Decojuicer
Well-Known Member
So the wife and I went out last night. She wanted to Karaoke with a couple of her friends, so that put any brew pub out of the running. Convinced that I was going to be drinking liquor for lack of good beer, I decided that if we were going to go Karaoke, then I wanted to go to a dive bar.
Do you know how hard it is to find a dive bar these days? We drove around for almost 2 hours checking out different bars. The first bar that we went into had fairly dim lights, and a stripper pole on the dance floor. It looked promising. Then they told us that we couldn't have a glass of ice water, but had to BUY a bottle of water for $2.50!! WTF!!! Since when did they stop giving people water?? The worst part though was when they brought me me drink and the glass smelled like somebody puked in it.
The next bar that we went to had every light on and they were doing a dance/karaoke night. No thanks. We didn't even stay for a drink.
The third stop was at a bar that I had been to back in the day, and back then, it was the very definition of a dive bar. Except now all of the tables were light oak, the lights were all turned WAY up, and there wasn't even a juke box playing. What happened?? Even the old drunk at the end of the bar was gone. It wasn't fair.
The next stop took us to meet SWMBO's friends at another bar close to their house...20 minutes away. On the way there, my bride called ahead to talk to her friends who were already at the bar. When she hung up, she looked at me and said, "you're going to hate this place." Sure enough, when we pulled up out front, the sign was PINK F'ING NEON!!! I quickly announced that I wasn't even going in to this one, so I walked into the paint store next door to the bar and found out that they had a great selection of beers, including Bell's Two-Hearted. Score 1 for daddy!!!
So I drank a beer in my truck while I was waiting for my wife's friends to finish their drink and pay their tab. When they came out, I told them that we were going to a place I knew from the old days, and that I still drive by often. This place hasn't even changed their sign in the last 5 years. The sign proudly proclaims "Warm Beer & Lousy Food". When we got there, the place was packed and I was starting to get worried that we wouldn't be able to get a table, but my wife ran in and grabbed one that was just clearing. I walked in, and it was like coming home. The lights were dim, the karaoke music was way to loud, a cloud of cigarette smoke hung just above the heads of all the people, and the same three drunks that I remember were sitting at the end of the bar.
I almost cried.
We went in and our tattoo covered waitress came over to take our order. I got a shot of Jack on the rocks and a Sam Adams Winter Lager on tap. My wife ordered a Lemon Drop and a glass of water, and the waitress brought a pitcher a 4 big tumblers. My wife's friends ordered a Margarita and an Amaretto Sour. The waitress looked at them really funny when they ordered, and then looked at me and I just shrugged. When their drinks came, they were horrible, and they of course complained about them the whole night. Finally I asked them what they expected, this is a shot and a beer bar. Have a shot, or have a beer, or order a coke and STFU.
After that, the night went great.
I love a good dive bar every now and then.
Do you know how hard it is to find a dive bar these days? We drove around for almost 2 hours checking out different bars. The first bar that we went into had fairly dim lights, and a stripper pole on the dance floor. It looked promising. Then they told us that we couldn't have a glass of ice water, but had to BUY a bottle of water for $2.50!! WTF!!! Since when did they stop giving people water?? The worst part though was when they brought me me drink and the glass smelled like somebody puked in it.
The next bar that we went to had every light on and they were doing a dance/karaoke night. No thanks. We didn't even stay for a drink.
The third stop was at a bar that I had been to back in the day, and back then, it was the very definition of a dive bar. Except now all of the tables were light oak, the lights were all turned WAY up, and there wasn't even a juke box playing. What happened?? Even the old drunk at the end of the bar was gone. It wasn't fair.
The next stop took us to meet SWMBO's friends at another bar close to their house...20 minutes away. On the way there, my bride called ahead to talk to her friends who were already at the bar. When she hung up, she looked at me and said, "you're going to hate this place." Sure enough, when we pulled up out front, the sign was PINK F'ING NEON!!! I quickly announced that I wasn't even going in to this one, so I walked into the paint store next door to the bar and found out that they had a great selection of beers, including Bell's Two-Hearted. Score 1 for daddy!!!
So I drank a beer in my truck while I was waiting for my wife's friends to finish their drink and pay their tab. When they came out, I told them that we were going to a place I knew from the old days, and that I still drive by often. This place hasn't even changed their sign in the last 5 years. The sign proudly proclaims "Warm Beer & Lousy Food". When we got there, the place was packed and I was starting to get worried that we wouldn't be able to get a table, but my wife ran in and grabbed one that was just clearing. I walked in, and it was like coming home. The lights were dim, the karaoke music was way to loud, a cloud of cigarette smoke hung just above the heads of all the people, and the same three drunks that I remember were sitting at the end of the bar.
I almost cried.
We went in and our tattoo covered waitress came over to take our order. I got a shot of Jack on the rocks and a Sam Adams Winter Lager on tap. My wife ordered a Lemon Drop and a glass of water, and the waitress brought a pitcher a 4 big tumblers. My wife's friends ordered a Margarita and an Amaretto Sour. The waitress looked at them really funny when they ordered, and then looked at me and I just shrugged. When their drinks came, they were horrible, and they of course complained about them the whole night. Finally I asked them what they expected, this is a shot and a beer bar. Have a shot, or have a beer, or order a coke and STFU.
After that, the night went great.
I love a good dive bar every now and then.