At 7am on Friday morning, life as you know it comes to a screeching halt. And a month of partying begins. Beer, Brazilians and Brits will all factor in. (The sport of soccer might too.) Here's where you need to be.
Any time the game's on at the Cat & Fiddle—and they'll all be on, live and recorded—you should expect a rowdy crowd of locals and expats (heavy on the English and Brazilians) downing $1.50 sausages and $3 beers. Which increases the rowdiness. Which makes everybody thirsty...
Cock 'n Bull, Santa Monica's authentic English pub (red phone booth and all), is bringing out a new 135-inch projector screen for all 64 World Cup games. If you don't have an English accent, you may wish to fake it during Saturday's England vs. US showdown.
Generally, bars with questionable entendres for names aren't your (world) cup of tea. But starting on the 11th, more than 50 plasmas will be showing every single game—and the bar will stay open 24 hours a day until it's all over. Think of it as an all-night soccer diner.
For a more suit-friendly viewing atmosphere, head to Pasadena's refined hideaway for a cigar and rotating street food like Spanish Manchego Serrano Ham Churros and Brazilian Yucca Buns with Calabresa Sausage. Each week's options will be posted on Twitter, and retweeters have a shot at two of those plates on the house.
And because no 2010 list is complete without a food truck, ESPN has joined up with Kogi creator Roy Choi for a World Cup on wheels. It's got Huevos Rancheros, Yaki Mandoo Dumplings and a huge flat-screen connected to the roof, so you can watch the action from the sidewalk. This also paves the way for the flying ESPN food truck in 2014.
