This narrow bar, reminiscent of a railroad car, is a house of worship for blues and jazz. Real regulars, mainly journos and other word-workers, warm the booths here swapping news of their own bands. The blues bands lean more toward Stevie Ray Vaughn than the Mississippi Blind Boys and on Sunday nights, the locally famous Soi Dogs takes the pulpit.

You can turn your nose up at the Nana girlie-bar scene or curiosity can propel you to the fringes. Jool's offers a comfortable peek into this other world. Lots of sexpats take a breather here for a good romp with some beer buddies. The drunkest always gets to sit in the captain's chair while others gather around the u-shaped bar for cross-fire conversations.