The Piano Bar

Saturday night…time to have fun. Movies…theater, Clubs, dinner at a hip restaurant…oh the choices in L.A are limitless. My Cousin and I opted for drinks at the famous Hollywood Piano Bar. Now, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not a drinker nor am I a bar hoping gal. I choose the people I hang out with carefully and it takes me a longtime to build a deep friendship with someone. Yet, I’m always up for trying out new places. So, we parked our cars and headed to the bar. At the front door, the line was short and moved quickly. The nice bouncer with a big smile checked our IDs. I asked him why in the world was he checking our IDs when clearly we passed 21 years ago? He said he just had to make sure we had IDs. My cousin said that it was probably just in case we got drunk and he had to send us home in a cab. Well, no chance of that. That was all behind me a year after I graduated college.

 
So, there we were walking into the smoky ambience of the Piano Bar. Ironically, the band did not play the Piano. The music was more like Jazz and the place looked more like a bar one would find in Ireland than in the U.S. People were casual and easy going, no egos. The night we were there, the men outnumbered women by 8 to 1 and my cousin said, “Maybe we’re at a gay bar. There are so many men here.” 
  

Soon we learned that the majority were straight men looking to relax and listen to good music. Everybody chatted with everybody. The atmosphere was comfortable and friendly; none of that gawking one would find at a bar where the customers are on a prowl. Below is a photo of two of the guys we spoke with among the many.

  

The Piano Bar is a cool place to visit. So if you’re ever in the area, go check it out. You will not be disappointed.