Discover ... the Best of Lodi, the Delta and the Mother Lode

Rhythm of the night

When the sun sets on Lodi the night owls come out to play all over town

I've seen it all, from college towns across the state to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. You probably can't compare the night life in Lodi with these cities, but I was on a quest to see what Lodi had to offer.

I'm a 22-year-old recent college graduate, new to Lodi. Many out-of-towners I knew laughed in my face and said I wouldn't find a night life here. But I've heard Lodi has some great spots to have drinks with friends, dance and meet people around my own age.

I went out on a Friday night with our photographer, Angelina Gervasi, 22, to see if this was true.

She's a native Lodian and knows the bar scene much more than I do so we compiled a list of places she and her friends go to.

We charged to seven bars in three-and-a-half hours.

First stop

Downtown seemed like a good place to start since I could just park my car and walk to several bars within a few blocks.

At 10 p.m. we headed to Rosewood Bar and Grill on School Street, known as one of the classier bars. It's a beautiful dimly lit bar with dark wood walls and live jazz music, attracting a mix of ages.

Men wore designer jeans with colorful buttoned-down shirts and the women clinging to them were clad in very fitted outfits.

The drinks were tasty and weren't overwhelmingly strong. Rosewood is known for their own recipes of cocktails, such as Tang, a mix of top-shelf triple sec, orange vodka and fresh-squeezed lime and orange juice for $7.

Live music is one of the perks of the bar, said Rosewood bar manager Natalie Clark.

"We have upbeat live music three nights a week," she said. "It's just a good vibe."

There was minimal standing room at 10:30 p.m. so I chatted with some young people out front.

Among them was Joe Moreno, a 21-year-old, casually dressed Lodian, planning to leave soon for Mojos.

"It's Lodi. There's not much to choose from," he claims. And yet he said he has a list of bars that he goes to in a particular order: Rosewood, Mojos, Garry's Lounge and Jack's Back.

Popular shots

Garry's Lounge on School Street has green bar stools, a juke box, a pool table and three shots that bartender Yvonne "Yo" Gatto claims are house favorites.

For $4 each, you can pour a Red-headed Slut, a Bocce Ball and a Brain Hemorrhage down the back of your throat.

My favorite shot for its look and the fact that it's not too harsh is the Brain Hemorrhage, made of peach schnapps, Bailey's and a splash of Grenadine syrup, which forms a glob of what looks like blood in the shot glass.

Emily Kiesz and Cassie Trunk, both 22, hung onto each other, giggling and ready to get to Mojos at 10:45 p.m.

"When it's late, like 10:30 or 11, people our age start coming out," Kiesz said.

A hoard of men in their late twenties and early thirties arrived as if on cue. They looked like clean-cut, military men going out for beers.

Around the corner of the bar, Rodney Duran, 24, took a break from hanging with his friends at the pool table.

He said if he goes out in Lodi, he hits up Garry's and some other bars for pool, such as El Rancho, Sky's and Stooges.

"Lodi is a small town and I just don't find (the night life) exhilarating," he said. "if I go out, I'll play pool."

A quiet drink

Stooges, located on Pine Street, is a two-story, grungy-looking sports bar with a pool table in the back and some cheap drink specials.

On Tuesday, it's Ladies Night, where hard alcoholic drinks are half price. On Wednesday, beer is $1.

Heather Honeycutt, a 21-year-old cosmetologist said she's loyal to Stooges and Garry's Lounge for the booze and people.

The bar was almost empty besides Honeycutt's group at 11:10 p.m., but bartender Breanne Forsythe said an hour earlier, it was busy.

"When it's busy, it gets pretty loud in here," she said. "People were dancing tonight ... We either play rock or hip hop."

We headed to Ollie's Tavern on School Street around 11:30 p.m. but the bouncer wouldn't let us in. After a few attempts of convincing, we headed to another bar a few blocks down.

Complimentary food awaited at the old dive bar Jack's Back. On Friday night, he had chicken gumbo, still hot and available at 11:40 p.m.

One regular, Josh Palmer, said the dingy back patio is one of his favorite parts of the bar.

"I'm into dives and it's strictly our select friends," the 22-year-old said.

His friend raised his beer to that.

"This is the No. 1 bar in Lodi," Ryan Garcia, 23, said on his birthday, leaning over the bar. "There are no jocks and it's all about tattoos and booze."

To my right, I noticed a couple men who looked like they were at least 70. One man, in particular, was alone, not talking to anybody and not drinking.

But my attention veered away from him as James Mercer, 23, and his four friends stumbled in. They looked like classic fraternity boys.

"At Jack's Back, the drinks are harsh but great," he said, slurring his words. "(The drinks) leave you groggy in the morning, but I still somehow get to work."

Midnight strikes

It was just after midnight when Angelina and I decided to venture to Cherokee Lane for more action.

We arrived at El Rancho Sports Lounge, a weathered bar alongside an unattractive brown motel.

The small parking lot was completely packed. As we were parking, two women were passionately kissing out front. They held quite a few people's attention for a good two minutes. Then they left, holding each other's waists.

This was probably the most ethnically diverse crowd I had seen all night.

"We're always packed with diverse cultures," bar manager Ryan Schenone said. "We've got all races here ... Black, White, Mexican, Asian people ... We've got folks from Berkeley come down here."

At least 25 people were out front, smoking and getting some air from the very heated bar.

Inside, there was barely any room to walk around. People were either waiting for drinks at the bar or moving onto the dance floor.

Friday nights are a big hit with DJ Chris Brown, who has a request list guests can fill out atop his bass-bumping speakers.

Sweating people danced to songs, such as "Back of Da Club" by Mashonda and "Just a Lil Bit" by 50 Cent. Girls pushed their bottoms out and guys held their waists, making all the windows in the house extra steamy.

"We get pretty tons messed up," Mindy Davis, 23, yelled over the loud music.

Davis and her four friends leaned their heads back and drank 180 drop shots a shot glass of vanilla vodka, dropped into a 180 energy drink. It was a drink for the troopers wanting to stay up all night. Davis chugged the $5 drink in about two seconds.

Annie Montez, 23, said she's loyal to this bar because she likes the drinks and the people.

"There's not a lot of drama," said Annie Montez, 23, smoking a cigarette outside. "It's not like Mojos ... There are snooty people there that think people are lower than them." It made me want to go to Mojos and Last stop check out the scene.

We hit Mojos on Sacramento Street before last call. I heard there was dancing, but at around 12:45, the dance floor was almost empty.

There is a dress code — no tennis shoes or sandals — and people here were dressed more formally than in any of the other bars.

Stephanie Reich, 25, said she goes to Mojos for the great atmosphere. She drank a few Bud Lights and said she didn't have to pay for them.

"We're girls. Drinks are free pretty much," she said of men buying her drinks throughout the night.

I ended up the night with a drink of my own: a raspberry Kamikaze. As I drank a blend of vodka, triple sec and raspberry liqueur, I watched Mojos owner Joe Guzman sip rum, spark a lighter and blow a torch of fire across the bar.

Lodi may not be a big city, but it has attractions like these all on its own.

Who says Lodi doesn't have a night life?