Old men sip espressos to warm up for their bocce ball games, rubbing shoulders with the pierced, the punk, and the tattooed at local cafes. Hand drumming and guitar strumming are popular pastimes here, as well as the consumption of some of the best coffee in the city. Funky shops and budget ethnic restaurants dishing out everything from roti to risotto lend Commercial Drive its unique personality and flavour. A cacophany of noise and music echoes down the avenue, a heady brew of reggae, opera, samba, Italian sports broadcasts, buskers and grocer hawking cheap produce. Whatever your ideology, there's a bumper sticker and a caf here for you.
Corridors connect multi-levels and a pair of bars like a gay starship.
Grab a stool in the Cockpit or head up top and play a game at the pool tables. At 10pm the music is cranked and the mid-level dance floor turns to sweat and gyration until closing. For exhibitionists and their enthusiasts, there s Amateur Strip Night on the first Monday of the month and an Underwear Party on Sundays. It has a bit of an after-work crowd and plays great music that's not too loud. The Pump Jack becomes very popular on the weekends so steel yourself for the lineups.