It’s probably not the kind of temptation you are thinking about, but I’ll get to that later. The day started with a solo street stroll, and so will this post.
Along the way, I saw the typical scenes:
That’s all I found worthy of photographing during my walk. I was also feeling weak and weary on a relatively short and flat stroll. Worrisome, indeed.
Nothing much else took place back at the house until the time arrived to journey back into town for some liquid refreshment in the form of San Miguel Zeros. Swan went for a massage, and we met up later.
My first stop was Sloppy Joe’s. It was a pretty decent crowd, but I found a decent seat. There was a group of several young Filipinas playing pool in the back, and I’ve never seen, or should I say, heard, anything like it. After every shot, they’d scream out these high-pitched squeals at the top of their voice. Even from a distance, it was painful. And it was unrelenting. In the time it took to finish my beer, I had a throbbing headache. Why they were permitted to continue yelling like that is beyond me, but I, for one, couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there.
It occurred to me that I hadn’t visited the bar two floors above me, BarCelona, in quite some time, so I headed up the stairs. I was surprised to see this sign posted near the front door:
You can see my BarCelona review from a couple of years ago here. It is one of the nicer bars in town, ambiance-wise. I’ve always wondered why it isn’t more popular. As I sat there toying with the fantasy of owning a place like this, it occurred to me that to be successful; I’d need to resolve the mystery of why I like the bar and still don’t frequent it often. Then I’d need to fix that. I did talk to a couple of folks, and they attributed it to old expats not wanting to climb all those stairs (39 steps, I’ve been told). Hmm, it’s got to be more than that–Cheap Charlies has a similar ascent and gets a good crowd.
Anyway, I heard the owner is asking for 3.5 million pesos (around $62,000). Rent is said to be 30,000 ($600) a month. I honestly think someone could make a go of this place–you just need to find a way to entice customers up those stairs. I’d probably do that with some special drink pricing and maybe an outdoor barbeque setup on the terrace with some tasty meat selections. And my famous chili and cornbread, of course. Alright, you heard it here first. The new owner of BarCelona is NOT going to be me. The fantasy of owning a cool bar is much nicer than the reality. I’m not going to spend my golden years with all those hassles. Besides, I already have The Rite Spot On The Roof.
After BarCelona, we did our nightcap at Wet Spot. I had a nice chat with owner Daddy Dave and some of the other guys at the backslapper’s table. Meanwhile, Swan was buying drinks for Aine, so I guess everyone was happy.
We got home with enough stamina to enjoy the first “Blue Eye Samurai” episode. So far, so good. I’m not typically interested in animation series, even adult-oriented ones. But this review convinced me to give it a shot. I don’t think I’m going to be disappointed.
Alas, the night did not end well. I woke up again with that queasy feeling that comes from a lack of oxygen, and my oximeter confirmed it with a reading of 87. I sucked down some air from my tank and eventually got back to sleep. I had to abort my hike with the Friday group and really haven’t felt so good all day. I guess I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. We’ll see what happens next.
Today’s Quora Q&A:
Q: A retired US friend has left the country and relocated to Panama because she’s getting more bang for her buck there. What are other places around the globe where there’s a large population of retired Americans living comfortably on a fixed income?
A: I am living comfortably on my pension here in the Philippines. I’m surrounded by many other Americans, Aussies, Brits, etc living well on a fixed income.
Your daily dose of humor:
Until we meet again.
Alas, the night did not end well. I woke up again with that queasy feeling that comes from a lack of oxygen, and my oximeter confirmed it with a reading of 87. I sucked down some air from my tank and eventually got back to sleep. I had to abort my hike with the Friday group and really haven’t felt so good all day. I guess I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. We’ll see what happens next.
Dude. Get. Help.
My one scary night with COVID involved breathing difficulties. No exaggeration: I thought I was going to die—that if I closed my eyes and fell asleep, I’d stop breathing, and the thought was petrifying. Somehow, I rode the night out and was infinitely better the following day. But that felt like a close one, and I don’t think I’d ever do that again. For the love of Cthulhu, please see a doctor. As Mr. Miyagi said, “No breathe, no life.”
Go ahead and buy the bar. LOL. Have @Kevin Kim come down and have a grand opening by showing Hitchcock’s movie “The 39 Steps”. Kevin could provide commentary and do a Q&A. Do a weekly movie event, though I am not sure Kevin would want that type of commute.
Actually, I am sure that owning a bar would cease being fun pretty quickly after making the purchase. As you said, the place is nice, but even you don’t spend that much time there.
(As an aside, I remember going to Dolce Vida one time and walking through the door at street level and seeing some guy lying there who had tumbled drunkedly down those super steep stairs that led up to the bar. A little blood, but he refused help and staggered off into the night. LOL. When you buy the Bar Celona, you will have to add one of those stair lifts for people!)
Seems to me that BarCelona has developed something of a reputation for slow and indifferent service, which you have remarked on in the past. That will kill a bar faster than a few stairs, especially in an area that is dependent in part on regulars and that has some competition. Management must stay on top of things and quickly remedy deficiencies.
Philippines Rule No. Two (right after Don’t Be A Sucker): Constant Vigilance Or It Goes To Shit Fast.
Drain, I think you are right that there have been too many service-oriented issues. Perhaps when it is under new ownership, folks will give the bar another chance. Having the right manager and attentive staff are critical to success.
They call themselves a “sports bar,” but Harley’s has that market cornered. I think a friendly pub atmosphere could work…good prices, good food, good people. Anyway, I wish whoever takes over good luck.
Brian, a teetotaler like Kevin Kim promoting a bar is downright funny–
“I don’t even drink, and I love this bar!” could be the slogan.
Dolce Vita was my Itaewon hang out for years. And I know several folks who took that tumble down the stairs. When were you there?
Kev, yeah, there ain’t much worse than feeling breathless. It is definitely not the way I want to go. For what it’s worth, I had a better night. I slept all the way through and woke up to a 94 oxygen level this morning. I’m still coughing and hocking up phlegm, so I’m hoping this is something not permanent like the COPD.
I’m going to visit a pulmonary specialist soon.
QUOTE
Dolce Vita was my Itaewon hang out for years. And I know several folks who took that tumble down the stairs. When were you there?
I was covering Korea from about 2008-2013 or so. I was based in the US but would go to Korea approx 6x a year or so for a couple of weeks at a time. We shared a couple of beers (or maybe more than a couple) in the Dolce Vida a few times.
Hey Brian, thanks for the reminder. My Biden-like brain has failed me once again. Were you an LTG reader before we met?
No. Just happened to be walking around Itaewon and came across the Dolce Vida.
You may have mentioned your blog to me or I may have looked for reviews of Dolce Vida on line and came across your blog. My Biden like brain does not remember. LOL
I wasn’t a dart player, so would usually just warm a seat at the bar when I was in Dolce Vida.