When one thinks biker bars in Hollister, Johnny's Bar & Grill surely roars to the top, with its painted cutout of Marlon Brando at its San Benito Street entrance and its wall-sized mural of other biker scenes on its southern alley side. Legend has it that the rowdiness of Wino Willie and his Boozefighters led to an exaggerated report in Life magazine which then inspired the 1953 movie The Wild Ones, featuring Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin. But in a July 31 San Francisco Chronicle article titled "Five Great Biker Bars in the Bay Area," Johnny's wasn't mentioned. Another Hollister establishment, Whiskey Creek Saloon on Fifth Street, was ranked the third best biker bar in the region. The article notes that the "dive bar" is a "hopping spot" during the annual Hollister Bike Rally, which didn't formally take place this year. "Weekend karaoke nights are a huge hit," the article states, "with some patrons ZZTop-ping ZZ Top themselves." The story lets us know that Whiskey Creek starts serving flowing beer, if you will, at 6 a.m. and offers "one caveat: Even if you really have to go, avoid the restrooms at all costs." I guess that advice goes for any establishment in which patrons start drinking at 6 a.m. One caveat (from me) for Hollister residents and Whiskey Creek patrons: be on the lookout for so-called "Seensters," the apparently hip, young "see and be seen" party people who hit up cool spots like SF clubs and -- perhaps now -- Hollister dive bars, then Tweet about it. (photo courtesy of Andre Banyai)
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