Post #486003 by JOHN-O on Thu, Oct 1, 2009 4:13 PM

Bigbro, I don't think the locals will get upset. It'll probably be the opposite and let me tell you why. When I was chatting up the bartender, the owner's niece, and the rest of the regulars at Embers, I mentioned the bar was described in a recent book. Their eyes widened, and they said "Really! What book?". I had the new edition of "L.A. Bizarro" in my car which I brought in and showed to them. They were so jazzed that they made me read the entire 2-page description out loud to the whole bar. It begins.....

"Another sixties strip mall, another bar, and more surprises. Even Santa Fe Springs, one of the many why-would-anyone-choose-to-live-here suburbs of Los Angeles, is rife with treasure. And how wonderful that Embers Lounge offers an opportunity to tell someone, with a straight face, that you actually traveled east of Downey to go drink in a bar for the artwork.".......

I jokingly warned them that the "cat was out of the bag", and that they could expect an onslaught of Eastside hipsters looking to get their ironic experience on. They thought that was pretty funny, especially when a group of drunken Mexican day laborers staggered in to play pool and get even more drunk.

If anything they wanted to share more of their local treasures. "You like this place? You should check out Poor Denny's Saloon or the Steak Corral or....."

Honestly though, I think these bars are just too far out of the way or too scary looking to draw swarms of rubberneckers. At least for Embers, you can always emphasize the stabbing they had last year. One woman at the bar actually reenacted it for me via the security camera in the restroom hallway.

And as for the Foc'sle Bar, I think driving around Wilmington will give pause for some people to even get out of their car. :)