SFist Reprint

Staggering Through Fog

A weekly display of the futility of transcribing notes on cocktail napkins into anything legible. By your dedicated barrespondent, Drew.

Ah, Haight Street... Or depending on your tolerance level of the neo-hippie hackey-sack crowd, maybe it's, 'Ah!! Haight Street?!'. Whichever way you say it, chances are you'll find yourself wandering around this corner where lost tourist meets hopeless poseur every once in awhile. And if you do find yourself there, trust us, you'll need a drink, even if it's only to fill your nostrils with the scent of gin to try and kill the patchouli. Surprisingly enough, however, The Haight has quite a few comfortable bars that provide a rest from the Tibetan-themed knick-knack shoppers choking the streets.

The Gold Cane, a block and a half up from Ashbury has managed to stay virtually unchanged for what seems like decades now. Its big picture windows provide a great people watching opportunity and the overall comfy home-like atmosphere is reliably inviting almost any time of the day. It seems like every time we come to the Cane, it's to meet someone, which makes perfect sense. Its central location is easy enough for just about anyone anywhere in the city to get to and you're not going to have to fight past a doorman and a big crowd to find your buddy/buddies/casual aquaintances.

They're not going to blow you away with their beer selection at the Cane, but they are going to be amicable and friendly as they pour it and treat you like a regular even if it's your first time in the door. It's also one of the cleaner bars in the city and provides a fancy new flat screen TV that they just installed near the front door for sporting events.

So if you haven't been out of the Mission in awhile, and you're starting to think that San Francisco's little more than Ducati-riding hipsters, check out the Gold Cane for some first class, 'dreads and hemp' people watchin'!

Liver... Out!!