Venting the pain

It's a quarter to three. There's no one in the place who isn't feeling the effects of the economic crisis.Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

Duck into any watering hole in any of the San Fernando Valley communities hit hard by business failures, worker layoffs and the stock-market dives. The bar conversation these days is likely to be as somber as the inevitable Frank Sinatra tunes on the jukebox.

At Pickwick's Pub, in Woodland Hills, construction contractors gather to talk about where there's work.

At Monty's Steakhouse, just up Ventura Boulevard from Pickwick's, a largely conservative crowd worries that the new president will raise taxes. It's a quarter to three. There's no one in the place who isn't feeling the effects of the economic crisis.

Duck into any watering hole in any of the San Fernando Valley communities hit hard by business failures, worker layoffs and the stock-market dives. The bar conversation these days is likely to be as somber as the inevitable Frank Sinatra tunes on the jukebox.

At Pickwick's Pub, in Woodland Hills, construction contractors gather to talk about where there's work.

At Monty's Steakhouse, just up Ventura Boulevard from Pickwick's, a largely conservative crowd worries that the new president will raise taxes.