Bars for introverts
Hot S.F. spots where you can do more than drink and talk.

By Jenny Bitner

I DISCOVERED EARLY in my social life that other people feel more natural in bars than I do. I enter a bar and see people relaxing, shouting to folks across the room, and flirting with strangers. I get the feeling they belong. I don't feel that way. The muscles in my neck tighten when I enter a bar. I look forward to the drink, but secretly I wish I had brought a book.

Sill, I like bars. I especially like bars where you can socialize with strangers in a nonthreatening environment: bars with activities. Singing karaoke, playing trivia games, and viewing art are activities that can bring shy people like me out of our shells. Here are some bars with entertainment that will distract the mind of even the most self-conscious.

Brainwash In attempting to find out just how many things I could do while having a beer, I decided to check out the laundry-movie-beer joint. My boyfriend, who loves multitasking, rose to this occasion, and we set out for Brainwash to do our laundry and watch a movie. Every Sunday, Allen White hosts "Thought Control Theatre," where he shows old flicks – generally of the campy variety – along with shorts by local filmmakers. The night we went, Lair of the White Worm was playing, and while I admit it's difficult to pay attention to a movie while feeding quarters into machines and waiting for washers, it did make the whole laundry experience a lot more enjoyable. Beer and a little entertainment definitely counterbalance the labor of washing and folding. Brainwash also has Spoken Word Salon (an open mic with featured readers, hosted by longtime San Francisco radical Diamond Dave) on Wednesdays, a comedy night on Thursdays, a women's comedy open mic on Fridays, and more. I wish other Laundromats in San Francisco would rise to the entertainment level provided by Brainwash. I'd also appreciate a chair massage, a martini, and a poetry reading to get me motivated to do my laundry. Daily, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. (last load of laundry 9:30 p.m.), 1122 Folsom, S.F. Call or go to the Web site for a complete schedule. (415) 255-4866, www.brainwash.com.

Place Pigalle Why not go to a bar to see some art? Visual artists are everywhere in the city right now, showing at old dot-com spaces, cafés, corner stores, and even watering holes. Place Pigalle, in Hayes Valley, is a well-lit place with a pool table, a huge selection of beer and wine, and some very soft couches. The owners also seem pretty serious about their art and host opening receptions; a recent show consisted of graphic Warholian black-and-white images accompanied by an artist statement that challenged the viewer: "Nowadays it is widely believed that venues devoted to exhibiting visual art have the power to miraculously transform whatever is displayed there into a work of art." The more spaces for artists to show their work in the city, the better. 520 Hayes, S.F. (415) 552-2671.

Mad Dog in the Fog Some of you may be too cool for trivia games, but I'm not. Yes I grew up with Trivial Pursuit, and yes it was dorky, but it was also fun. There is a joy to pulling some forgotten piece of knowledge from the back of your mind, still wet with cranial fluids. The truth is, if you get some friends together and go to a local bar's trivia night, it can be a blast. You can get your pub quiz fix – with irrepressible host Peter Malone – twice a week (sometimes more!) at Mad Dog in the Fog, an Irish pub in the Haight that serves a good pint of Guinness. The crowd is friendly, and I was even invited to join a trivia team. "You got some skills?" someone asked me. Yes I do, but unfortunately most of those skills don't relate to current events, obscure facts about Queen Elizabeth, or the name of the new film with Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins (I know, you know it). I did come through with the fruit Seville is famous for: the orange. Pub quiz Mondays and Thursdays, 9 p.m. (for additional times and details call or go to the Web site), 530 Haight, S.F. (415) 626-7279, www.maddog.citysearch.com/4.html.

El Rio On the brink the edge of the Mission, El Rio is smack-dab in the middle of where things are happening these days (Emmy's Spaghetti Shack and the Odeon are right around the corner). El Rio pulls in a plethora of alternative entertainment. It hosts the MadCat Women's International Film Festival (coming in September) – where you can laze in the beautiful garden, eat barbecue, and watch films by independent women filmmakers – and also has open mic nights, salsa dance classes, outdoor cinema the first Tuesday of the month, and free belly dancing classes the third Thursday of the month. No, I didn't go to a belly dancing class. What kind of an introvert do you think I am? They also host amazing spoken word events with San Francisco superstars like Beth Lisick and Michelle Tea. 3158 Mission, S.F. Call or go to the Web site for a complete schedule. (415) 282-3325, www.elriosf.com.

Jenny Bitner is a writer and poet who lives in San Francisco. She is also an editor at To-Do List.