Nightlife

The Down And Out Replaces Charlie O’s, But Keeps The Funk

Photo: Hadley Tomicki

Like so many of you, we loved Downtown’s Charlie O’s for its skank factor and worried the bar’s reconstruction would reveal the tavern equivalent of a shiny Hollywood button-down shirt, forcing its heavy drinkers into self-exile at King Eddy’s. Instead, the revitalized Hotel Alexandria space has embraced the funk and opened The Down N’ Out. Its name and drunken hobo logo acknowledge that more than a few of its regulars are drinking to forget whatever brutal occurrence just passed at their single-occupancy Skid Row hotel. The space now exists as a dark sports bar, with wider stumbling room, tons of television sets, and an outdoor patio.

But the real fun comes in the company they keep and we don’t mean that toothless guy who wants to punch you. Giant mug-shots of disgraced figures like O.J. and Hugh Grant hug the wall behind the bar, reminding everyone that no matter how hard life gets, it could potentially get worse. From the brash excitement we witnessed there, the patrons and spirit of the place have remained intact. The Down n’ Out. The Alexandria Hotel. 501 S. Spring St. Downtown Los Angeles.

The Down And Out Replaces Charlie O’s, But Keeps The Funk