I’m living in a new town and trying to get a feel for the local bar scene around here. What makes a good bar to you? Seating, lighting, decor, music choices, clientele? It all factors in for me. When they mix well together you feel a comforting déjà vu, which usually eases you (or me…) into buying a few drinks, people watching and talking about fanciful things like dinosaur-unicorns. Or was it unicorn-dinosaurs?

I find myself frequenting one bar in particular but have wondered if this is because I really like it or merely because it’s familiar and I might be a bit  nervous about going to a new place. At this bar, I know most of the bartenders, which is always a nice feeling. They even know my drink of choice by now. I’m a whiskey-loving woman. Yes, I have only been here for 4 months and they already know me by name and where I work and what I drink… alcoholic? You be the judge. I choose to think I am just a social creature.

I went to a couple more bars this past weekend and here is what I gathered:

One had amazing decor; you knew these people had clearly spent some time in Williamsburg in Brooklyn and knew how to take hip to a whole new level. Even though the decor was outstanding… pinball machine backings hung on the wall as art, cheeseburger soap dispenser, perfect lighting with hints of red and off white… there was a lack of seating and the narrowness of the bar led to a lot of bum to bum contact. I am not really into bum to bum contact with strangers, so this put a bit of a damper on the experience. I’d say, this was the kind of bar to pre-game at while it is less crowded and you can sit about and enjoy the sights and enjoy the records being played.

I went along to another place that serves as a bar and venue. There wasn’t a lot of seating but there was a lot of area to stand around in, so bum touching was out of the question, thank goodness. This is the type of place where there are a lot of regulars but because there are so many people milling about, you don’t feel intimidated to be there. Plus, I got to see a guy kneel on the ground sans shoes and convulse a bit while touching a guitar lightly and fiddling with a computer. What a show!

I will continue to figure out what places will be the most fruitful as far as meeting people and having a great time, but for now, it is nice to go back to the bar where everyone (a few people) know my name (and my drink preferences).

IN OTHER NEWS:

My friend Eddie and I are going to start a new writing project with another friend of his… so stay tuned!

and

My friend Jenna has asked me to start a regular column on her awesome crafty blog, Kraftworkin Kitsch. Yay!