The Circle Bar
Downtown Santa Monica on Main St. is a block that connects all young adults. During the day the scene is calm and work related, but at night the true face of the Santa Monica youth movement is revealed.
There are many bars to choose from on Main St.
The one that really captures what the area is about is the Circle Bar, located on Main and Kinney St.
The lounge is named after the shape of its bar, a circle (more oval then anything but who's going to argue?).
If you can get past the line that is usually there on weekends, you enter a cozy world where Santa Monicans hang out and take time to forget about work and life.
The bar features a small dance floor with a DJ on site playing a blend of new and old music. The Circle has been in the same spot for over three decades, and is on
The bar has more of a trendy atmosphere with a divey look. The fact that it's a bar and people are dancing is a telling point.
Most bars in LA are just that, bars. Circle Bar on the other ha nd combines drink and dance, making it more of a social environment. In other words, a good place to meet the opposite sex.
Drinks are reasonably priced for L.A., which makes it less expensive than a trendy club. The locals know the bartenders, giving them an advantage on cheaper drinks.
Go there enough and you can develop the same relationship with the bouncers and bartenders.
"This place is fun,. I mean it's small and intimate and it's a great place to meet girls," said local resident Richard Hammer. "Plus there is no cover."
It does have its downsides. The place always has a line on the weekends and is deserted on the weekdays. If you're a girl you can get in immediately.
Dudes on the other hand have to wait. "I come here from time to time," says Rena Emond, who lives in Venice.
"It's fun, but it can get kind of trashy." The scene is definitely not for all. It's easy to meet people, but hard to just hangout.
The music is loud, so if you plan on just chatting with your friends over a beer, this is not the place for you. Last call is at 1 a.m., and the lights come on at 1:30 a.m., because this is L.A. and everything closes before two.
The Circle Bar can be fun if what you are looking for is an easy way to "hook up," but it's not for all. The place is packed and loud.
In other words it's built for social interaction between men and women. So next time you just want to go out, dance and maybe make a few mistakes, Circle Bar is the place for you.