In all honesty by the time I got to Barrio Chino it was already known as The Raval. The days of the old classic Tranny Nightclubs were coming to a close. My friend Antonio tells me stories about hardcore gay hooker bars frequented by middle eastern men looking for a good time, but really I just caught a glimpse of it at the end. A couple of Absinthe filled nights watching tributes to Sara Montiel.
I first landed there courtesy of said friend Antonio who was working at La Concha. Every Sunday night remnants of old Franco era Barcelona would come through to perform beautifully timed tributes to Spanish starlets. In an ironic twist The late Franco era was probably the most wide open for debauchery in Barcelona. With European tourism on the rise and a weak economy they let things go. That's it for the history lesson. La Concha's a tight smokey litle place filled with neighborhood locals and eccentric characters, it's become a bit touristy lately. Antonio's taken pictures of all of the interesting characters and comes out with a calender in tribute to the neighborhood. The walls of the bar are filled with picture after picture of Spanish film legend Sara Montiel, black and white, color, headshots, movie posters whatever you can imagine. The drinks are solid and they do a nice Mojito. Every Sunday the neighborhood comes out to cheer on the old trannys as they take to the floor. But, alas in a blow to culture and in tribute to bureaucracy the city has shut down the shows, ashame.
