A Dive Bar By Any Other Name…
If we meet by chance out in the big, wide world. You know, picking up some Himalayan Salt at the health food store or picking up a six-pack at the discount cigarette store, then you have probably seen me wearing a shirt that advertises one of my favorite bars in Springfield, The Flea.
The Flea is not a dive bar. However, it is a bar designed to emulate a dive bar. In real-world terms that means it has a decor that looks like it has been there for twenty-five years, even though the place hasn’t been open that long. The Flea has all the great stuff that you want from a dive bar without the feeling that you need to wash your hair after you leave.
The first question you want to ask yourself is which night do you want to be a regular at. There is the raucous open mic night. Fun for anybody that likes good music and wet drinks.
Tuesday Night Trivia is the cornerstone of the Flea’s weekly calendar. And the trivia is great. Pop-culture, so you don’t have to work too much if you never got around to finishing your Masters in Engineering. Difficult enough to be challenging but if you end up drinking a beer or two more than you planned, you can still make a showing. I have won two t-shirts at Tuesday Night Trivia, both are in heavy rotation.
There is so much live music you may accidentally learn to play the guitar. I know that sounds awesome but it really comes with a lot of responsibility. That Texas Swing ain’t gonna play itself. But if the urge to pluck those strings gets too much for you then pop outside to the patio for a bit.
Ah, the patio. The beating heart of the Flea. Let’s follow the conversations for a minute. Talking trash on the last ( and obviously the worst EVER) Star Wars? Check. Running through your bracket for the World Cup? Check. Discussions on the best empire to ever rule the Earth? Check. (And don’t say the Romans, that’s the obvious answer. C’mon man, read a book once in a while) Decide what kind of a conversation you want to have before you show up.
Let’s say you started the night off with your favorite drink, old faithful. But now you want to stretch your wings a bit. You want a Dogfish Head Seaquench margarita? I’ve seen it happen. You never know what they are gonna have on special. But I can’t tell you that whatever drink you get will be served up by some of the friendliest people in the Ozarks. Unless you get out of line, then you have no one to blame but yourself.
So when we see each other out there in the world and you tell me “Hey man, cool shirt” I will probably say something like “Thanks. You know, I think the last time I saw you was at the Flea.”
