My March 27 Friend

Today I met the owner of NorthStar Cafe, an iconic sports bar in North Beach right on Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard.

Mark was enjoying the beautiful 70 degree weather outside today and was excited about his team, the Villanova Wildcats, who were playing today.

I led with “This might be a stupid question but…” and Mark was kind in saying “No, no, no question is stupid.” He quickly retracted that statement when I had to confirm that we were talking about basketball.

Thankfully I got the sport right but then was baffled why his team wasn’t the Golden State Warriors…Yeah, apparently this is college basketball. Oops.

Mark entertained me though and gave me the rundown. He grew up close to Villanova, PA and when he was 21, moved to the city and decided to take over this bar along with Shanghai Kelly’s on Broadway and Polk.

He has two kids who are 24 and one of them manages Shanghai Kelly’s and the other works in data analytics.

Mark believes that this bar is not just a sports bar. He strives to create an atmosphere that makes you feel part of the neighborhood.

“It’s a place you could bring your parents and all enjoy yourselves.”

I really liked his mindset. As a native though, I was embarrassed not to know the history behind this funky street name so again, Mark educated me.

He told me that the beautiful Italian-American Club Fugazi (which I had never actually noticed before) was an institution.

Steve Silver started what became the world’s largest musical entertainment with theatrical sketches most well known for the enormous hats that actors donned to parody current politics and culture.

It recently closed down but the institution’s history lives on.

I love how much exposure I am getting to the souls of this city and the history that comes with the people.

Mark is grateful for the course of his life, where it has taken him, and to be here today.