I think that my classmates don’t appreciate bars. I know, you’re probably thinking that I lost a few too many brain cells over Halloween weekend to make such an outrageous statement, but allow me to explain myself.
There is a vast difference between a bar and a club. While my generation is unarguably obsessed with the club form of night life, it occurred to me recently that the appeal of an actual bar is lost on many of my peers.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of drinking somewhere other than State Street. I went to a small, pleasant pub with no dance floor and absolutely no Lady Gaga. I was far away from endless lines, bad pizza places and overbearing police officers.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I don’t like clubs. Waiting 15 minutes to be served a small, expensive drink from a bartender who treats me like a nuisance can be fun for anyone if they are drunk enough, but I feel sorry for my classmates who think that’s all there is to drinking.
In a real bar, also known as a pub or a tavern or a dive, the atmosphere is completely different. You notice that immediately as you pass through the doors, free of any bouncer to scrutinize you or your identification like you’re trying to get onto Air Force One.
You’ll simply walk up to the bar and take a seat without having to push through anyone covered in sweat or Axe body spray or glitter — or, God forbid, all the above. There you’ll find a bartender who actually appreciates your business and is ready to give you a cheap drink and some pleasant conversation.
A good sign that you are in the right place is if the music isn’t ear-bleedingly bad. Played at an appropriate volume so as not to drown out pleasant conversation, a good pub will have a playlist of songs that everyone can enjoy drinking to, whether it be a jukebox or, best of all, live music. Perhaps someone who has had a few too many may sway or even swing with the music, but besides that, there is absolutely no dancing.
Dancing is what really separates the pub from a club. I like rubbing my body on random college girls as much as the next guy, and I understand that a night club is the best place to do that — far better than the grocery store (don’t ask me how I know.)
But after a while, this whole mating ritual should become tiresome for you. You’ll realize that maybe the girl who makes out with random guys at a club isn’t the best place to put your mouth after all. Perhaps you will want to try to meet girls — and I know this might sound crazy — by actually talking to them and getting to know them in a place where the music is low enough to allow it.
I’m not calling for an end to night clubs. I understand they can be fun. I would just like my generation to remember that there is more to drinking than grinding, making out and making mistakes. Drinking can be a fun, laid back, enjoyable experience. In a real bar with with lively conversation, new interesting people and great music, you can make memories that will be much better and last much longer than the time what’s-her-face made out with what’s-his-face before puking on his shoes.