I think I had a wasted youth, and that’s not even a pun. Do I really not have any good “At the bar” stories or inspirations? Nope. I do not.
As already covered, I am not much of an alcohol drinker, and going out to bars has never been my thing. Oh sure, we used to go out in college (especially once we turned 21, which is the drinking age limit in US) but that was just rowdy, loud disorganised chaos. Reminds me of that Modern Family episode where Gloria and Mitch try to prove to the kids that they “still got it” and insist on going clubbing with them. They barely make it through the front door of the club before they bail and run home. That would be me too.
Which is not to say that I do not like to go out for a sophisticated drink at a sophisticated bar while wearing a sophisticated cocktail dress (with high heels, not sneakers!). Actually, that sounds divine. It just doesn’t fit well into my schedule, or my location. Or even just my life. Last year a bunch of mothers on my kid’s whatsapp group decided to have a ladies night out. We took weeks to organise it, chose a great bar, set the date and time. I swear to God, in the hour before we were to meet most mothers bailed in panic and it turned into a “bring your toddler” tea party. I’m proud to say I passed. I have my standards.
I should also say, since we are talking about bars, that they make me rather nervous. For starters, my knowledge of alcohol is dismal, and my knowledge of specific drinks is even worse. Short of ordering a strawberry daiquiri, i really have no idea what I am getting when I order it. I just hope it does not have coconut or pineapple in it. (I do have a drink I love…an Amaretto Sour, but almost nobody in “my” bars knows how to make one. In fact, the only place I have ever had it in this country is in…wait for it…Tasha’s! And they don’t even have a bar (in the Brooklyn branch). But they do/did have it on the menu.)
Lastly…there are no good bars in Pretoria. I have been to some stunning bars in my life (I LOVE top hotel bars, especially if they are in the hotel in which I am staying) and I repeat that there are no stunning bars in Pretoria. They are all in new York or London (it’s true. Nine of the top ten bars in the world are in one of those two cities).
You want a good looking bar? This is a good looking bar:
(May 2020 update: I’d do anything to be able to meet up at a bar with friends right now! Any bar! #lockdown)
The writing prompts come from Writerswrite.co.za and they are my attempt at daily writing for 2017. Unless stated otherwise, the images are taken by me, also as a 365 day challenge. Read my other Writing Prompt posts here.
