Sophisticated? Well...\r
\r
I suppose this bar might look something like the photograph, although I could hardly see anything through the thick cloud of smoke that permeated every square inch of this establishment. I visited Tribe with a business associate after being assured it was a ""sophisticated"" and ""upscale"" establishment. ""Very New York, very L.A."" I was told.\r
\r
Granted, there are bars similar to Tribe in New York and Los Angeles. Like Tribe, these bars are located in bad parts of town near adult video stores and liquor stores. Like Tribe, there's plenty of cruising, drinking, shirtless bartenders, loud music and smoking.\r
\r
Within minutes of taking a seat and ordering a martini with my associate, a bartender delivered a folded note from a nearby pair of giggling, elderly men who were clearly intoxicated. The note, of course, was an sexual invitation. Great. Our cocktail waitress was a skeletal, forty-something blonde wearing some manner of a bra or bikini top. She seemed to be having a bad night, judging by her aggressive service and angry banter with a fellow, shirtless server. Video screens blared everything from Cher the Village People to Saturday Night Live clips. People howled and laughed and shouted back and forth as if they were in a rowdy sports bar.\r
\r
If you're looking for a loud, smoke-filled, cruisey, alcohol-soaked gay bar, then this is your place. Don't be fooled, as I was, into thinking it is anything more than that.
Pros: Nicer decor than most gay bars
Cons: Noise, smoke, service, cruising
more