Have you ever had one of those friends who is just more drama than you can handle? If so, then you will relate to this story.

This friend’s drama actually worked out well for me as the Barfly columnist. Because of his need to spend a day visiting a number of our favorite San Diego bars, I was reminded of how lovely a Sunday afternoon can be in our local hangouts.

The day started out relatively normal. My friend Alfredo, his boyfriend and I headed to Baja Betty’s around 12:00 noon for brunch. Baja Betty’s serves up a great brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Sundays are also Margarita Madness, which means $2 off all margaritas all day. Betty’s is a regular Sunday spot for me – always delicious, always a good time. After hanging out for a couple of hours and filling my stomach beyond its capacity, I thought a little walk would do us good. As we were shaking off our indulgences, Alfredo’s boyfriend gets a call. He says the call was from his manager and he had to go into work. He takes off in his car while Alfredo stays with me.

As we continue walking, Alfredo tells me how upset he is. You see, the couple has been going through a bit of a rough patch. They have these wild fights filled with name calling, furniture throwing and bitch slapping. And then they have make-up sex. But when unexpected things like this happen, Alfredo gets a little crazy – he’s what you’d call insanely jealous. Alfredo was certain his boyfriend didn’t have to go to work, but instead wanted to go hang out with the “guys” elsewhere. So, thus begins our Sunday afternoon adventure.

We decide we’ve walked enough and stop into The Brass Rail. While it’s rarely crowded on Sunday afternoons, it’s certainly a comfortable spot. Several aesthetic upgrades to the bar, with the addition of free Wi-Fi access (get the code from the bartender), make it a great place to be. The street-side patio is also a nice place to people-watch. Alfredo ordered a $1 draft and we hung out in the small lounge area while he plotted his course. After about a half hour, we had a mission and were set to go.

Since it was just down the street, we popped into #1 Fifth Ave. Inside, we ran into Jonathan, a friend of Alfredo’s. Jonathan was interrogated (to see if he knew of the boyfriend’s whereabouts) and then set free when it was determined he had no information. This bar, in my opinion, has one of the best patios in town. My friend downed one of the $2 drafts and then we carried on.

Two blocks northwest lies Hamburger Mary’s. Sunday afternoons in San Diego have always been about Hamburger Mary’s (soon to change its name. What will it be?). Of course, there’s the fabulous Sunday brunch from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., followed by crowds packing the place all afternoon, until more crowds show up for the popular Detour with DJ Taj at 6:00 p.m. Mary’s festive atmosphere will put anyone in a good mood, and after Alfredo scoped the place and determined his boyfriend was not there, we stuck around for awhile. This place makes the famous Kick-Ass Margarita!

Well, we had to get back to the car so we could hit up a few other Sunday favorites. We speed-walked up University Avenue toward Baja Betty’s and made it in record time. Since I hadn’t been drinking today (notice all of the drinking references involve Alfredo), I fired up the engine and off we went. It was time to head over to University Heights to peek into Bourbon Street. Sundays are always nice on Bourbon Street’s large, beautiful patio, also with $2 draft specials. It was a small but fun crowd, and again we just relaxed in the San Diego sunshine.

Our next stop was outside of the gayborhood. It was time to head over to The Hole in Point Loma. This is definitely one of the more exciting places to be on a Sunday afternoon. The huge patio is packed with men, there’s a barbecue and the cold beer is flowing. The men that hit The Hole seem to be of the beefier variety, which makes the thinner boys like myself feel a bit lacking, but it’s a good time. We hung out there for awhile, ran into some friends and had a good time. In fact, Alfredo by now had just enough to drink that he forgot about this whole boyfriend thing.

Before we knew it, it was almost 8:30 p.m., and the crowds were flattening at The Hole. We wanted to finish up what turned out to be a great day by dancing a bit. We ended up at Rich’s for Basics Sunday. After running home for a quick change, we made it just before 10:30 p.m. (free cover 9:00-10:30 p.m.). We danced, hung out and had a great time. I hear that Alfredo and his boyfriend had a big fight that night, but had a great “make up” an hour later.

As the summer days wind down, be sure to take some time to enjoy a Sunday afternoon at one of our great bars. San Diego is home to a number of places where you can wrap up your weekend enjoying the beautiful patios, hot people and cheap drinks.

Many of our bars are known for the fabulous shows, competitions and other regular events they host. One of the best I’ve been to in awhile was the second annual Mr. Gay Competition held at Bacchus House on Aug. 19. The small but enthusiastic crowd enjoyed a great competition among four handsome young men hoping to win the San Diego city contest. The boys answered questions and showed off in some hot board shorts. The winner, Erick, will get to go to Palm Springs from Oct. 26 to 29 to compete with winners from more than 20 other cities, hoping to win the title of Mr. Gay International. In attendance at the Bacchus House event was the reigning Mr. Gay International, Jesse Bashem. I had the privilege of meeting this stud, and he encouraged me to enter the contest. Flattered as I was, I decided to give the other boys a chance. Best of luck to Erick as he competes and represents our fine city in Palm Springs!

Labor Day weekend is fast approaching. Have you planned your holiday itinerary? Make sure you check out Rich’s foam party, Spin Cycle Rinse, Saturday, Sept. 2. The entire dance floor fills with foam as boys peel off layer after layer of clothing. DJ Nikno will be spinning house, club and dance. Last year’s party was pure debauchery run amok – don’t miss it!