The harbor can't have sunset bars because the smell of rotting fish precludes anyone from actually being on the harbor!

In the Jimbaran area of Bali, there are about a dozen restaurants side-by-side-by-side. While indoor tables are available, most customers choose to sit at tables set right on the beach so they can watch the sunset.

The seafood offered at all of them is the same -- fresh fish, calamari, etc. How fresh is it? You go to the counter to order and pick your dinner from the display of live seafood, then tell the staff how you want it cooked.

Doesn't the sun set in the west? We should have sunrise breakfast joints.

There's a place in Austin called The Oasis that has an amazing view of the sunset - it sinks into Lake Travis (I'm pretty sure it's Lake Travis). Because it's in the hill country, there are some good sized hills, the water and the sunset. Everything stops for the sunset, they ring a bell/gong type thing and everyone cheers.

Food isn't so good, but the view, for that part of the country, is absolutely amazing.

Seacrets also has excellent sunset views. Bayside Skillet isn't even on the water though. and what about the space in the 45th Street Village that used to be The Garden way back when?

"Bayside Skillet isn't even on the water though"

Yeah, but the site line to the sunset isn't blocked by any buildings; just marsh and the coastal bay. Little known fact that Bayside Skillet is open in the evening and has a nice outside bar. See pics on this link and look in the background......

http://www.baysideskillet.com/

The Sea Bay Hotel is a little inexpensive hotel with beautiful sunset views from the rooms facing the bay. Unfortunately, it's got sliding glass doors in every room, and because it's inexpensive it fills up with the younger set, making you want to yell "in or out! pick one and stop opening and closing doors!"

once I used to share a room in the Admiral with 15 other kids....

If we're talking the whole OC/bethany/rehobeth region, I would add the following, all on the Bay:

1.) Seacrets (49th Street, Ocean City)

2.) Harpoon Hannah's (Bayside, just over the DE line in Fenwick)

3.) Rusty Rudder (Dewey Beach)

4.) North Beach (Dewey Beach)

As for "Sunset Bars" in other parts of the country (not including the West Coast), I'm sure the Gulf Coast of Florida has many in areas like Tampa, St. Pete, Sarasota, Ft. Myers, and Naples.

lvnbraves, the Oasis is indeed on Lake Travis - been there many times for sunset happy hour margaritas.
I've not been to Austin for a few years now, but I understand the place is much larger these days - their web site says that they have 40(!) decks capable of seating more than 2000 people, all with great sunset views.
And I also agree with you as re: the menu - we invariably used to follow up with BBQ from the County Line - which was on Lake Austin, not Travis. I'd recommend both to anybody traveling to Austin.
In OC, I like Macky's - great views, and there's usually time for at least one last post-sunset round before the place starts to get too young and crazy. I also remember BJ's North as having OK sunset views - knew the owner, and we used to stop in there by boat pretty often for sunset drinks.

Doesn't every island worth its salt have a sunset bar? My favorites may be in Hawaii, where we watch for the green flash just as the sun disappears. Have you seen it, Bucky?

I've seen plenty of flashes, but none were directly associated with a sunset (so far as I know.) I'll make a point to look next time.

Green flash explanation:

The reason for a green flash lies in refraction of light (as in a prism) in the atmosphere: light moves more slowly in the lower, denser air than in the thinner air above, so sunlight rays follow paths that curve slightly, in the same direction as the curvature of the Earth. Higher frequency light (green/blue) curves more than lower frequency light (red/orange), so green/blue rays from the upper limb of the setting sun remain visible after the red rays are obstructed by the curvature of the earth.

Green flashes are enhanced by mirage, which increase the density gradient in the atmosphere, and therefore increase refraction. A green flash is more likely to be seen in clear air, when more of the light from the setting sun reaches the observer without being scattered. We might expect to see a blue flash, but the blue is preferentially scattered out of our line of sight and remaining light ends up looking green.

With slight magnification a green rim on the top limb of the solar disk can be seen on most clear-day sunsets. However the flash or ray effects require a stronger layering of the atmosphere and a mirage which serves to magnify the green for a fraction of a second to a couple of seconds.

Can't say I've ever noticed them; now I need to go see if I can see one. (Mrs. Bucky will be happy.)

