Sacramento DIVEBAR

Can't wait to check the DIVEBAR out...grand opening soon. A whole block of awesome offerings. K Street Mall is getting some activity after work began again on a mermaid bar and two other nightlife venues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER6W_3NYiRo
http://divebarsacramento.com/

SACRAMENTO DIVEBAR

By Bob Shallit
The Sacramento Bee
Published: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011

A visitor from Southern California is making a big splash in downtown Sacramento.

Meet Linden Wolbert, age 30, professional mermaid.

Wolbert travels the globe, silicone tail in tow, to promote water safety to kids and talk up ocean conservation.

She's here this week, helping train some of the women who will be donning mermaid costumes and taking periodic dips in the huge aquarium in Sacramento's soon-to-open Dive Bar at 1016 K St.

Wolbert, an expert free diver who can hold her breath up to five minutes underwater, was contacted after bar owners saw her featured on a recent episode of ABC's "20/20" TV show.

She says she was happy to help out after discovering a bar featuring her favorite breed of entertainer.

"There's nothing more beautiful," she says, "than watching fish in the water – other than (watching) a mermaid."

But being beautiful underwater is harder than it sounds. That's why she's working with the Dive Bar's mermaids-to-be, showing them how to move about gracefully, relax and be aware of the physiological effects of prolonged water exposure.

Untrained mermaids tend to look like inchworms under water, she says.

Another rookie mistake: Puffing out your cheeks.

"Puffer fish looks are never sexy," she warns.

Dive Bar's managers insist they're equal opportunity employers and would like to find a few good mermen to take shifts in the 40-foot-long, 7,500-gallon tank.

Alas, their best candidate, a reservist, recently was deployed for duty and bar "mermom" Lynda Karpaty says it's been tough finding others.

Wolbert, blond and gregarious, can commiserate. "I'm still looking," she says, "for my merman."

The mermaid tank is just one of the noteworthy elements in three entertainment venues that are simply very, very cool.

Some features are over the top, literally, like the huge "Creation of Rock" mural on the ceiling of the Pizza Rock eatery, which sits between Dive Bar and the third venue, the District 30 dance club.

Also over the top is the 10,000-pound big-rig truck cab jutting out of a wall above the bar at Pizza Rock.

Bartender Connie McConnell, one of 127 employees being trained this week in advance of the opening of Pizza Rock on Friday, admits it's "a little intimidating" working under the cab. But she figures the bar owners knew what they were doing when they installed structural supports.

George Karpaty, mermom Lynda's husband and the creative force behind all three venues, says, yes, indeed, they did. Supports are in place, he says, to handle a 30,000-pound load.

Part of Pizza Rock's appeal will be daily "pizza acrobatics" featuring dough-spinning champ Jay Schuurman.

"Think of the Harlem Globetrotters spinning a basketball," restaurant co-owner Tony Gemignani says of Schuurman's routine. "He'll do that with pizza, two or three at a time."

But the place isn't just about trucks and theatrics.

Gemignani promises the best pizza in town, coming out of four different ovens, including one from Naples that heats to 900 degrees and cooks a pizza in 90 seconds.

Doesn't everybody say their pizza is best?

"I have the (international competition) medals to prove it," he says.

Also noteworthy: the sound system at District 30, which opens for one night only on Thursday, then begins daily service Jan. 19. Karpaty, owner of several Bay Area night spots, says the system is the latest from EAW, which held off releasing the product "so we could be first."

The audio quality? "It's just insane," he says.

Most of the people getting sneak peeks at the three venues this week have been wowed by what's inside.

Developer Kipp Blewett is struck by what he saw outside: a once-derelict block now mostly occupied by hip restaurants, a cabaret, a theater and clubs.

"As good as it's going to get," he says of that block – and a preview of what all of K street could be like in a couple of years, with car traffic returning and development starting on the 700 and 800 blocks.

