The lack of social places for me in Indianapolis is troubling to me currently. I'm not sure if there is something that I'm missing or not, but I'm writing this in an effort to sort through my thoughts and observations in an attempt to decide if there is maybe something that I have missed or perhaps overlooked.
In other cities of size, there are obvious places that people can be social. Again, it might be a personal fault, but I really feel like I'm missing the boat somehow. Granted, I need to be in the mood to be social, and sometimes, I just want to sit and listen to music, or whatever is there to amuse me.
First in this effort, we'll have a look at the places I've identified. The most pleasant, and interesting is my dive-y coffee house, The Abbey. Recently, the A moved to a location not too far down the street from my home, so it's now in walking distance. Of course, do I show up there more often? Not really. First, how much coffee can one consume? Second, since it is a place that does not serve alcohol, there are quite a few young/underage/jailbait people there.
Normally, that really doesn't bother me--it adds to the overall feel of a place, and contributes to the colour, which is always good. Food there is also decent, but there's an undertone that one might find in a restaurant. The "I'm here for a specific purpose, not to hang out and chat with you." People are huddled over computers, or chatting quietly with the group they are in. I have to admit that I've done that more than one time with my friend Peron. More often than not, I take old copies of Variety and catch up with the goings-on in the entertainment industry, and zone into my own private Idaho.
Bars are the next venue, and they don't amuse me so much. People go to bars with the express intent on getting drunk, which is a thing that I think I've moved past in my life. There are other reasons that I dislike the bar scene, ranging from the fact that I want to burn my clothes afterwards from the cigarette smell, to the dysfunction that is so evident. Someone really really smart first said "Alcohol makes good times better and bad times worse" I think it was a take on Madame Ponsardin's infamous "I drink champagne anytime" trieste. Anyway, I believe it for various reasons, so I avoid getting drunk in bars at all costs. Instead, I drink beer, for two very good reasons:
First, beer comes in glass. I like to touch glass to my dainty lips, not plastic.
Second, I really don't get drunk on beer. There's something about the dilution of the alcohol or something, but I can drink it all night and not get more than a good buzz and a constant need to run to the restroom.
Some bars have very positive things about them, like my haunt, OPs. From time to time, they have decent music, so dancing is an option. They have Heinekin dark, which is a favourite of mine, and one that I drink often because they serve alcohol in plastic cups. It makes me want to go all Leona Helmseley. Barring its proximity to my home, the compelling reason to hang out at OPs is its where my friends congregate.
There are others that attract my attention for various reasons. The Varsity is a wonderful dive bar, with greasy food, sticky floors, and dive bar patrons. The Metro has dreadful food, but an advantage in that alcohol is served in glass, and they make a decent martini (sometimes.) Talbott Street is an expensive place to go to watch pretty, vapid boys attempt to dance to bad music. Of course, the 501 is just trashy fun where if you go an entire evening without seeing someone's dick, you are obviously blind.
That's about it. Those are the mortar and brick places where one can go to meet a person. For various reasons, it can be difficult to make that step and become conversational with someone. You might be competing with 10,000 watts of bad techno masquerading as good dance music, or you might be fighting cliquish behaviour. More oft than not, I battle myself and my recalcitrant self.
In other cities of size, there are obvious places that people can be social. Again, it might be a personal fault, but I really feel like I'm missing the boat somehow. Granted, I need to be in the mood to be social, and sometimes, I just want to sit and listen to music, or whatever is there to amuse me.
First in this effort, we'll have a look at the places I've identified. The most pleasant, and interesting is my dive-y coffee house, The Abbey. Recently, the A moved to a location not too far down the street from my home, so it's now in walking distance. Of course, do I show up there more often? Not really. First, how much coffee can one consume? Second, since it is a place that does not serve alcohol, there are quite a few young/underage/jailbait people there.
