Are you out and about for your first night in New Orleans and you are looking for something to do that will bring out your wild side and turn a few heads. Well if you’re heading down Bourbon street there are two fairly unknown watering holes that are sure to catch your eye, and possibly, may even end up catching your heart. Nestled snugly between Mason’s Diner and the fish shop on 5th street Lies Mel’s Dive.
How would one go about describing Mel’s Dive. Well have you ever seen that movie which featured a very obese fat man sitting on a barstool in the corner of a smoke-filled pool hall, and a bartender that hated to move his head from behind his newspaper. Well then you probably know what I’m talking about.
This place is all atmosphere, without any of the fuss and muss of your traditional tourist hole in the wall. You want find quality service or a friendly happy vibe here. But as we as we all know the people of this great city are wacky and fun loving – so much so that New Orleans has been known to have some of the more lenient laws regarding public nudity and alcohol consumption than any other city or county in the nation. Similar to Las Vegas, this is, of course half the fun. Merely bat an eyelash and you may find yourself immersed in the great chaos that is a Mardi Gras festival, or tapping your foot to the latest and greatest cool hip jazz lyrics that are streaming their way out of the local corner saloon, and into your quite pleased to hear listen ear. Ah yes, if you haven’t lived it, or haven’t been to at least one Mardi Gras festival, then you haven’t lived. But what you will find, is a piece of New Orleans history. Get yourself a couple drinks and tip nicely, and old Mel may be inclined to burst into a story or two about his youth and his time spent working as a Merchant Marine. And, if you’re feeling generous and buy a round of drinks for the bar — don’t worry there are usually only three or four people there (sometimes more on Saturdays) then you might be able to feast your ears on the tales of the early Cajun days when men were men and the French ran free in the streets of New Orleans.
