I Love Local Bars

I Love Local Bars.

I've been to big bars, trendy bars, uppity bars, high-fallutin' bars, satin rope, big and pretty bouncer bars, "Oh my God! You have to go to this bar!" bars, "I snuck my way into that bar!" bars and every kind of bar known to man or beast. In fact, you might say I am a world class connoisseur of bars from around the world.

I have frequented strip bars in Hong Kong, gay bars in San Francisco (everyone should have this experience at least once - gay or not!), honkytonks, white chalking clapboard bars in Alabama, country bars in North Carolina, biker bars in Daytona, trucker bars in Texas and every local bar along Route 66 from Chicago to someplace called the Golden Bear in Needles, California.

And, you know what?

The best bars in the world are the little hole-in-the-wall, local bars and pubs scattered in every town in the world in non-touristy neighborhoods.

This is where anyone can go, find some conversation, get blotto'd and make friends. I've never met a patron at a local bar that wouldn't strike up a conversation after a couple of drafts. The people are friendly, they all work for a living, most have at least one saucy waitress (the pretty one) and most often a stoic master of ceremonies, know everything about town bartender.

I love local bars where you can go in a complete stranger and leave with a wave and a smile to new friends, even if those friends are gone 20 seconds later, as soon as the door closes and you find where you parked your car/truck/bike/tractor/bicycle, whatever.

You can keep your $12 martinis and $8 beers, brass, oak and mahogany. I'll take slippery peanut shells on the floor, a plywood bar, and free flowing $1 beer draft happy hours – my kind of place, baby!