The Bar Project: An Introduction

Bars get a bad reputation.    Think about it.  When has anyone recently admitted that they enjoy going to a bar.  Not a “dive” bar, not a pub, not a club but just a simple bar that serves drinks, has a jukebox and maybe serves chips.  Granted, many of a bad thing has happened at bars.  I recall in law school reading endless cases that involved deaths, destruction, drunk driving and dumb decisions that happened at bars.   Such events often loom large in people’s minds regarding bars. 

However, if one takes the time and look around there are a lot of bars.  Really!  It is like smoking.  Smoking may be condemned and harassed but cigarettes still sell so someone still smoking and people are still going to bars.  It is this realization and my overall curiosity that I decided to write about bars. 

Bars are part of our culture.  In a modern American society that praises cultural significance in almost any matter bar culture is often ignored.  Yet they loom large in everyday life for good and for bad.  They define neighborhoods and have been a focal point in social change.   A wide variety of people enjoy them and to ignore them is to revel in social elitism.  I live in San Diego for some culture stops five miles from the coastline and likeminded enclaves of Prius driving wine drinkers.  There is a lot culture to be discovered and bars are one that deserves a fair observation. 

Lastly, I don’t use the term “dive” bar to describe the bars because it is a weasel word.   “Dive” is just a word you add to justify going to a bar to your friends that look down at any place that serves Budweiser and well drinks for 3 dollars.  When you think about bars don’t want you hurt.  What business in its right mind would want their patrons hurt, keep out people willing to plunk down money for a drink, have a reputation for trouble to scare people away and be rude?  Bars want to stay in business.  Just a few thoughts as I begin to work on writing about bars across San Diego County and beyond.