Still trying to process last night--race/diversity or lack thereof (gay, time)

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Alacran

Why would I go to a hipster bar?

So that nobody will point and laugh at you when you walk around in your ill-fitting Goodwill jeans and T-shirt.

[Swandaddy]

Originally Posted by quigboto

Weegee's has actually become more welcoming over the years. When it started out, they'd laugh you out of the joint if you ordered the wrong drink. The whole point of the place is to be a snobby "mixology" joint, so it's not catering to a diverse clientele to begin with, which isn't to say that anyone wouldn't be welcome there. I don't go there or places like Scofflaw, Violet Hour etc. very often because I'm not a fancy cocktail kind of guy (and definitely not a hipster) but when I do feel like paying too much for drinks made by a guy with a steampunk mustache and a vest, I'll go and I won't feel out of place at all.
Next time you're in Logan, go a little east on Armitage and check out Marble. It's still hipster heavy, but definitely more diverse in terms of clientele IMO. It's my personal favorite (and conveniently located for me) It also has a great patio in the warmer months. Might be a better fit for you next time you're in my neck of the woods.

Thanks for the heads up. Yeah next time I/we're back there I'll definitely try to hit up Marble. I definitely did enjoy Weegee's, but was too busy being with my friends to really process the "whoa this place is really hipster" vibe that hit me. They had very good drinks; fortunately for both my wallet and my liver, it wasn't until later in the evening that I discovered the Pink Squirrel. Had that happened earlier, I would have been bankrupt and in the ICU needing an immediate liver transplant!

[Swandaddy]

Originally Posted by Drover

Yeah, Logan Square has a substantial Hispanic population. Not only that but that specific part of Logan Square is majority Hispanic by a pretty wide margin. So why weren't there many Hispanics in this particular bar? My hypothesis/observation is that by and large the Hispanic population, or at least the variety most likely to inhabit the western fringes of Logan Square, aren't particularly interested in the "hipster" scene. That's more of a SWPL kind of thing. So yeah, in this case there's quite a bit of self-segregation by way of different cultural norms.

Yeah that's probably exactly it right there.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by quigboto

I've never met a hipster who self identifies as a hipster. Then again, none of my indie*-rock crowd identified ourselves as such in our heyday. Honestly, I know my indie-rock friends would kill me for saying this, but I don't see much difference between the hipsters of today and the indie-rock scene of the 90's. It's the same people. Yeah, maybe the clothes are a little different and the music is marginally different, and maaaybe a different flavor of irony but seriously, as I sit at the bar with my tattooed, musician/artist friends in their 40s and we drink beer and complain about the tattooed musician/artists kids in their 20's, its just like looking in a mirror and complaining about our younger selves.
Except, of course, we were much cooler than those scenester punks will ever be. LOL.
(Shakes fist)
DAMN KIDS GET OFFF MY LAWWWNN!!!

*(and I use the term "indie" very loosely)

I feel that way about all the pseudo-hippies under 50, except for a few great musicians for whom I'll make an exception.

[ChicagoMeO]

yeah i know what you mean, I love to go to the gay bars, and sometimes I'm the only girl there! oh the horror of it

But seriously, this is how i feel about a bar - if you dont like it, dont go there. the people who enjoy that kind of environment, minus the ones they dont like - let them have their fun. Like I dont want a bunch of idiotic frat boys at my favorite gay bar. I dont want diversity to let in frat boys mixing in with the gay boys. You see? so if Weegees has a lot of hipsters let them enjoy each other. a hipster bar has a certain flavor i guess (since I dont go to those becuase Im anti-hipster),, but if a bar has a flavor let it have it, unless they clearly discriminate which is against the law, like I dont go to Wrigleyville frat bars and I woudln't try to diversity Wrigleyville bars with gay boys, because everyone seeks out a bar that they like, with the kind of flavor they like - for example, I dont go to the Division/State frat bars because thats not my thing, instead of tryhing to "diversify it" with gay boys, I just leave and find another gay bar that I like thats gay already.

now, be sure you read my above comments with this in mind - I am talking about the flavor of the bar, the type of environment it is - you can have a country/western bar, so I would not try to "diversify it" with ballroom dance types of music, I am NOT talking about keeping people out based on race or religion, Im just talking about the environment of the bar. so leave the hipster bars to the hipsters and then if you dont like it, dont change it, just go down the street to the place that you like the kind of music or people in it.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

yeah i know what you mean, I love to go to the gay bars, and sometimes I'm the only girl there! oh the horror of it

I've wondered why straight women go to gay bars?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

I've wondered why straight women go to gay bars?

So they can have a few drinks without pickup artists trying to "charm" their way into their knickers.

[thefallensrvnge]

Question,

Not really into the hipster thing here. Where does the City of Big Shoulders have its really good jazz bars? I like a nice whole in the wall. North or South side is better for jazz? Do they still do vaudeville anywhere either?

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

I've wondered why straight women go to gay bars?

1. The music & dancing
2. The attractive SEXY and/or cute men
3. Not having to put up with people who hit on you if you are not looking for a date (though you get a few guys that do come in looking for a girlfriend/date
4. Safety & fun fun fun!!!!!

[urza216]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

I've wondered why straight women go to gay bars?

I don't. Women are constantly complaining about guys hitting on them. And anyway, women go to "straight" bars for other reasons than to meet a mate..