Awesome banners at Idle Hour
You gotta see the new "art exhibit" at Idle Hour (201 E. Fort Ave.).
The South Baltimore corner bar was between art shows, and co-owner Randal Etheridge wanted something to hang on the walls.
When he read a couple of outrageously negative reviews of Idle Hour on metromix.com, he knew just what to do ...
Etheridge had two big banners made with the reviews and hung them inside the bar.
I love it!
Here's one of the reviews, written by a commenter named TruthSerum from Federal Hill:
The place smells like urine and has raunchy decor. This week the "art" consists of distasteful nudes featuring cartoonish women of the night bent over.
Here's the other, by Dynamo from Otterbein:
The crowd that this place attracts are not friendly. The owner has an "I'm a bartender for life complex". I came in with my girlfriend and we had 2 drinks that were served in dirty glasses and when we asked for a clean es all we got was attitude . In fact that was enough to have the "regulars" giving us dirty looks especially this French chick that acted like she managed the place from her bar stool. Never going back to this crappy place again!
Hee hee.
I've been The Baltimore Sun's nightlife and local entertainment reporter for a couple years, and it's surprising how much the scene has grown in that time. Most of Baltimore's bars and clubs are unpretentious places with fairly cheap drinks and plenty of character. I like dancing and think this city needs more clubs, but nothing beats having a cold, locally brewed beer with friends in a comfortably full corner bar.
Comments
me and my boyfriend thought it was brilliant! But who has the "bartender for life complex"? Randal or Brendan? :)
Posted by: colleen_baltimore | July 16, 2008 9:51 AM
hysterical.
Posted by: ryan97ou | July 16, 2008 10:27 AM
yet another reason this bar belongs further north where they be apperciated. Those comments pretty much sum up Fad Hill's yuppie residents reactiions to ANYTHING other than sports bars.
Randal & B. Come up to Charles/Station North we NEED you! Forget these yuppie dogwalking ********! Let 'em drown in their own Lite Beer.
Posted by: JMGiordano | July 16, 2008 11:03 AM
But, jmgiordano, if Idle Hour was further up north, wouldn't its customers drown in their own egos?
Posted by: Sam Sessa | July 16, 2008 11:05 AM
nah. egos? No. Drow in our own irony? yeah.
Posted by: JMGiordano | July 16, 2008 11:09 AM
I was over there on the 4th and [urinated] myself a little with my neighbors when we read those banners. Totally brilliant maneuver.
Posted by: Evan | July 16, 2008 11:43 AM
every time that I have been there I always see the bartenders polishing glassware.
Posted by: jason | July 16, 2008 5:25 PM
the banners are better than I could have ever imagined, hilarious. Unfortunately they are taking them down any day now. Great job guys.
Posted by: jason | July 17, 2008 11:28 AM