A Sad Cat, David Bowie, and Three Irishmen Walk Into a Bar....

Guangzhou is a special place for bars. They don't seem nearly as common as they are in the states. From what I can tell, most are run by foreigners or locals that have gone overseas and come home. As with apparently every city the world over, Guangzhou has an Irish pub, several, in fact, fully equipped with a revolving cast of expats and younger locals. Some are Irish in name only,  some have Guiness on draft and fajitas every Thursday, and some are just dim enough to be cool. For the homesick American, there are a couple joints offering big burgers, spicy wings, and happy hour beer specials.

Our neighborhood has fewer choices. There are a few cafes that sell a couple of expensive imported beers as a side gig and a couple of restaurants that tolerate foreigners hanging around long after dinner is over. But there are few standouts that make the area special. First, sad cat. The place certainly has a name, but names are stupid when succinct descriptions work so much better. This one was so dubbed because their marketing campaign appears to be based on having three cats who laze around a six-foot tall, two foot in diameter plastic tube in the bar window. I'm guessing they originally hoped to host knitting circles for retirees, but, once again they tolerate expats led by a guy that thinks a local haunt only needs dim lights, moderately priced beer, furniture that's falling apart, and a couple of cats that are, well, kind of sad.

Beyond that, the standout is David Bowie bar, also called Rebel Rebel. If David Bowie opened a bar, it would probably be weird, avant garde, and crazy expensive. This place doesn't lay claim to David Bowie's inspiration, it just claims to be inspired by the man. It's like a TGI Friday's that switched out the random crap decorating package for the Bowie and friends cover art decorating package. Add in some solid British pub fare, consistently good live music, and menu notes about Bowie's life and it's definitely a spot worth frequenting.

We've got two years to go, and I'm sure we'll find the spot full of old guys with stories to share that I'm always searching for, but in between meals of rice, noodles, and various parts of various beasts, we're off to a good start for watering holes.