Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Michigan Bars in Far Away Places

The Kezar Pub is the unofficial Michigan bar of San Francisco, thanks to the heroic efforts of Powers grad Mike Mahon, a guy who's just impossible not to like and is now back in Michigan. (Last time I was there with my friend Sparky from Flint my car got towed, which enabled Sparky to experience the infamous impound lot at the Hall of Justice — a place every San Franciscan gets acquainted with eventually.)

For those of you back East, New York Magazine has an item on expatriate sports bars in Manhattan. Craig Fehrman writes:
On fall Saturdays and during March Madness, this kind of jam-packed enthusiasm for distant competitions takes over many of Manhattan’s pubs and sports bars. Over time, fans have organically matched up with proprietors (who know a loyal customer base when they see one) to establish headquarters for displaced college sports enthusiasts.
Here are the two bars partial to U of M. Not sure if there are rival MSU bars or not. Or if, like the Kezar, people show up for any sporting event linked to Michigan. (Except maybe the Lions.)

8 comments:

  1. which kezar?

    this one?

    http://sfist.com/2009/12/21/daisy_does_the_49ers_adios_playoffs.php

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  2. Yes, on Stanyon, NOT Cole.

    And it sounds like it's a Philly bar when the Eagles are playing. Like I said, no one bothers to take over a bar to watch the Lions.

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  3. I'm not saying this is a Michigan bar per se... but for those U-M'ers who don't like football, but do like good music... The Great Lakes Bar in Brooklyn hits the spot...

    http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-great-lakes-bar-brooklyn

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  4. I am so glad the Non-smoking law went through, so I will be able to go to these bars as of May 1st!
    Thank you to the Michigan Legislature!
    RoadsideDinerLover

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  5. Charleston SC -- Mad River Bar on Market St.

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  6. The Gin Mill in Chicago is a MSU hangout. Love it. GO GREEN. (Tough loss last night, but we'll be ready in March as usual!)

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  7. Offshore Tavern (MSU) and PB Bar and Grill (U of M) in San Diego!

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  8. When I lived in Austin, this was a food truck. Apparently they're breaking ground to become an actual bar. http://impactnews.com/blogs/southwest-austin-impacts/coming-soon%3A-via-313-pizza-%26-pub/ There were a surprising amount of Michigan people in Austin though. I actually worked with a guy at a microbrewery/smokehouse. He'd been claiming Flint until I asked him where he went to school and gave my grandparents' old address and the names of my dad's and grandpa's high schools (I grew up up North). He started stammering for a moment, turned red, and whispered, "Fenton."

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.