Some haunts feel more like second homes, as comfortable and familiar as that tattered Ramones tee it took three years to break in. Gold Star Bar fits the bill, situated on a strip of Division where blue-collar bars and liquor stores meld with breezy bistros and boutiques. Open since the Prohibition and an ill-reputed house in the swinging sixties, it now caters to area musicians, writers, artists, punks, bike messengers and working-class stiffs who always have an interesting story to tell.Centerstage
The Star's simple red and white walls and neon signs aren't much to look at; it's mercifully short on gimmicks, pomp or pretensions. But true believers gather to gab at the long bar, in lawn chairs next to '50s era Formica tables or on the ratty couch where pool sharks relax and wait their turn to shoot some stick. Complimentary popcorn keeps the kids thirsty while the finest jukebox in Wicker Park spins classics by The Clash, Johnny Cash, John Coltrane, Slayer and Tom Waits, with some Iron Maiden mixed in for the hair farmer in us all.
Gold Star, originally uploaded by swanksalot. on 1755 Division St., been there since Prohibition, or earlier
