The Bar: A Retrospective

At lunch today, I sat relatively idly by and listened to a handful of co-workers talk about their perceptions of going out to the bar. To be very short, they were all of the opinion that going to the bar was a waste of time, and they'd all either prefer to stay in or spend time with friends at places not full of alcohol and noise. While I am a proponent of spending quality time with friends outside of taverns, I am also a huge proponent of spending quality time with my friend, the tavern. Granted, my perceptions of going out to the bar have altered with time, but I still get fired up at the prospect of spending a night at the bar.

So how did this come to be? Simple. There is one way to make bar-going much less about the "getting dolled up and going somewhere for overpriced drinks," and that is finding a bar or two that you like and making it (or them) your bar. Once you have found your bar (or bars) you have a safe haven to go for nights out. You learn the flow of the crowd, you learn the music setup, you make friends with the bartenders and the regulars, and before you know it you're like me: I can walk into either of my bars and there will be a drink waiting for me by the time I make it from the door to the bar itself. That and when the bartender comps you drinks are the two signs when the bar has made you one of its own. It helps if you're consistent, too, so the bartender knows who you are and what you drink at first. I have known a handful of bartenders who know people strictly by drink, but eventually learn their name, especially if they order something out of the ordinary.

The other issue of major importance of bar going is to be realistic: if you go to the bar consistently with the hopes of finding someone you'll care about and enter into a meaningful relationship, you might be mildly deluded. There's always a chance of something good happening, but that chance becomes slim to none if you are actively seeking it. Hook ups? Sure. Dating? Generally not. If you're just out to have fun, to enjoy the company of interesting individuals, to maybe enter into some good natured alcohol-fueled hijinx, you will almost always find that at a bar.

So, good barflies like myself, I salute you. Thank you for making my nights out, fewer though they may be these days, a lot more fun and interesting than my nights in or my nights at the coffee shop. I am already looking forward to Saturday night and my usual regimen of craziness.