Long before San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter became one of the most happening districts on the planet, the strains of you-done-me-wrong-baby blues were wafting from Patrick’s II. This ’70s-era, family-owned bar is a refreshingly laid-back alternative to the super-trendy, velvet-rope clubs that surround it. The crowd—a mélange of college students, urban dwellers, and blue-collar types—gather in this compact club to hear nothin’ but the blues. The monthly calendar is inked with local favorites such as Len Rainy & The Midnight Players, Aunt Kizzy’s Boys, and Michele Lundeen. You can sit at the bar or at a long banquette with scattered tables. Diehards grab barstools below the stage. Smokers hang at the patio where they can puff away and not miss a beat. There’s no food, just booze. Wine drinkers have a choice between something white and something red (don’t ask, just drink it!).