Haunts of my 20s

There are so many places that I frequented that have special meaning.  From the rugby houses in Oxford to wineries in Oregon, I have a list of places I liked to call my homes away from home. They’re mostly bars and I am starting to wonder if I may have a problem.  No, I don't have a problem, unless there's a problem with being AWESOME!  :-D



College:

• Rugby houses Socials tended to be at Miller’s house in the "ghetto" of Oxford. 
• Steinkeller’s I got my first “legal” beer here.  I was naive and asked for a mug because I thought it would be smaller than a pint....no.
• Mac & Joe’s It’s just where you end up when you’re out and about uptown.
• Phan Shin It’s PHANtastic!  Ellen and I love the rice boobs
• Fresh Run I used to go “dancing” here, but now it’s called Brick Street.  Kids these days won’t have the pleasure of calling it “Frosh” Run, because that’s where all the Freshmen girls hung out, but I bet they still dodge townies there.  They still like to creep on young girls.
• Kona Bistro The garbanzo burger with apple-tomato-raisin chutney is out of this world.
• The Buzz I spent many nights studying at The Buzz with a cup of joe.  I loved going for poetry reading night and wished I would have participated.  It’s no longer in business.  Sad face.

Ooooooh. Miller found a kitty. Rugby Socials can be so random.
No animals were harmed during this rugby social.

Middletown:

• Lil Chicago’s This is where I spent most nights 2003-2006.
• Carol’s Speakeasy Karaoke Joe!
• Otte’s It is in the spot of the original Speakeasy,  but still just across the street from the new spot.
• Ramada Inn More karaoke.  I never sang.  I just went to be with friends.  Monroe had a rug from there...I never asked questions. 
• Java Johnny’s I drank things other than beer.  Java Johnn’y’s was really close to the Crack House apartment on Crawford so I went there a lot.  It’s funny how just a few blocks separated the “bad” part of town from the “good” part of town.
• Practice spaces LavaCola and Walter Ego had some amazing spaces in Middletown where they practiced.  Many Tuesday night Parties were held there.  I remember being at the practice space with the band the night my father died.

Jen and I hanging out with our BFF Teresa Moore at Speakeasy.

Cincinnati/Covington:

• Bogart’s I saw so many AWESOME concerts at Bogarts including some great Battle of the Bands shows.
• The Buzz There was also one in Cincy near UC.  I would go down there with the Murphys to drink coffee and play board games.  It was a lot of fun.  It’s also out of business.  Double Sad Face.  Yes, there are a lot of coffee shops out in the Pacific Northwest, but I haven’t found one as eclectic as The Buzz.
• Jillian’s It was like a Dave & Buster’s, but with 4 floors of dancing with different themes to each floor.  A bunch of us would go down for their Friday night special.  Twenty dollars would get you unlimited gaming and 5 well drinks.  We must have been the ones to put them out of business.

A bunch of crazy kids at Jillian's

Dayton area:

• 1470’s I remember all meeting up at Joel’s for a pre-outing drink then we’d all pile in the DD’s car to go to 1470’s.  At the time I wouldn’t say it was a gay bar although they did have drag shows, but I’d say it was more of a goth bar.  It would later definitely turn into a gay bar.
• Club Masque Masque took over the old 1470’s building.  I love gay bars, but they didn’t play the type of music I learned to love at 1470’s.  The drag shows were a lot better though.  People traveled from all over to go to the Masque as it was the hippest Gay bar in the tristate area.  I was proud of Dayton for that.
• W.O. Wrights Before Double D’s there was W.O. Wright’s for socials after rugby matches and after practice get togethers.  I remember going there in college after the President’s Cup Tournament at Wright State.
• The  Pub They sponsored DARC, so we spent a lot of time there.  Yummy food and international beers.  I also played trivia there every Monday with Keila, Rachel, Adam and Brandy.  Erica was our favorite server.
• Oregon District It’s pronounced OreGONE.  Yes, Oregonians...that’s how they say it.
• Tank’s The “My Way” grilled cheese is my favorite and they have awesome chip dip.
• Thai 9 I had never had sushi before going to Thai 9 and now I am in love with Avocado Rolls. I would go here often with some of my favorite rugby ladies.

At The Pub for Julie's birthday.  I don't know if this was taken before, in between or after birds pooped in Jess's beer...twice.

Xenia and Yellow Springs:

• Nick’s Chrissy and I were regulars at Nick’s and always had a blast there.  Chrissy knows everyone who is worth knowing in Xenia.  I just lived vicariously through her popularity.
• Chrissy's House I spent many Wednesday Nights here sipping wine and watching So You Think You Can Dance.
• Peach’s My most favorite place ever.  The food was good.  The beer was good.  The live music was GREAT!  I have nothing but AWESOME memories.  One of my favorite nights was when I was experiencing some CRAZY cabin fever due to being snowed in.  I decided to trek through the snow to Peach’s and was surprised to see that it was actually open.  Doug, who is the sweetest bartender ever, and I were the only ones there.  We bonded and he gave me some history about Peach’s.  It is one of my favorite nights in YS.
• The Dayton Street Gulch I once heard The Gulch referred to as a “Star Wars Bar.”  There were just so many unique people who frequented that place.  It closed down about an hour earlier than Peach’s so the clientele would migrate to Peach’s to catch the last call there.  It was always fun to watch Doug, Steve, Aaron and Tara prepare for The Gulch Invasion every night.
• Emporium Wines and Underdog Cafe Friday Night Wine Tastings were the BEST!  Great people and great live music.
• Glen Helen I took a lot of hikes here to clear my head, an activity I still do, but it's at a different place obviously

Chrissy and I enjoying a little beer at Nick's.

Corvallis and Eugene:

• Suds and Suds It’s within walking distance of the house and I’m working on the beer club.  I have my regulars that I hang out with like Gibby the bartender, Roger and Mike.  I just bitch about the NFL with them and they make fun of me for being a Bengals fan.
• Block 15 This is where Julie, Jeff and I had lunch the day I moved into my apartment.  The food is and microbrews are yummy.
• Cloud 9 This is where I listen to the Punk Rock Bands of Corvallis.  It’s sort of too nice for punk rock though.
• McDonald Forest This is my new place for peace and self reflection.
• Duck Inn Eugene Reign Rugby Socials
• Sweet Cheeks I’m a wine club member.
• THE MAN CAVE!!!  Steve and Kevin are the residents of the Man Cave, and they have a comfy couch!  It's a fine establishment.

Tiki hanging out at Suds.

I hope to add more "Haunts" to the Corvallis and Eugene section this year. I also can't wait to visit some of my Ohio haunts whenever I get back there.