Another Wednesday. Another ‘bar’?

 Last time my daughter had a therapy session I went to a bar, had a virgin bloody Mary and wrote a vignette about the bar.

She had another session yesterday and I decided to repeat the experience at a different bar.

I started by searching for bars. In this, as in all things, Florida is – a lot – too much – annoying AF.

I’m accustomed to San Diego where a bar is a place whose primary function is serving drinks and food is an afterthought. The Alibi, which is the quintessential dive bar, has a motto – Let’s Drink About It.

A similar bar in Albuquerque was Sonnys where one of my favorite Albuquerque bands, The Withdrawals, used to play every week. There was beer and booze. There were pool tables. There was music. I don’t remember them serving food. If they did, it was munchies.

Sonnys was fun. I went there to drink beer, dance and wallow in the fabulous music of Keith Kavula and the band.

In St.Louis there were bars I went on weekdays and bars that were strictly for the weekend. I don’t remember the little bar across from St Louis University but it’s slogan was – cold beer, no flies. That was a weekday place to have a couple of beers before turning in for the night.

On the weekend, my favorite bar was Broadway Oyster Bar. The kitchen closed at 11pm and from that moment forward until 3am, it was strictly a bar. St Louis is big on blues music so Saturday nights there was always a local blues band playing.

So back to today, the Windward Bar and Grill proved to be a restaurant with drinks as an afterthought.

This is the thing with Florida; they have to be all things. They can’t be a restaurant or a bar. They are all going to be a restaurant primarily because that is high dollar. And a bar secondary because they can’t miss the chance to make those booze bucks.

Same with coffee shops. They are restaurants where you can linger with coffee. Sometimes you might get away with dessert and coffee but unless you’re at Starbucks you will be surrounded by people eating meals.

The Corner Bar from last week seems to have been a unique experience.

The atmosphere at Windward was also trying too hard. Or maybe it’s just that Windward is in Clearwater which is upscale and Corner Bar is in Largo which is edgier? Not sure how that works considering Largo is full of 55+ communities which doesn’t sound like the home of edgy.

In any case, all of Florida is trying too damn hard. Relax. You let the governor fuck up Disneyland so now – take a cue from Sonnys. Throw away the menus. Clear a dance floor. Hire Keith Kavula and the Withdrawals.

Have some fun for crisake.

Man On the Mountain by Keith Kavula and The Withdrawals