Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge

This dive bar is where an eclectic, tattoo-friendly crowd heads to chill-out after spending some time next door at its more staid sibling Continental Club. Sometimes there’s local live music but mostly this is a Fellini-esque circus-themed lounge where you can relax with friends. Some of the interiors date all the way back to when the space was a toy store in the 1930s and '40s, alongside vintage posters, folk art and strange odds and ends, all bathed in eerie red light. If the sight of clowns scares you . . . be forewarned.
Forget happy hour: Big Top doesn't open until 8 p.m.