Bastion of Darkness: Hurricane Cafe

Nothing screams “alcoholic refuge” like a windowless bar. At no place is this truer than the Slurricane Cafe, as some derisively refer to the old mainstay at the corner of 7th and Bell.

To say the Hurricane is crap is overly simplistic. The Hurricane fills a rare and seedy void combining 24 hour “service," Simpson’s pinball and a decent jukebox with the aforementioned windowless lounge. The food is sub Mecca/5 Point on the dive-joint scale, but considerably better than the recently deceased Café Minnies. The fare is comfort food and the vibe can mimic a refugee shelter at times.

Dark and insulated from trivial formalities like the time of day, an afternoon in the Hurricane may not release one from the stress of their life, but it renders a sense of indifference to outside noises and traffic. That alone can be a vacation of sorts. Not every view is a welcome escape--patrons of the Hurricane know this subconsciously.

With the character of the Denny Regrade in constant upheaval and the land on which the Hurricane sits pending sale, the days for this age-old dive bar/diner are presumably numbered.

If you have a hankering for a really gloomy place to accommodate your gloomy alcoholic thirst, give the Hurricane its due before this mother of area dives goes the way of the wrecking ball, like so many of its neighbors.

Photograph by Brunocerus