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It's weird to think about the different liquor laws in various places. I'm just used to CA and going wherever I want, grocery stores, Bevmo, CVS or any drug store really. Plus all the little indy places. No restrictions, no times or days, if the store is open I can buy whatever I want. What's fascinating is that I know there would be a bunch of drama and hand wringing if some of someone in these other states proposed getting rid of restrictions, or if someone wanted to place restrictions in CA. It highlights how silly some of our big controversial issues really are. Pot laws...I'm talking about you specifically.
I think that was one of the hardest things to get used to when we left Ca and moved to VA back in the covered wagon days. Still when we visit AZ, NV or CA we are amazed at the liquor right in the grocery stores and usually it is less expensive than here. (not everything)
When we lived in NO VA, many people bought their booze in DC cause it was about 25% less expensive than the govn run stores in VA, if you got stopped, coming across one of the bridges, your booze was convescated. It never happened to us, but apparently the DC cops would watch for out of state licenses on cars in the parking lot at the large liquor stores and follow them over the bridge.
I would just like to make this known. I am originally from Iowa and thought nothing of this subject until I moved away because alcohol is pretty much ubiquitous in Iowa as far as being able to buy it in any store.
Then I lived for a time in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and a few other places with bizarre rules like you can't buy beer until 1000 in the morning or you can't buy beer on Sunday, and numerous others.
The really most annoying one is in some locales where they can't sell liquor in grocery stores. OK so me and this other guy who had a hankering for a gin and tonic drove around for an hour looking for a liquor store, finding none. I think this was in Myrtle Beach so I know its not a dry county. Well, after an hour of driving around we finally stop at a gas station and ask "Where are the liquor stores?". He's like there's one right there. It says Package Store on the sign. Evidently Package Store = Liquor Store in South Carolina.
Seriously? You can't even handle the name "Liquor Store"? I don't get it.
Anyway, I am very glad to be back in my home state where I can purchase my wine along with my turkey burgers and coffee beans. Peace.
They're called Package Stores in New England too (or as they call it, "the Packy")
I lived in Las Vegas for two years, and out there, you can buy alcohol 24/7, 365. You can walk into a grocery store at 5 am and buy a bottle of Patron if you wish! Yes the grocery stores there DO sell hard liquor
In my hometown of Orlando, FL the earliest you can buy alcohol is 9am, the latest is 2am, 365 days a year. You can buy beer and wine, as well as pre mixed cocktails in the supermarkets. But hard liquor requires you to go to a liquor store and here in FL we aren't afraid to call it just that "Liquor Store" There is a chain of liquor stores here called ABC Liquor and some of them have drive thrus. Yeah, drive thru liquor stores
There is one rough area of Orlando where there are a bunch of ex-Wendy's restaurants that were converted into drive-thru liquor stores called "Liquor City" You know the type of neighborhood I'm talking about, you drive down the road and its gun store, liquor store, gun store, strip club, liquor store, hourly motel, gun store, gun store, etc
When we lived in NO VA, many people bought their booze in DC cause it was about 25% less expensive than the govn run stores in VA, if you got stopped, coming across one of the bridges, your booze was convescated. It never happened to us, but apparently the DC cops would watch for out of state licenses on cars in the parking lot at the large liquor stores and follow them over the bridge.
I'm from the UK originally, where liquor (or "spirits" as they're called there) is available in any grocery store. Then Florida, where wine and beer is available but no liquor.
Now I'm in Louisiana where it seems you can get liquor anywhere. It's very strange stopping in gas stations in LA and seeing liquor - not even behind the counter, either. They even have drive-through daquiri dens here - I haven't taken advantage of them yet, though!
I'm from the UK originally, where liquor (or "spirits" as they're called there) is available in any grocery store. Then Florida, where wine and beer is available but no liquor.
Now I'm in Louisiana where it seems you can get liquor anywhere. It's very strange stopping in gas stations in LA and seeing liquor - not even behind the counter, either. They even have drive-through daquiri dens here - I haven't taken advantage of them yet, though!
Not only can you get it everywhere in LA, it is pretty cheap compared to a lot of places, at least wine is.
...the stuff is in the stores and you don't have to traipse all over the universe to get what you want.
Indeed. All of those restrictive laws just end up being a big waste of time and gas for us normals; sometimes said laws make my head hurt when I try to figure out who thought that it would be a good idea to only allow purchases of a product at certain times of the day/week.
I think that was one of the hardest things to get used to when we left Ca and moved to VA back in the covered wagon days. Still when we visit AZ, NV or CA we are amazed at the liquor right in the grocery stores and usually it is less expensive than here. (not everything)
When we lived in NO VA, many people bought their booze in DC cause it was about 25% less expensive than the govn run stores in VA, if you got stopped, coming across one of the bridges, your booze was convescated. It never happened to us, but apparently the DC cops would watch for out of state licenses on cars in the parking lot at the large liquor stores and follow them over the bridge.
Nita
I can understand why VA cops would do this (a way to prevent loss of tax revenue to VA), but why would DC cops even care? Wonder how many DC cops live in VA, or MD.
You would think that there were more serious crimes (plus why is it a crime) that needed their attention, unless their liquor cabinet was running low.
Crappy because we bought it over the state line or crappy cause the cops would stop us?
Oh the cops waiting for you of course!!!
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