Hey guys,

I was wondering about where your favorite place was to have a drink? Apart from the obvious "on my front porch", "favorite chair with the game on". I'm wondering if you guys/gals appreciate a drink in a club, Irish bar, dive bar, country western, live music venue, etc?

Do you go there for the service?

The prices?

The music?

The people?

Ahh, the classic watering hole. Unfortunately, the days of this sort of establishment are long gone for my area:



and many of the bars have been degraded to this sort of thing:



You're lucky to be able to go out to grab a drink and chat up the bartender with your lady, without getting into a fight lately. And the classier joints in town where you may be able to actually have a conversation without screaming at one another over the decibel smashing thump of an Abercrombie and Fitch soundtrack, you will be paying upwards of $14 a drink for a simple martini.

Nowadays, the lady and I retreat to the back porch for cocktail hour. Until we find that elusive watering hole of days past where you can carry on a friendly conversation with a fellow patron, that is where our libations are consumed.

-Adam

A few years ago I dated a bartender (for about 7 years) and was fortunate enough to meet many people in the industry during that time. I live in a medium size city and still find that I can walk into almost any bar in town and know people there. Consequently I have many regular hang outs but my all time favorite is a family owned Mexican bar and Restaurant called El Sarape.

The family has quite a few of them but one in particular is my favorite. I know all of the staff and hang out with them regularly outside of their work as well as the owners. They treat me very, very well. In fact they were remodeling the bar this year about the time of my birthday and they made the deadline my birthday so I could have a party there. They were vacuuming and taking down the plastic when I walked in. Paid for my entire tab for the night as well, which can often be in the $100.00 range. You can't ask for better customer care than that. My home away from home.

We head down to the local VFW. Brand new facility,clean, and roomy. Always an interesting mix of characters from kids to ancients, and good attitudes. The alcohol is cheap, the beer ice cold, there's always sandwiches, venison chili, or wings on the snack bar, help yourself. Smoking is okay and a buck and a quarter for a twelve ounce draft or $1.75 a bottle is hard to beat. Just a pleasant place to have a few brews and engage in a lively discussion.

I tend toward brewpubs or bars that have very large selections of draft beer. We have several in OKC; my two favorites being BJ's and Tapwerks. When I'm in Raleigh, I tend to hit Duffy's (of course!!), Tyler's Tap Room, Carolina Ale House/s, and the Sawmill/Drafthouse etc. group of watering holes. FTRPLT

I miss my old NYC apartment, a quick walk to Johnny's, a dive on Greenwich & Jane, which is labeled only "BAR" in neon. There's a passthru so you can smoke, cheap beers, good jukebox, and people who (like you) showed up only to drink and sit a spell.

But nothing will ever replace the string of cheap local bar-and-grille type establishments that my teacher buddies and I would hit on Fridays. Few folks drink harder or love life more than a public school teacher at quitting time. And you've got a pleasant attitude buzzing around your head by 4:00 pm.

I love the sidewalk tables in front of the Irish Times Pub in Knoxville, Tn. I sit there and sip a Guiness while smoking my pipe. It's very relaxing. My next favorite place will be Smoky's in Montvue Center if Dave can get his "private lounge" open. I'll rent a locker and keep some Bushmills in it so I can sit and sip Irish Whisky while puffing on a good cigar.

Damned hard to find places where you can enjoy a pipe and/or cigar and have a pint also!! I do long for the good ol' days. FTRPLT

Since it's harder to find a bar you can smoke in, I don't really go out any more. My home bar has jerks for bartender. Actually the last beer I had outside of home was at the local tobacco shop which is about an hour away from my place.

Had a Sam Adams Summer Ale followed by a couple of Landsharks all from the tap.

I have 9 taverns within a half mile of my house. Six of them are walking distance from each other. Welcome to Wisconsin!!