Kent Island probably has a view to the west from The Crab Deck, The Jetty, The Red Eye and others on the west and south side of the island. Hemingway's at the eastern foot of the Bay Bridge may also have a view.

You only see the blue/green flash on islands closer to the equator where there are clear skies and a clear view of the horizon. In the summer the sun sets much faster in Hawaii or the Caribbean because the length of day is much shorter, so it will seem to pop a little, hence flash. You will never see it here.

OK, I asked Mrs. Bucky if she's ever seen green-flash-sunsets in Hawai’i.

She informed me that we have. To be precise, she said, “What do you think everybody’s always ooooing and ahhhhing at, and clapping for?”

I always thought they just liked the sunset. I did, so I clapped along with them.

Bucky, aren't you glad to have someone to keep track of these details for you?

Looks like there's another first in your future, Bucky. Aren't you glad to be finding out about all these wonders before it's too late?

Bucky,
Might you be color-blind? I am. And even though we "supposedly" outgrow or learn the colors by the time we grow up, I'm still telling people that I see blue when they say green. And lots of other colors too.

In OC, the old Shark around 47th had a great sunset view, and I'm guessing their new location in West OC is pretty good too.

Down here in PCB, there are lots, with sunsets over the Gulf and Grand Lagoon.

Some of my favorites are:
Schooners

Spinnaker Paradise Grill and Beach Club

Boatyard Restaurant

and even indoor air-conditioned dining, especially good when the heat indices are above 100 this week:

Breakers Restaurant. Their website is down, but they have a fairly nice restaurant with giant windows right on the Gulf. Primarily seafood, and pretty good, but the crab cakes are all bread.

And if you want to, you can stay for the Las Vegas-style Elvis review after your dinner.

Lissa - You have no idea. I'm not more grateful than you imagine, I'm more grateful than you can imagine.

LL - indeed. It's sort of like being a procrastinator...you always have something to look forward to.

Rob - Nah...I'm not color-blind. Just a lack of detail orientation.

I've been thinking about this all afternoon and I do have a vague recollection about the green flashes. Very, very vague. Like "somebody" probably told me once, we saw it and ever since then "somebody" has assumed she and I were still looking at the same thing. Me, I was just watching the sunset, in a big picture kind of way. And, probably, looking for whales before it got dark.

I peaked my head into Secrets a few weeks ago for the first time. I was really surprised by how old the patrons were. I guess I was expecting a lot of youngins, but it seemed like most of the people were my Dad's age....sorry Dad.

Seacrets in OC used to be the big hangout for the "in" crowd, and it was a great place to "get your swerve on" as Owl might say.
But now it seems like its mostly middle-aged folks and the package golf groups that are tying on one before their tee time the next morning. Which, all in all, might not be a bad thing.

Just a lack of detail orientation.

Says the man who has been taking notes for a whole year in order to develop a top ten list of restaurants to visit when he finally makes his long-awaited pilgrimage to our shining city in the East. Hannibal, when crossing the Alps, didn't have this much "detail orientation".

Hannibal just had spies, not a blog.

What if Hannibal had a Piper Cub aircraft?

Shocked to hear that Seacrets got old. Embarrassing disclosure. When I was in my twenties I had such a baby face that I used to get carded all the time. Right up til 3-0. On my 30th bday, downy ocean, my friend and I decided to go to Seacrets and the doorman looked at me and then said, "ok if it'll make you feel better" and grabbed my license and pretended to look. I never went back to the place again.

If it's gotten that old, I might just fit in - or even get carded!

Joyce W., I regularly got carded until I was around 30. Now I'm grateful!

I got carded the day after my 30th birthday. And didn't get served 'cause my license had expired the day before.

Hmm, just about every beachy place in Florida has them. I would say I haven't heard of them up north. I also remember them in Hawaii.

If you really want to get carded, fly into Atlanta or Charlotte. A real old gentleman came to the Fox Sky Box bar at the entrance to Concourse E, sat next to me and got carded. The guy was 84 years old! Turns out, he was headed to Salisbury MD and so was some guy next to him. We had a great conversation about life in Maryland.

My XH always argued that blue was green and/or vice versa. First off, he liked to argue. Secondly, he didn't pay attention.