Don’t get me wrong, I like dancing. I mean at least I think I like dancing. I like doing fun things, and drinking excessively with fun friends, and dancing is kind of a combination, so maybe I don’t particularly like dancing - but I like that dancing means getting to do fun things while drinking excessively with fun friends!

But it’s loud! And I also like being able to hold some sense of conversation while together. I’m interested in the people I'm with. I want to understand them; empathize with them; laugh with them. I need to know what they’re watching, who they’re banging, and where they want to travel to next - the important shit in life.

Breweries are great, but they’re too bright. They’re all in warehouses, it’s always big industrial white light hanging over, exposing the new rings of darkness that have accumulated under our eyes, signs of our emergence into “adulthood.”

I don’t know how to feel about Cocktail bars. A part of me wants to like them; knows they’re a good place for a date - where cool people would hang out - but I just can't. It feels pretentious. 

The vibe is always faux scholarly, and too expensive. Nobody’s ever read the books that line the walls, and nobody here is old enough to really have the bank account to get drunk on a $17 cocktail (or $34 a round if you’re lucky enough to be paying for some ladies drinks).

Nope, I like dive bars. Cheap bars. Pool bars. I have a soft spot for happy hours, managers specials, well shots, and tall cans. I’ve come to love playing pool.

What’s enchanting is that while they feel familiar and comfortable, they’re all unique. The walls are adorned with neon signs, movie posters, family pictures, mirrors and chipped paint. The sidewalks around it are littered with cigarette butts, and the windows shut in from the sun. The speakers are always blown out, giving any genre of music that low-fi quality we’ve all come to love. 

The crowds can be intimidating, but I like to think we all exude a vulnerability by simply being here, all linked by a common goal: we’re chasing happiness. Dive bars offer equality, we’ve all degraded ourselves to this sub par bar and have accepted our lots, we’re here to drink.