01/03/08

One of my Favorite Places in the World

by h3rodotus

Specs' is one of the best bars in San Francisco, the other one, Vesuvio's is conveniently located across the street. Beyond the door is always a mix of young hipsters and seasoned old timers who lend a timeless feel to the joint. Sit down at the bar, order up a whiskey and thumb through a basket of post cards, there are thousands of them from all over the world. Evidently it's a thing for the regulars, when they're on the other side of the planet, to send off a post with a friendly howdy do.

See if you can figure this out. There is one mystery person who is, no lie, responsible for about 50% of the post cards there! I asked who it was but the barkeep just shrugged her shoulders. The handwriting matches, the dates are correct and all of the post stamps are real. It's probably Specs himself. If you're a real trivia buff, you might want to find out why old Specs is famous and why that can land you a free drink on the house whenever one of his royalty checks roll in.

• Pros: You can't pay for this feeling
• Cons: You can't pay with a credit card

This North Beach watering hole is decked out with maritime relics.

by Contributor

In Short
Old Coleman lamps and a shark jaw hang from the ceiling; dusty display cases hold everything from a stuffed armadillo to a New Guinea bone calendar. There's even a stuffed mongoose and cobra locked in eternal combat. Specs' attracts a devoted following of all stripes and ages. Patrons drink Bud at the bar, talk books at one of the big round tables or enjoy a smoke in the Dublin-esque alleyway.