Downtown L.A. is slowly becoming the hippest address in the city, but a few grimy spots remain. Not far from the flashing lights of the Staples Center and the prefab L.A. Live, Hank's Bar offers a pleasantly divey respite. Keep in mind, however, that Hank's is not fancy, and there's no lingering. In fact, at 1:59 a.m. sharp the bartender will pull your drink out of your hand, dump it into a red SOLO cup and send you out into the night. But Hank's also has a jukebox with an excellent hip-hop selection — everyone from A Tribe Called Quest to Snoop Dogg — and usually it's just sitting idle, waiting for you and your dollar bills. Sure, the gruff, burly men at the bar might act like they don't want to hear any rap music, but once the strains of Dr. Dre's "Xxplosive" come on, they'll be buying your next one. 840 S. Grand Ave., dwntwn. (213) 623-7718.

—Rebecca Haithcoat