The Skip

The Skip is the open-air cocktail bar planted in the middle of The Belt, and it might be the most cheerful piece of real estate downtown — an island-vibes drink stand surrounded by murals, slinging frozen drinks, tropical cocktails, and craft brews to a crowd that’s half art-walkers, half regulars. The menu keeps things progressive and mercifully affordable — think frozen Irish coffee alongside boilermakers, tequila, and tropical-style mixers — and Eater has called it one of the hottest outdoor drinking spots in the city. Garage doors mean it soldiers on through all four seasons, festival energy included, and the alley’s annual Opening Day block party is essentially The Skip’s houseparty. It shares owners with Standby a few steps away, which explains why an alley bar’s drinks punch so far above their price.

We walked past mid-stroll with cameras full of murals and made a note: this is the warm-Saturday move, a frozen something in hand while the alley does the decorating. It’s on our list for the first properly hot afternoon we can engineer an excuse.