Best of 2001: Best Time To Visit The Coast's Most Historic Bar

Sunday night at Hussong's
Avenida Ruiz, #113, Ensenada
(011-52-61) 78-32-10

At Hussong's Cantina in Ensenada, they're still waiting for somebody to dispute their claim they're the longest-running cantina in all of the Californias. They've been serving cervezas for 109 years now, since German immigrant Johan Hussong opened up his tavern in 1892, and it became a favored stagecoach stop. Today it's in the same building. Same sawdust sprinkled on the same plank floor -- except now the sawdust has a bit of diesel oil mixed in, to soak up our sins of omission or emission. Since a lot of nightclubs have closed in Ensenada, it's getting more crowded, but if you want the flavor of Hussong's, hang around Sunday nights, when the tourist crowds have flocked back north. Ensenadans tend to come in on Sundays, and the singing and music will remind you of what gave Hussong's its reputation in the first place.