I’m moving in two weeks, and even though it’s only an hour away from home, I have found myself noting my “lasts” in Buffalo before I head out. Even though it hasn’t happened yet, I know that the last I will miss the most is my Sunday routine.
25 years ago, before he even met my mother, my dad worked as a bartender at a small place as a favor for his friend who had just opened the doors. Going into it, he didn’t think it would become a part of his life through marriage and two kids, but somehow, it did. He still works there on Sunday afternoons, and I distinctly remember going in for lunch when I was younger and meeting all of his “regulars,” some of his best friends.
Now that I’m 22, have a job, and not many friends still at home, my Sunday afternoons consisted of me half-assing a workout, pretending to clean my room, and eating an entire bowl of grapes while watching Law and Order or Say Yes to the Dress. I decided to get out of my house and head over to visit my dad, which turned itself into my Sunday routine.
I try and try to explain to others what I actually find so appealing about sitting at a bar for an entire afternoon, but no one gets it. “It’s either that, or sitting at home alone watching TV” is what I usually say, but my Sundays are a little more than that. I always walk in to a room full of people that are happy to see me, and even if I don’t know them, I’m quickly introduced (and then shortly after that, given a drink on them. That’s an added perk).
But my favorite part about my Sunday routine is watching all of the regulars. Most of them will sit in the same spot all day, say hi to the same people, and order the same drinks. It’s a big group of friends that know they can walk into the bar and find each other without so much as a phone call. They’re all genuine friends, some who have known each other for years, and others who only know each other because they’re regulars at the same bar and have a few mutual friends.
I’ve told myself that once I move and settle down, I’ll find a bar similar to this one and become a regular. How nice would it be to walk in to a place where everybody knows your name?