We've heard optimistic projections before. But Blewett just may be right when he assesses recent progress and says: "There's a sense of a real entertainment district (forming) here."

[ Edited by: vampiressrn 2011-01-21 19:48 ]

Picture are fantastic! Looks so COOL! Can't wait to go! :o

Hoping we can plan a pilgrimage on Saturday, February 5th...time to be determined. This place looks awesome!!!

Went there last night....

They have live fish swimming with the mermaid, and various "old" booze bottles floating around. The mermaid tank is the only nautical themed thing in the place..it's a narrow trendy club with chandeliers and TV screens showing anything from sports to videos. A cross section of America was there...just to check it out. I think it will settle out as a spot for the college crowd. Newcastle, Sharkbite, and the usual low-end American beers on tap. Heavy on Grey Goose and flavored vodka. Mai tai was red. Wasn't a mai tai. Duh..it was red. Thought Matt was going to have a heart attack when the bartender started mixing it. She didn't seem to understand that a mai tai is a specific recipe. When she said "this is how I make a mai tai" I just had to walk away and let Matt deal with it. Lemon drop wasn't right either. Matt will report on martini-hopefully that was right.

The music is really random. Stones "Gimme Shelter" followed by the Flaming Lips and Sinatra. The radio ads claim that it's a "giant ipod" theme for the music, but I can't see anyone's ipod being as random as this was!

I think right now they don't know who they are and are waiting for a scene to decide which direction they should go. Hopefully they will get the bugs worked out and pick a theme. It has potential. I love the idea of the mermaid tank. But they should have carried the water theme a bit further.

Pizza Rock next door was packed. I think you can walk through to it at the back of the Divebar.

I'm supposed to go there again next week...I think for now I'll stick to the Newcastle!

:drink:
Tacky Tiki

Thanks so much for posting Barb...that is sad news. Sorry I couldn't make it last night, so appreciate your update. Like you say, there is certainly potential with that tank, too bad they didn't theme out the place. You probably hit the nail on the head with the college crowd being the frequent flyers. I had a feeling the drinks would not be quality...sounds like that is definitely the case. Maybe once they get going some of the kinks will get smoothed out. Hope they are open to feedback though.

I'm hoping it makes it and settles into a better place to hang out-that is what it is now-a place to hang out, but it is to hang out and be seen by 'x' and to drink as a means to an end rather than for the enjoyment of good drinks. But with pizza next door and a dance club 2 doors down, they are looking for a different scene.

So go, check out the mermaids, have a simple cocktail (I bet she can handle gin and tonic...but you may have to ask for lime)and see what you think. I'm supposed to be going back next week. I'll see if things are settling in..right now there is no demographic there...'everyone' is going to see the mermaids. Eventually they will narrow their manic ipod to something, and they will get their drinks figured out. But I'm being drawn by the call of apricot ale and some good food from across the street at Pyramid, but that might just be me going to what I know and am familiar with.

:drink:
Tacky Tiki
(who hates having to use both words so you know I'm not Tiki Tacky!)

Man- I really wish I could go there and help out those swimmers- I hate the idea of another "Mermaid Bar" tanking (no pun intended) because indifference made it not reach its full possible potential.
Unfortunately, that happens more often than not, and as an aquatic performer who is trying so hard to preserve this particular type of endangered venue (Aquatic Lounge)- it breaks my little waterlogged heart.
I really wish I could at least be there to train those swimmers and help them to also become aquatic performers...
sigh

[ Edited by: Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid! 2011-01-23 17:15 ]

I know that there's a lot skeptical people out there regarding these three venues, but let me assure you, George Karpaty, the guy behind these venues, knows a thing or two about running a nightclub and knows how to make these places a destination spot for downtown Sacramento.

