EAST BAY INSOMNIAC

STOGIE’S SMOKE SHOP & HOOKAH HUT

3288 Pierce St., Albany (inside the Pacific East Mall) • 558-1510

FEATURES:

• hookah rentals & bar
• billiards room
• big screen TV
• Middle-Eastern and hip-hop music
• complete headshop: bongs, pipes, papers, etc. available ’til 1AM! (see picture below)
• domestic & imported cigars and cigarettes (smoking allowed)

From their website: A hookah is a Middle Eastern water pipe fueled by a variety of fruit flavored molasses. There are no chemicals or drugs added, and what’s more, the water filters out all but 1% of the nicotine normally inhaled from an entire pack of cigarettes. Voted “Mellowest Smoke Shop of 2005” by The East Bay Express.

AVAILABLE FLAVORS: apple, apricot, banana, bubblegum, cherry, grape, jasmine, lemon, licorice, mango, melon, mint, orange, peach, rose, and strawberry, as well as our own “exotic house blends”

PRICES:

• $10/person Sunday - Thursday (includes hookah rental, DJ and pool)
• $15/person Friday - Saturday (includes hookah rental, DJ and pool)
• just hookah rental:  $10.00 minimum for 1-2 smokers, and $5.00 for each additional smoker after that; cover charge is waived
• just pool tables:  $10.00/hour; cover charge is waived

OPEN UNTIL: 1AM (Thurs-Sat) • 9PM (Sun-Wed)

PARKING: lot

THE EBI REVIEW:

Without sounding politically incorrect, Asians know how to get down after dark. Witness the Koryo strip-mall where one can partake of sushi, BBQ, computers and karaoke past 2AM. I thought that was pretty spectacular until one day I strayed beyond the Pearl Tea and Engrish stationery of the Pacific East Mall to the corridors that went from Hello Kitty to Hello Kind Bud. OK, minor exaggeration. There’s no cannabis co-op at the P.E.M. (yet), but if you’re a card-carrying member (or not), you can get all your smoking supplies at Stogie’s Smoke Shop.

I’ve been looking for something just like this place. Stogie’s is the epitomy of East Bay Insomniac, really. I’m holding it in that high a regard. Those Yelp reviewers can be a bit harsh, and I’ll address their allegations shortly. But honestly, not even on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley can you buy a bong (er, tobacco water pipe) at 1AM. Even non-smokers have got to appreciate that.

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924 GILMAN STREET

924 Gilman St, Berkeley • 525-9926

924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, non-alcoholic co-op club where youngsters from East Bay suburbs go to get their punk on. View the manic panic on a Friday night from the cool distance of Happy Donuts. The kids are all spikes and studs, but somehow over a donut, you can’t help but think they’re all adorable in their aggro-ness, like when your fluffy cat hisses.

From their official website:

The 924 Gilman Street Project a.k.a the ‘Alternative Music Foundation’, is an all-ages, non-profit, collectively organized music and performance venue. They do shows on Fridays, Saturdays, and occasionally on Sundays. All shows are $5 or more, with a $2 membership card (that is good for a year). They strive to provide a violence, alcohol and drug-free environment, and they will not book or support racist, misogynist, or homophobic bands or performances.

From Gilman’s Wiki:

Gilman showcases mostly punk rock, specifically pop punk and hardcore punk acts. Some of the most influential bands that have played at Gilman include: AFI, Bad Religion, Blatz, Crimpshrine, Dead Kennedys, Filth, Green Day, Isocracy, Jawbreaker, Link 80, The Mr. T Experience, Neurosis, Operation Ivy, The Ramones, Rancid, Samiam, Screeching Weasel, Screw 32, Sweet Baby, Tiger Army, and Tilt. Several of these bands, such as AFI, Rancid, and Green Day, are no longer booked to play the venue due to major label contracts. The venue now mostly serves the East Bay and Northern California hardcore scene.

Click here for Gilman St. on MySpace.

PARKING: If you hang here, you’re probably not old enough to drive. But your Mom can drop you off out front or under the secrecy of a side street, which, if you have a license provides ample street parking amidst West Berkeley residences.

REVIEWS & PHOTOS & STUFF: (more…)