i try to avoid hollywood boulevard at all costs. the stench of vagrants and the irritating tourists who stop every few steps to goggle at stars on the walk of fame are enough to drive any LA native crazy. unfortunately, i find myself there quite often, usually attending a concert at either the music box or the avalon.

and as all experienced concert-goers know, when attending a gig, the band usually doesn’t start until hours after the doors open. so rather than standing in front of an empty stage surrounded by assholes and drinking 8 dollar beers, i usually spend those hours wandering around hollywood boulevard looking for a bar.

luckily, a couple months ago, i happened upon this place:

the frolic room is a great little dive bar, located at hollywood and vine, right next to the pantages theatre.

in true dive bar fashion, most of the beer at the frolic room is bottled, and most of the drinks served are hard alcohol. however, this bar is kind enough to keep two shitty beers on tap, budweiser and sam adams. yeah, i know that doesn’t sound like much, but at this place i feel lucky to get any draught beer, and it sure as hell beats the alternative.

like any authentic hole-in-the-wall, this place has got old salty bartenders, a jukebox filled with classic rock cds, and plenty of white trash clientele (most of whom are on their way to or from the pantages, so check show-times if you want to hit the bar off peak).

on top of all the sleaziness, the frolic room piles on the “old hollywood” charm, with decaying murals of celebrity caricatures that cover the walls. of course most of them have been defaced with witty phrases such as “for good anal, call debbi at…”. you get the idea.

so if you are unlucky enough to find yourself on hollywood boulevard, and have some time to kill, i highly recommend the frolic room. it always makes for a colorful evening.