All stories about "Bars"

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jack Kerouac's classic book On the Road -- a milestone accompanied by a resurgence of interest in the writers and poets of the so-called Beat generation. While the Beats were constantly in motion, making a home wherever they happened to pass out, they all had a special love for the chaos and energy of New York City, which is reflected in their best writing. Kerouac, Neal Cassady, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and other influential Beats spent some of their most productive and destructive years in New York, shuttling between mad parties and bop joints and drinking and drugging their way to literary infamy. And while there are many Beat landmarks throughout the city, it seems the most appropriate to visit the taverns and bars that fueled their creative impulses. While many of their favorite haunts have now passed into history (Cedar Tavern, RIP), a decent handful of Beat bars remain, waiting to be discovered by the next generation of young, thirsty writers.

In our ever-connected, over-exposed world of Youtube, celebrity crotch shots and drunken hamburger feasts, we sometimes have conflicting emotions - a nostalgia for simpler photographic times and burning envy of celebrity fame and fortune (that's right - no underwear tonight!) Enter the world of nightlife retro-chic - bars with photobooths to capture all your personal debauchery without that automatic link to the internets (well, not usually.) Classic black-and-white shots with your ten most-bestest friends are not only a memento for a wild night out, but confirm that yes, at some point in the evening you were wearing pants.

For the world's most well-known and frequently visited cultural capital, Paris also has an unbeatable collection of historical bars. Some of the most notable are in the city's palace hotels, and they've hosted some of the most famous drinkers in the world. Another generation is coming into play as well, with ice bars, cutting-edge design, and new techniques coinciding with the classic, and located both in established properties and newer boutique hotels. Whatever the vibe you're looking for, here's a selection of the best.

Every Berliner loves the Weinerei, that kitsch little bar by Weinbergspark, where the so-inclined can drink endless glasses of cheap rosé and then throw €5 in a fishbowl and stagger home. But what about the wine connoisseur more interested in quality than quantity? Germany's vineyards are well known for producing Eiswein, a labor-intensive delicacy made from frozen grapes and Riesling dessert wines with peach, pear, apricot, and apple aromas. But wine bars and cellars in Berlin also stock vast quantities of French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese wines that pair perfectly with even the heaviest entrées. So skip the beer, and save trips to the Weinerei for the end of the month. Many of these locales also offer tasting events, where wine lovers can sip Pétillant and discuss the prädikat. Here's a quick roundup of wine cellars and bars around the Weinerei for all you oenophiles.

London is no stranger to members-only clubs. But Victory, headed by Hedges and Butler alum and self-described as “a luxurious, opulent members club,” is no Soho House. The brainchild of Youcef Aden, formerly Dynasty’s costume designer and stylist to such icons as Jackson 5 and Elton John, Victory evaluates member’s applications on their merit as storytellers. That’s right, “membership is free, but granted on the premise that the applicant has a story to tell. Creativity and intellect will be encouraged – along with wit, humor and a passion for the anecdotal.”

As with all cosmopolitan cities, Berlin offers an ample selection of wild but run-of-the-mill world-capital nightlife: legendary nightclubs and trendy lounges where the young and successful (or at least hopeful) flirt and drink pricey cocktails. The style, patrons, music, and cocktails are akin to similar scenes across the globe. But then there is the other Berlin, the Berlin in which Berliners live, create, dance, and naturally, party. These are places from which the average local late-night reveler stumbles home. They have color, character, verve, and, as usual in Berlin, history.

The tiki bar was invented in Los Angeles, when Ernest Gantt opened "Don the Beachcomber" back in 1933. Since then, the concept of the Polynesian drinkery has bounced to the South Pacific and back, colonizing the rest of the West Coast and the world. Back in LA, summer is heating up. Weathered Angelenos can already feel the potential onslaught of a full-fledged heat wave. So, those interested in toasting the summer season with a cool drink in hand might consider (re)visiting your local LA tiki bar, as the city is home to several. Here are six of our favorites.