"Yeah, they were supposed to open several months ago, but they keep postponing it. I think they're still having plumbing problems," he says.
He recommends I visit another bar he works at during the week, Moon Doggies. To say the least, his recommendation is enthusiastic—so enthusiastic that I use a great deal of tact when explaining that I'd checked out Moon Doggies a few times before and never found more than four people in attendance. (If you don't count bartenders, bar columnists, video poker players sitting by their lonesome and people who've somehow managed to fall asleep on their bar stools, then there were actually zero people in attendance).
"You must have gone to the other Moon Doggies over on Rainbow," he says. "I think they cater to an older crowd. But the Moon Doggies on Arville is great. I've been bartending for years, and Moon Doggies is the one place I keep going back to."
So with that recommendation in mind, I head out to Moon Doggies a few days later. At first glance, it's just a room, like any other quaint bar. To the left is a single pool table, surrounded by cigarette and vending machines, a few tables and an old-fashioned Space Invaders arcade game. To the right, the bar stretches evenly to the far side of the room.
I take a seat at the bar, and Derek introduces me to a couple of his friends. Further down the bar, an assortment of couples and buddies tap away at video poker or interact with the episode of Family Guy playing on the TV overhead. The volume's even been turned up so viewers can hear Peter Griffin's unique brand of non-sequitur comedy. Derek and I discuss our preference for the humor of The Simpsons as he concocts a red wine-based cocktail he likes to call the "Bloodbath." Turns out Derek likes to experiment in mixology, pouring a wide assortment of strong alcohols together, which miraculously combine to make something that tastes deceptively sweet and girly, which he then can butch up with a grisly name like "Bloodbath."
Moon Doggies itself is a rather strange blend. With the usual bar accoutrements, you get the sensation of going out, but with the friendly atmosphere of people casually chatting while watching Adult Swim, you get the cozy sensation of staying in. It's a slow night at Moon Doggies, but everyone goes out of their way to make me feel welcome. It's no wonder the bar staff tends to hang out here even when they're not working.
After all, any bar is really just a big room, and whether or not a room is fun depends on who and what you put into it. In this room, you'll find a whole bunch of people who love hanging out at Moon Doggies. And after a few Bloodbaths, you're likely to be one of them.