I was the designer for the Pizza Rock sign and the company I worked for built and installed all three signs. I have worked closely with George on the sign development, and believe me, he's a very detail oriented guy and isn't one to cut corners. He really is a visionary when it comes to entertainment venues and has invested a lot of money and talent to get this thing right. He's even hired on a marine biologist, who comes in every day to monitor the tank (since there's also live fish in it as well as the mermaids). He's trying to bring in a broader demographic than the standard nightclub scene which mainly caters to the twenty something crowd and I think he's succeeding.

There's been a lot of local press about these places and there's definitely a buzz going on here. George has told me that he's hired some really innovative bartenders for The Dive Bar and is insisting on fresh ingredients and mixes with top of the line liquor. I think once these places settle in, this could be a really great scene for the Sacramento area. Believe me, there's been some haters up here that have slammed the venues as crass commercialism from the inception, but then again, these are the same people that don't have anything constructive to say in terms of revitalizing the downtown area.

I really hope you guys give the place a chance. There was a lot of creativity and forethought that went into these places, not to mention a TON of capital. It's not tiki, but I think something equally as cool and needs the support of the locals.

Here's an update from someone else who was there Sat night, but at 9 pm:

There was an hour and a half wait to get in. Once inside, it was very very crowded. Music was no longer what we experienced earlier...it was top 40. People were very dressed up..maybe going to the club on the other side of Pizza Rock?

Same bartenders as when I was there. Possibly same mermaid...I've heard the blond one is really good, but the one my fried saw at 10:30 was having a difficult time getting across the tank without surfacing for air.

I'd like to hear from Rugbymatt on the bartending...

I'm going back on Saturday, so I'll report back then. Why am I going back? With other friends who haven"t seen the place yet. And because I want the aquatic lounge idea to work. It would be cool to keep the mermaids as a Sacramento institution.

I'm still keeping it simple with the drinks...I'll try gin and tonic cuz they have a decent gin.

Go ahead and call me a hater. I'm just reporting back what happened, and adding a non-tiki report to the mix. Her word to sum it up was "disappointing" and said she would not go back. I'm willing to give it a few tries..partially because I like mermaids (are they going to get some water-polo guys as mermen??)

:drink:
Tacky

Quickiki thank you so much for posting here. I really can't express how exited and eager we are to have an awesome place to party at here in Sacramento. I think we are very open minded and certainly know it takes a while to settle in with a new business. I for one will be visiting at a later date and have hope that many of the kinks will be worked out by then. Looks like you are not new to TC so you know that Tiki Ohana will absolutely support a local business that has the right atmosphere and quality cocktails.

We know it isn't Tiki but when we heard about the Aquatic Lounge aspect our hearts skipped a beat and we could hardly wait to embrace that venue. Obviously a large amount of capital has been invested and we want the business to succeed and wish to be regular/frequent patrons. I think the reviews you are reading here can be beneficial in helping to improve the Dive Bar in the future. I hope that you can steer George Karpaty to this valuable feedback...not as something negative, but as experiences from eager patrons.

I know the Tiki crowd has certain passions around cocktails and that is not a bad thing. We're not a beer guzzling, wine spritzer, watered down/mixer heavy cocktail gang. We like quality drinks and most folks are connoisseurs above and beyond a typical bar patron. Once again, I don't think that is bad, but it might suggest that you have a section on the cocktail menu that is more upscale for those that want the option.

I am so glad that Marina has weighed in on the Aquatics. She is the Goddess of the water with a passion for an art that is not mainstream. I think some networking could really help folks out if they are open to that.

Anyway, just wanted to say, we have high hopes that the Dive Bar will provide fabulous entertainment and cocktails. While a diverse audience is a great idea, catering to a focused group on a certain night can sometimes help to find your niche as opposed to getting lost in the big picture.

I've read a couple of people complain of the music choice at Dive Bar, but for those who haven't been there, the music choice is pretty democratic because they have installed a giant i-Pod at the rear of the bar, where patrons can plug in their own iPods as long as they're drinking, for a specified amount of time (differs, I'm sure according to how many people want to hear their playlists) and whether the songs played "offend" patrons. Obviously, if you have a large group of people with similar music tastes, you can pretty much dominate the playlist (hint, hint). I'll mention to George about a theme night and drink expansions the next time I talk to him. He's pretty receptive to a lot of ideas and very accessible to talk to if you spot him walking around.

