Fresno Famous

If the study of archaeology has proven anything it is this: if something is left buried for long enough, it will become valuable and in some cases even be considered cool. For example, if a horrible disaster were to suddenly occur and North Fresno was buried under a glacier or engulfed by the San Joaquin river, a millennia or two down the road archaeologists would eagerly line up to begin excavations of Fig Garden's tract homes or the parking structures at River park. This same phenomenon of "stuff aging well" has propelled local bar, the Astro Lounge, into the stratosphere of hipsterdom.

An undisputed cultural landmark, the Astro Motel began it's life as did many motels and motor inns perched on the west side of Highway 99. They enjoyed booming auto traffic and regular customers during the fifties, but after the building of I-5, business slowed and the neighborhood, known as Motel Drive, fell into disrepair. Riddled with a recent history involving prostitution and drugs, Motel Drive might seem an unlikely neighborhood for the coolest dive in Fresno, but the reputation of the neighborhood has only served to increase the glamour of being a patron at the Astro.

It's the little things that give the place the edge over the competition: a Hanoi Jane urinal target in the men's room, omnipresent Flash Gordon-like ducts and panels (the remnant of an ancient cigarette smoke filtration device), and a jukebox stocked with Patsy Cline and Roy Orbison records. Draped in Christmas lights and fluorescent reindeer, and topped with some of the best neon signage in the sate, the Astro Lounge has served as a beacon for weary truckers and travelers for a very long time.

And while the place has maintained a steady business over the years, serving a rotating cast of long-time regulars and truck drivers, it has enjoyed newfound popularity amongst the retro-hunting hipster set. The Lounge was featured in a Michelle Branch music video and has been spotlighted in numerous e-zines and journals.

"They tell me they come here because it is retro," says our bartender Darlene, referring to the new flow of traffic from the Tower District. "It's usually their last stop of the night."

Whether it's a first stop or last, the staying power of the Astro Lounge is in part due to the retro decor, and in part due to the wide selection of alcohol available at the bar at rock bottom prices. Domestics run about two dollars and mixed drinks aren't often much more expensive.

While retro lounges and dives, like "Welcome to the Johnson's" on the Lower East side of Manhattan, are being haphazardly assembled in larger cities on a regular basis, here in Fresno you can drink a two dollar Budweiser at the Astro Lounge, confident that you are enjoying the real deal.

The Astro Lounge and Motel are located at 3393 N Parkway Drive in Fresno. Phone: (559) 275-6743

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