Are Bars Better In the Smaller Towns Than Big Cities? (college, to live)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Suppose you are out on a business trip and you hit up a local bar for a drink. In which city here in the US are you more likely to enjoy the experience, have conversations with friendly people and find that its actually hopping even though its a Tuesday night.
Please feel free to include small towns you been to as well. Surprisingly, I have found the bars in Grand Rapids to be more fun than the ones in Washington DC. Even Boston itself, there is not much life going on in the bars from Sunday to Thursday despite our reputation of being a college town.
It makes me wonder if going to bars is more popular in the smaller towns than in the cities. What do you guys think?
The bars in my former hometown are full of the same losers every night of the week. Because there is nothing else to do, everyone goes to the bars, and there are usually fights every night. So much drama because that's how everyone chooses to live their life down there. Blech.
Going out to bars in small (non-college) town America is just a huge sausage-fest of losers.
DC, New York, is better, in that any bar you go to you meet far more interesting people with more interesting life stories. And generally a higher female ratio, too.
Yep. I agree with the other two: bars in small towns are filled with the same people day in day out because there is little else to do. Bars are the main recreation centers in small towns.
I think the best bars are found in the mid-size cities. They don't have the exclusivity of the big city bars, but are a little more atmospheric and exciting than small town bars.
Surprisingly, I have found the bars in Grand Rapids to be more fun than the ones in Washington DC.
Hate to nit-pick but what Grand Rapids are you talking about? The one that jumps into my head of course is Grand Rapids, Michigan, but there is also a Grand Rapids in Ohio, Minnesota, & Wisconsin that I know of. All of those would fall into the small town category, where Grand Rapids, Michigan doesn't really fall into the small town category. GR, Michigan is 3/4 million people in it's metro area and is the second largest city in Michigan.
As for active bars and friendly places, I think it is more a product of the area than the size of the city or town. I have been to great places in both large cities (NYC and LA) and tiny towns (less than 600 population). One nice place was a small bar and grill that sat right on the Kennebec River in Maine in the smaller town of Skowhegan. They played some cool jazz and sitting there literally over the river while having very good mixed drinks and talking to the locals was a great night. (Old Mill Pub if you are ever in that town) Plus awesome food (Never had a so-so meal in that town, all great food everyplace I went.)
Sat in a place that was about the entire town in Colorado one evening shooting the stuff with local farmers over drinks and great bar grub with the sun sitting over the Mountains and the air turning crisp on a fall night, can't be beat either.
Had a fantastic time in a bar in Las Vegas one night shooting pool with the locals and laughing the night away, same thing in LA the following week. Can't remember the names of all the great places I have tipped back a few and shared some laughs with the local population on "off" nights during all my travels. But I can remember the places and the good times very clearly. Regardless of size of town, there can be some real gems.
That said, I have walked into some real **** holes in every sized town and city as well .
I like small bars in college towns, but those are not the same as regular small towns with the same losers going every night. But small bars in college towns are great there are young people, cheaper prices, and dancing. Chico comes to mind.
I think the best bars are found in the mid-size cities. They don't have the exclusivity of the big city bars, but are a little more atmospheric and exciting than small town bars.
I think LASam has hit the nail on the head for this one. The Grand Rapids I talk about is the one in Michigan and I would consider it to be a mid-size city.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
