Onward! With the buzz going, we rolled out of Amante and headed up the block to Grant Avenue. After a 10 minute discussion about why Paul didn't want to go into Grant and Green, we decided we'd go catty-corner (where the hell does that phrase come from anyway? It's amazing that anyone can learn English) to Magnet. The bar here is really small, and it would be a crowded nightmare if we weren't the only 5 people in the bar. At this point, I'm beginning to think that it's not just that it's early that no one is out, it truly looks like it'll be a slow night in North Beach (yay!).
Anyway, the bar is narrow and deep and has a really nice loft with a low ceiling, art gallery and dj table. The wall behind the bar was lined with uplit decanters full of interesting looking, fruit infused vodkas. There was only one other customer at the end of the bar, who seemed to be there solely to flirt with the cute, 20-something bartender. It seemed rude for the 5 of us to not sit at the bar, so we joined in the conversation with the bartender and her suitor for a bit. The drinks were good, the space was well lit and it was generally a pleasant place to be. It would probably be a little more fun if it were hopping, but it would also probably not be a bar that we would go to if it were packed.
Magnet Lounge, 1402 Grant Avenue
1 comment:
cater-corner became kitty-corner or catty-corner when the original meaning of cater ("four") had become obsolete.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_etymology
The original form, as you say, was catercorner, which is still the usual term. The "cater" element in this term is from the English dialect word cater, meaning 'diagonally', which is from an obsolete word meaning 'four', which eventually goes back to quattuor, the Latin word for 'four'. This "cater" also turns up, in modified form, in the word catawampus 'crooked; askew'. The "corner" is our familiar word "corner." Since the "catercorner" form is obscure, it developed many variants, including kitty-corner, catty-corner, and others.
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19960902
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