Barfly wins “best column” in California!
Barfly wins 1st place in California Journalism contest (mailchi.mp)
Locking eyes in a crowded bar
Johann Strauss II’s waltz titled “The Blue Danube” opens Stanley Kubrick’s space station scene in 1968’s epic film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The fabulous triple meter’s…
The recipe for a good time at a bar
I passed through the front sidewalk patio and breezed up to the little bar. I removed my jacket and spread it over my seat, plopping down.…
What is dry anyway?
Dry January is upon us. But when it comes to booze, “dry” can mean a great many different things. For instance, in an extra-dry martini, does…
Can I see some ID?
I looked at the two young women with the two young men and decided to head off the inevitable by checking their IDs immediately. “Can I…
Employees can make or break a business
We walked up to the front door, past a young couple kissing passionately off to one side. The vigorous public display of affection is a time-honored…
Once a bartender, always a bartender
“I wiped up that table over there,” said the 40-something woman dressed in black from head to toe as she tossed the bar towel onto the…
Some traditions need to be amended
“Why are you wearing that ridiculous hat?” I asked our longtime server wearing a jauntily placed Santa cap. Now, I’m used to customers coming in wearing…
Let the young have fun and make their own mistakes
They breezed loudly through the front door. There’s no noise like the cacophony of youth. They couldn’t have been more than 20 years old. But they…
Don’t you know who I am? No, I don’t
The holidays are in full swing. And there they are: all the people I don’t know. When you have worked full time at a place for…
Same game, different pieces
It was busy, the kind of busy that renders the ability to have a conversation moot. Sweat was literally trickling off of my nose. My opening…