Thu 12 Jan 2006
Bingo at Hamburger Mary’s: Legs to Heaven, B-11!
Posted by Caroline on Crack under Los Angeles, Nightlife, Recreation, Cocktails -
You haven’t played Bingo until you’ve played it at West Hollywood’s Hamburger Mary’s. Every Wednesday night, the fabulous Belle Aire hosts the craziest, funnest game of Bingo I’ve ever experienced, and that includes the game I played at WeHo’s Mickey’s with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence one drunken Sunday afternoon.
The burger joint is packed to the gills with the young, gay and weird, plus a lot of beautiful people, most likely in the industry. The bingo cards are flying fast and furious, the drink specials are dangerously potent and it’s all done at full blast as Belle Aire likes to constantly remind the audience, “What’s the name of the game?” “BINGO!!” “How do we play it?” “LOUDLY!!”
Every week the proceeds from the game are donated to a different charity, which is great since so many people show up. The event starts at 8 but you have to show up around 6:30 to secure a seat! I kid you not. Show up at 6:45 and you’re SOL on the sidewalk.It’s a suggested $20 donation for 10 bingo sheets but if you sign up with the exclusive Bingo list at bingoboy460 @ yahoo.com, you’ll get an email to receive double the amount of sheets. What do you get when you win a round, apart from a run of shame through the restaurant and a pelting with losing game sheets? Why, many fabulous industry swag. The night I went it was an autographed Napoleon Dynamite DVD, the DVDs for Seinfeld Season One, and a Desperate Housewives “I’m Desperate” T-shirt, among other things.
If you don’t win a game at all, you still have a chance at winning an auction depending on how badly you want what’s on the auction block. One auction was for six tickets to Disneyland’s exclusive Club 33 with entrance to both Disneyland Park and California Adventure AND a tour of the park given by the original Tinkerbell model, Margaret Kerry Willcox. The winner paid $700 for this package. A bargain!
The quick and dirty: There’s free parking in the WeHo City Hall parking lot, a double mango “Cosmo” is $6, and there’s only one bathroom (hint: the room with the shiny disco ball and toilet) for the entire restaurant.
Next game is Wednesday, January 18
Benefiting The L.A. Free Clinic
8288 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, California 90064
(323) 654-3800
August 1st, 2006 at 7:35 am
[…] Hiking around Mount Hollywood — A fave pastime from our years living in Hollywood Philippe’s — Again, not sure how this will work with the vegetarian Bingo at Hamburger Mary’s — Because they’ve never played bingo like this Barhopping on Cahuenga Corridor — I promised one night of good barhopping […]
January 26th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
[…] I don’t know if anyone can top Hamburger Mary’s wacky Wednesday bingo nights but it’s worth a shot. Everyone’s favorite theme bar (well, mine anyway), The Bigfoot Lodge in Los Feliz is now throwing its own bingo parties on Sunday. Here, you’ll play bingo for beer and other prizes while someone named DJ Cooter does double-duty by calling the numbers and spinning the tunes. Spencer Lee the Movie Guy keeps you visually stimulated with his collection of 8 and 16mm government propaganda, child hygiene, teenage dating, ‘50s stripper and truly bizarre found home movies from the 40s to the 70s. And all this for no cover charge! I know you probably usually reserve Sundays as your day of rest and recovery from your Saturdays, but why not spend it playing a not-too-relaxing game of Bingo instead? […]
February 14th, 2007 at 4:12 am
[…] Lucky for you Valentine’s falls on the same day as Hamburger Mary’s bingo night which is sooo much fun and always packed with pretty people, gay and straight. The drinks are potent and the game fast and furious. Just don’t forget to look up from your bingo card every now and then just in case someone is checking you out. Jerri Manthey (Survivor and Playboy) will be calling the balls with fab hostess Belle Aire. Get there at least an hour early for the 7 or 9pm show. 8288 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, California 90064 (323) 654-3800 […]