The Neighborhood Bar
We often used the phrase "Neighborhood Bar" to describe the taverns and pubs we once knew. Those bars are not today's gastropubs or alehouses. As patrons, we were biased walking into “Our” bar, which was like a second home. It was awesome. Everyone who hung out at the neighborhood bar knew each other’s names, the neighborhood, and what time they’d show up to drink. The bar was filled with the old-school melting pot of nationalities, construction workers, and lifelong residents who permeated the place.
In Hicksville, there were so many neighborhood bars. The old watering holes were never the kinds of places that inspired deep love, with the exception of me. My wife and I met at the Wind Whistle in 1981. There is no doubt that the landscape of drinking establishments we have now is far superior in just about every way. The food's better, the beer's better, the environment is more family- and community-oriented. Whether we love or hate 
Old Watering Holesneighborhood bars, we are losing them pretty fast. Societies change; before we know it, there won't be many left.