Went again last night....the mermaids are doing much better!!! They wave at patrons, blow kisses, do more than just swim back and forth! It was really interesting to watch! And since we have an insider here...people (ok, men) cheered when the mermaid with the purple tail swam out...dark haired girl, slim..I guess she is a customer favorite already!!

I got a gin and tonic and was asked my preference of gin!! And I got a lime!! Awesome!! but my friend got a mai tai, and it was the same story as last week...maybe they need a real mai tai recipe!

When I left there was a line down the block to the corner of 10th....in the rain!!

The music was still ipod crazy..but some stuff was ejected if it was too harsh. Until I get my exotica on, my ipod will be pretty much taboo there. I saw people plugging in their ipods..looked interesting..

I want to go back in about a month. The lookie loos will have gone away, and it will have found it's groove. I wouldn't count it out as a destination yet!!

:drink:
Tacky

Sounds like fun, but it's a bit of a drive for me. And I like mermaids as much as the next guy but I'm not sure what the heck I would do with one if I caught it! :lol:

I am intrigued with this giant iPod playlist concept. I'm too anti-Apple to own one :D so I'm not sure how this works? Multiple iPods plugged into one sound system? Does it just take random songs off of different playlists? Does it looks at everyone's playlist and play the most common songs and/or artists? How does it filter out "objectionable content"? How does it filter out the odd song that no one wants to hear (say, "Spiders & Snakes" by Jim Stafford)? Seems there would still have to be a DJ to watch over it and give some control. Inquiring minds want to know.

THE MERMAID (Shel Silverstein, Bobby Bare)

When I was a lad in a fishing town, an old man said to me
You can spend your life, your jolly life, just sailing on the sea
You can search the world for pretty girls, till your eyes're weak and dim
But don't go swimming with a mermaid, son, if you don't know how to swim.

'Cause her hair is green as seaweed and her skin is blue and pale
And I tell you now before you start, you can love that girl with all your heart
But you're just gonna love the upper part. You're not gonna like the tail.

So I signed onto a whaling ship and my very first day at sea
I seen a mermaid in the waves, a reaching out to me
Come live with me in the sea, said she, and down on the ocean's floor
I'll show you a million wondrous things you never seen before.

So over I jumped and she pulled me down, down to her seaweed bed
And the pillow made of tortoise shell she placed beneath my head
She fed me shrimps and caviar upon a silver dish
From her head to her waist she was just my taste, but the rest of her was a fish.

Her hair was green as seaweed and her skin was blue and pale
And her face it was a work of art, and I loved that girl with all my heart
But I only loved the upper part. I did not like the tail.

Then one day she swam away, and I sang to the clams and whales
I missed her fins and her seaweed hair and the silvery shine of her scales
Then her sister, she swam by and set my heart awhirl
Cause her upper part was an ugly fish, but the bottom part was a girl.

Yeah her toes are pink and rosy and her knees are smooth and pale
And her legs they are a work of art, and I love that girl with all my heart
I don't give a damn 'bout the upper part and that's how I end my tale...

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-02-07 14:30 ]

Glad to hear the mermaids have improved. The drinks were Awful! With the attitude of the bartenders and the obvious lack of creativity in Divebar's drink menu ( read non-existent) things look bleak. Aside from the centerpiece Mermaid tank the decor is incredibly generic "club" Crap. How people with supposed "know how" and seemingly deep pockets missed the mark by such a degree is beyond me? There are a flock of talented mixologists in Sacto and not a one was brought in to this mess.

I hope for the best but I am steeling myself for the worst.

Wondering if there are any updates on the status of the Dive Bar and its shows~
Any good news to report?