Normally, that really doesn't bother me--it adds to the overall feel of a place, and contributes to the colour, which is always good. Food there is also decent, but there's an undertone that one might find in a restaurant. The "I'm here for a specific purpose, not to hang out and chat with you." People are huddled over computers, or chatting quietly with the group they are in. I have to admit that I've done that more than one time with my friend Peron. More often than not, I take old copies of Variety and catch up with the goings-on in the entertainment industry, and zone into my own private Idaho.
Bars are the next venue, and they don't amuse me so much. People go to bars with the express intent on getting drunk, which is a thing that I think I've moved past in my life. There are other reasons that I dislike the bar scene, ranging from the fact that I want to burn my clothes afterwards from the cigarette smell, to the dysfunction that is so evident. Someone really really smart first said "Alcohol makes good times better and bad times worse" I think it was a take on Madame Ponsardin's infamous "I drink champagne anytime" trieste. Anyway, I believe it for various reasons, so I avoid getting drunk in bars at all costs. Instead, I drink beer, for two very good reasons:
First, beer comes in glass. I like to touch glass to my dainty lips, not plastic.
Second, I really don't get drunk on beer. There's something about the dilution of the alcohol or something, but I can drink it all night and not get more than a good buzz and a constant need to run to the restroom.
Some bars have very positive things about them, like my haunt, OPs. From time to time, they have decent music, so dancing is an option. They have Heinekin dark, which is a favourite of mine, and one that I drink often because they serve alcohol in plastic cups. It makes me want to go all Leona Helmseley. Barring its proximity to my home, the compelling reason to hang out at OPs is its where my friends congregate.
There are others that attract my attention for various reasons. The Varsity is a wonderful dive bar, with greasy food, sticky floors, and dive bar patrons. The Metro has dreadful food, but an advantage in that alcohol is served in glass, and they make a decent martini (sometimes.) Talbott Street is an expensive place to go to watch pretty, vapid boys attempt to dance to bad music. Of course, the 501 is just trashy fun where if you go an entire evening without seeing someone's dick, you are obviously blind.
That's about it. Those are the mortar and brick places where one can go to meet a person. For various reasons, it can be difficult to make that step and become conversational with someone. You might be competing with 10,000 watts of bad techno masquerading as good dance music, or you might be fighting cliquish behaviour. More oft than not, I battle myself and my recalcitrant self.
2 comments:
"Our Place" aka "Gregs" gets my vote. Metro for me is ruled out. Never liked that place. To uptight of a place for me. "501" is definitely ruled out for me. "Varsity" however, is a nice place for what it is. As long as I am with friends. "Gregs" is about the only place I would venture out by myself to. Since I hang out mostly around the pool table the music in that direction seems rather subdued and not that loud making it a little easier to communicate with those that seem to levitate torwards the pool tables now and then. If ever it does get to loud. Then one has to go up to the main bar and ask them if they could turn down the music a little. Depending on who is behind the bar the music can get a little to loud and it's ridiculous.
I typically only drink beer myself. "Why?", cause I don't get drunk that easily on beer either. So, that's why Miller Lite is my drink of choice instead of my favorite and if I wasn't driving home drink "Morgan and Coke". Which I don't get very often unless I am back home visiting my sister. I'm not the one doing the driving over there. That one little line about "I'm here for whatever" Strikes a cord of a song in my head now.....OFF TO MY OWN BLOG BATMAN!!.
No lie! You think Indy's bad, well you know Boise. The Red Feather is still nice if you want to talk, and thin your wallet. Pi got figured out, apparently their oxygen bar was peddling merely air. Badass coffehouse went under, but there is a new one that seems to be much nicer, I can't remember it's name. The new Funny Bone is nice, when there is a good headliner. There is a local dive right here in the 'hood called the Little Dutch Garden, which is little, not Dutch, and has no Garden. They let you bring your dog inside for chrissakes! The beer is cheap though, it's within stumbling distance, and they thankfully don't do Karokie! Sometimes however, it's just better to go bowling.
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