Marie's Rip Tide Lounge Dive Bar / Lounge

Wicker Park / Bucktown, Chicago –

The already tipsy patrons who stumble through the red door of Marie’s Rip Tide Lounge usually feel they’ve been transported back in time to a place barely changed since its opening in the early 1960s.

Made famous by its lovable late owner, Marie – a woman known for her over-the-top holiday decorations and ability to drink youngsters under the table well into her 80s – the late-night venue still attracts its biggest crowds long after most Chicago bars have shut their doors.

Relaxed blue-collar regulars who call the place home during the week are replaced with bleary-eyed bar hoppers on the weekends, ready to go a few more rounds and launching into impromptu karaoke over Frank Sinatra hits blasting from the old-school jukebox.

Sticky mirrors lined with Christmas lights and funky vintage lamps add just the right touch of “grandma’s house,” while cracking orange vinyl booths and a laminate countertop bar provide some nostalgic seating for the boisterous hipsters and rockers toasting to themselves and any new friends they’ve picked up along the way.

The joint is usually packed by 2am, especially on Fridays and Saturdays as diehard partiers who just don’t want to go home flock in for a few nightcaps.

A lively neighborhood bar offering simple drinks and classic surroundings, Marie’s Rip Tide Lounge is aptly named considering its ability to suddenly pull patrons in and keep them there till last call.