Another mystery has been solved by the investigative reporting team at the North County Surf Blog. Actually, if you just asked around town you probably would have found the answer on your own, but I thought I'd do the dirty work for you. The riddle of the year was: What was going in that empty spot next to the Saloon in downtown Encinitas?
My original thought was that the 80 year old Saloon was expanding. With all the bars and grills popping up in town, it seemed like they were adding to the mix. But the slow construction (about a year) threw me for a loop- what was the hold up?
But at the end of spring, windows and a door popped up and it looked like the Saloon's expansion was following the trend of other local bars- light and bright with an airy feel. And then the sign was put up about a week ago: 'Shelter'. And my theory that the Saloon was expanding was shot down. So I stopped by yesterday for a peek and man was I thrown for a loop. The construction crew let me know that yes, it was an expansion by the Saloon, but Shelter will have a different feel and hence the separate name. While the Saloon is darker inside with booths for seating, Shelter will have windows and be more open (see
Priority Public House,
Union, and
Bier Garden). But what makes Shelter really stand out from the rest of the crowd is that it's going to have a retractable roof. Yeah I said it- a retractable roof. So if you like having a coldie outside on a hot day, Shelter is going to be your spot. And if it's dumping cats and dogs outside- Shelter is your place to go too- as long as they close the roof of course. Estimated opening date is at the end of July- perfect timing for summer. Make sure to check it out.
