 2016 | No Comments(Lyn-Lake, Minneapolis, MN) Scooter’s 1154th bar, first visited in 2016. (Also known as “Uptown VFW”) It’s not often that a VFW shows up on nearly every list of must-see bars... -
#1151: Palmer’s Bar
Posted on August 2016 | No Comments(West Bank, Minneapolis, MN) Scooter’s 1151st bar, first visited in 2016. My apologies for the poor outdoor photo, a torrential rainstorm began right as we paid our tab at Nomad...
