Denver Snubbed: Playboy Proves It's Not Even Worth It For the Articles

And now, a very special Denver Dives editorial report.

No one likes being snubbed.  And no one likes one of their beloved getting snubbed.  So you can imagine my salt when The City of Dives got a finger in the eye recently.  Playboy just came out with its Guide to America's Greatest Bars, which included a list of their 15 all-time favorite dive bars.  Denver, with its well chronicled, well seasoned, and well respected (if having a large variety of dives can be called respectable) received a grand total of zero bars on the list.  Perhaps we can just blame Playboy - I see this sloppy bit of journalism as just another sign that Playboy is falling on hard times. 

Here's the list, for those who care:

1.  The Saint, New Orleans
2. Mean-Eyed Cat, Austin
3. Subway Inn, New York
4. Lee Harvey’s, Dallas
5. Specs, San Francisco
6. Jasper’s, Lompoc, California
7. Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge, New Orleans
8. Ted’s Hideaway, South Beach
9. Lucky’s Lounge, Boston
10. Cal’s, Chicago
11. The Big Hunt, Washington, D.C.
12. Kirby’s Beer Store, Wichita
13. Springwater Supper Club, Nashville
14. Ernestine and Hazel’s, Memphis
15. Milano’s, New York

I will grant you that I personally have never had the pleasure to sleaze my way into any of the places on Playboy's list.  I'll also grant that there are many great dives outside of Denver.  In fact, one of my personal all-time favorites is a place called The Wheel Bar in Estes Park, of all godforsaken places.  However, Denver has the quality and quantity to deserve a token mention on the list.  Maybe I'll make up my own list of all-time favorites at some point, sans naked chicks.  Though that might get me a few more readers....

If anyone that has a history with any of the 15 joints that made Playboy's list, and would like to sound off on their quality versus some of Denver's hometown favorites, please do so.  Regardless, I'll bet that none of them has an airplane made of beer cans....