Coco Loco is a bar in
Nogales,
Mexico. It is a 30 second walk from the
American border and caters to
Americans looking to get drunk in a new setting. It is also a popular destination for teens in
southern Arizona who can legally drink in
Mexico at the age of
18. On
Friday and
Saturday nights it is crammed full of fun-loving
Mexicans,
students from the
University of Arizona, and all manner of
ruffians. It has some sort of
business deal with the
Tucson,
Arizona radio station 93.7 KRQ, bringing
American music and even more
Americans. The bar also has a lack of
strippers, making the hot babes of the
U of A prefer it over other
dirty Mexican strip clubs.
“Stairs up to the second floor, stares from those already there. Hotter than hell and probably more sinful. Hardwood floors worn by countless dancing stumbling feet. Covered with beer–-bottles glass alcohol gross. Glowing neon and pounding bass. Drunk college scholars and drunk penniless drinkers. Up and down together apart. Joy by the shot, fun by the song. Friends smiling. Without them who are you? Just another face in the crowd, another American wallet, just another guy having a blast. Traffic outside like liquid coming from the bar, constant and uncontrolled. If i was to run for 5 minutes from this place where would I be? On my own hopeless, lost, and drunk, so this is the glowing sweaty warm little center to my world. Time passes faster after sitting at the bar, you’ll learn all the Spanish you need. Uno mas, uno mas, uno mas. Met people you’ll never see again. I wonder where she is now. I tattoo these pages with foggy memories of last night, of what happens in that dirty foreign fake wonderful place. The place where I feel out of place and don’t want to leave at all.”
August 20, 2000