Someone told me today that they read my political entries, but they prefer the ones with bars in them.

Me too.

So I decided today to make a list of bars that I have loved and that have influenced my life. So, allow me to present:

The Warsaw Cafe, Erie, PA. The first bar in which I could get served. The best wings. All you can eat for $3.00, back in the 80’s. Made by a little Korean woman in the kitchen who would dump them into crock pot in the dining room through a hole in the wall. We would leave there after building a mountain of bones in the center of a table.

Herman’s, Erie, PA. This neighborhood bar has stood for decades and even survived a fire. It has a gorgeous antique bar. But that’s the only thing gorgeous about it. In the 80’s and early 90’s this was the neighborhood, old-man’s dive bar. My friends and I would end almost every night of drinking there. Old music, a pool table, and cheap beer. They used to have $0.25 drafts. (How cheap is that? I didn’t even realize that keyboards no longer have cent symbols on them until I needed to type that sentence!) You would go in there with $5 in danger of your life. Good times. They cleaned it up some after the fire. It’s a shame to see an old dive get cleaned up.

McCaws (sp?), Erie PA. O.K., I never really hung out there. But I was there on closing night. When everything was a dollar. And my best friend Joe was the guest bartender and handed me a brandy snifter of tequila (for a dollar) and I drank it. That is too long, and too incriminating, of a story to make public. I should have died that night. So many stories involving Joe end that way…

Andy’s Pub, Erie PA. Our pool hall. The place we probably spent the most hours at, but for the amount of time we spent there, I can’t come up with a story. Oh wait, yes I can. We went there for wings one night, and Joe knew the cook. To mess with him, we kept sending the wings back, saying they weren’t hot enough. They would come out hotter each time, until he made a batch so hot that he had to use gloves to transport the plates. Then he stood there and laughed as we ate them, crying, trying to pretend it didn’t hurt. Mmm, wings…

Haggerty’s, Erie PA. Home of the 12 pack! We only got carry out there, but they get an honorable mention. They would sell cases, physically cut in half with a knife, as 12 packs. We would pick up some Black Label or Old German, go to the movie theater, chug the beer in the parking lot, then pay as much for the movie as we did the beer.

Zeno’s, State College, PA. My #1 college hang-out. Across the street from studio, we would cut out as early as we could every Friday for pitchers of Genny 12 Horse, pit beef sandwiches, and acoustic entertainment with Ken Voltz. This was the late 80’s Zenos, with the music mural on the wall. I remember the day Emperor Hirohito died, they immediately implemented a Kamikaze pitcher special. Zenos. Located directly above the center of the earth.

Café 210, State College, PA. Their sidewalk café was/is the best seat in town, and very much prized. If you could get a table for lunch, you would often squat on it all afternoon, foregoing class, just to have it for happy hour. But caution kiddies, these are the I.D.-carding-est bastards in the world.

The Brickhouse, State College, PA. Owned by a Vietnam veteran who was rumored to be crazy, the Brickhouse was a tiny bar squeezed into a side alley. All the freaks hung out there. Strangely, if I had been everywhere else and not run into any friends, I would always find one there. I’m not sure what that says about the college me. Sadly, it was demolished around 1990.

The Lion’s Den, State College, PA. Our wing spot at Penn State, and on the way home for myself and some of my best buddies. A nice way to wind down after a long night in studio.

Poor Richard’s (a.k.a Cheap Dick’s), Towson MD. For a brief 9-10 months, after graduation, I lived in Maryland. This was the place my boss and I would go for happy hour. 5-cent Budweisers in plastic cups. The bartender’s name was Anita, so we called her Anita Beer.

The Paddock, Timonium, MD. Speaking of cheap, they used to put out a spread of free appetizers for happy hour. We would go there after work on Friday’s, and one of my co-workers, Ken, would make a meal out of it. An otherwise classy place, I didn’t like it that much. But Ken loved it, as long as the free food kept coming.

Bube’s Brewery, Mount Joy, PA. After Maryland, I moved to Mount Joy for 2 years. Bube’s was a couple blocks behind my apartment. An old brewery and Hotel, it had a fancy restaurant, banquet facilities, and a great bar where everything was either painted black or covered with dusty antique bottles. It has been improved (slightly) over the years, but still has the same ambiance. Though I do miss the wood tables with backgammon boards inlaid in them.

Valentino’s, Lancaster, PA. A neighborhood bar with many regulars. The happening-est place during a snow storm. Thursday nights they have a band made up of friends of the owner (who’s in his seventies). They play accordion, mandolin, piano, and washtub bass, and generally have more fun than virtuosity. Try the spaghetti. Lager drafts, $0.90. Leave your dimes on the bar, and the tenth one is free! Or so you can tell yourself. Ten? Yes, ten. Easy. Plus, Darts! I will always remember the nights there with Mo and Bruce. That’s where I was when I got the call that my offer on my first house had been accepted.

The Symposium, Lancaster, PA. Right across the parking lot from my office, it’s our current happy hour location, strictly because of convenience. We can be drinking at 5:02pm.

The Fulton, Lancaster PA. For years, the best value in food. Highest quality, good prices. It has recently been taken over by new owners who are trying to class it up (again, ya hate to see that). Still pretty good though, and within walking distance for me currently, so, bonus! Have the prime rib (not tenderloin tip) sandwich. Another true neighborhood bar, its patrons are a wide variety of ages and races, which gives it a homey feel. Like we all really are one, you know? Everyone loves a good bar.

O’Halloran’s, Lancaster, PA. Where the waitress once rasped to our group, “You guys all like cheese, don’t ya?” Yes. Yes, we do.

Quip’s, Lancaster, PA. Fashioned as a true English pub, it’s a great place for dinner. The service is excellent, and the last few times we’ve been there, we’ve had great experiences. A little pricey, but the beer list is better, so it’s worth it. Occasionally.

Honorable mention: Summit Station in Olde Town Gaithersburg. Our secret spot for Sunday brunch when I’m down at Alicia’s. Good food and good beer, both made right there!

I’m sure there will be more to follow in the comments below…