No matter where you go in Cali there is always salsa playing – in the supermarkets, in the taxis, in small tiendas on street corners. It’s everywhere. But what if you want to spend a night out in Cali without getting your feet stepped on by a salsero? What if you can’t move and shake it with the best of them? Well, if you find yourself in Cali but salsa just isn’t your thang, then don’t worry because Cali won’t leave you behind.
Bourbon St Bar
I get the feeling that Bourbon St Bar has seen many a messy night. The menu is in English and has a bunch of photos of people, mostly girls, looking like they’re having one hell of a time – think Girls Behaving Badly. Of course, I would never act in such a way and I was there to have a quiet dinner and a beer before going home. Ok no that is a complete lie. I went with a bunch of friends, we bought a few ice buckets filled with beer, sat down for a steak then watched the live bad play the covers of ACDC, Counting Crowes and other pub favourites.
It’s a New Orleans-themed pub so some jazzy tunes were playing before the band came on – of which the drummer had some serious guns, might I just say. Mardi Gras beads hang from the ceiling and I get the feeling people tend to take them down and wear them – people are not shy in Cali, that’s for sure.
MiKASA Bar
After drinking cervezas at Bourbon St we made our way not too far around the corner to MiKasa Bar. Now, this place makes you feel right at home, well, because it is a home – complete with beds, kitchen, washing machine and all.
Get cozy in the beds downstairs or head to the terrace and sit under the mango tree, and hope a mango doesn’t fall on your head. This place plays alternative, electronic and tropical fusion music as well as emerging artists. It also exhibits local artwork and also hosts themed dance parties and dance performances. On the night I was there, it was at some ungodly hour and the music was loud and a mix of electronic with some sort of moaning. I liked it. We danced under the mango tree, no one got hit as far as we can recall. We made sure the drunkest guy in the place, who had no concept of personal space, stopped talking to us and then we made our way back to our own beds, not the beds downstairs.
And then when you wake up the next morning with a headache and a desire to eat the greasiest food you have ever come across, you’re in luck because Cali knows fried food. But before I start to refuel, I think it might be time for me to go back to bed.
Sarah
