You know there's a recession when ...
It was midnight on Wednesday in Locust Point, and we were thirsty. No worries, we told ourselves -- we'd have several options for a pint of ice cold, lip-smackin' suds.
Our first stop: The new Banners on Decatur Street. But as we walked up to the front of the building, two women strolled up from the side and told us they'd just closed the place for the night. Business was slow, they said. Business was slow before we got there, we told them. We offered to drink them dry, but they refused to open back up for us. Drat, we thought. ...
Our second stop: the Locust Point Tavern. The lights were dim and the door was locked. Double drat, we thought.
Our third stop: Thornton's Pub. Closed.
Our fourth stop: J. Patricks. Closed.
Quadruple drat!
Think about this -- four neighborhood bars, all closed by midnight on a Wednesday. Most of them have liquor licenses that go until 2 a.m. What does that tell ya? I'll tell ya what it tells ya -- it ain't good, that's what.
Seriously though, it was really frustrating. I was looking forward to checking out Banner's. We wound up at Down the Hatch instead, which was cool because the beer was so cheap. And the folks at Down the Hatch laughed at how Banner's sells peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the low low cost of $3.95(!). They even produced a menu to prove it.
Still, I was really disappointed by Locust Point's midnight, mid-week bar scene.
Time to man up, L.P.
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Sam, I saw the same thing last week. I was up in town on Wednesday night and I was shocked to see that Mother's was closed before 11! I had to do a double take and check my watch. I never thought I would see that.
Posted by: mikepcfl | September 18, 2009 10:22 AM
Which is why many of us choose to live in Locust Point! It is quiet at midnight mid-week.
But, you could have gone up to Fort Avenue and checked out City Limits or Luca's, arguably the best bar in Baltimore!
Posted by: Eutaw Street Historian | September 18, 2009 10:30 AM
Sam, I feel their pain, unfortunately you want to be consitent with your hours. I always know that if I go to Cross Street that Jose's will always be open til 2am. I like to stay open til 2am every night as well, I still remember the first year staying open til 2am on Heath Street with the side door always locked and a baseball bat to my right, scary. The recession is far from over.
Posted by: jason z | September 18, 2009 11:04 AM
Right you are Jason Z. Inconsistent closing times make me crazy. If you make the effort to go somewhere that is supposed to be open until a certain time and closes early, it's frustrating. That place then moves down the list of go-to places later at night.
Posted by: VoodooPork ■|:o) | September 18, 2009 11:44 AM
This still begs the question: Who would be out drinking at midnight on a Wednesday night and why?
Posted by: johnyycat | September 18, 2009 12:56 PM
Who would be out drinking at midnight on a Wednesday night and why?
Duh, to forget about the recession.
Posted by: ceramic kitty | September 18, 2009 1:33 PM
Hell, I've got no job to go to on Thursday. Wednesday night drunk outs are the order of the day!
Posted by: Josh | September 18, 2009 2:37 PM
I live on Decatur just down the block from Banners, never been but i also thought it was funny to have a $4 PBJ. I too like the quiet weekday nights in the Point.
Posted by: Ben | September 18, 2009 2:46 PM
@mikepcfl
I'm pretty sure Mother's was closed all day on Wednesday and reopened on Thursday
Posted by: HottieMcSexyPants | September 19, 2009 1:23 AM
How is a $4 PBJ any worse that places that charge you $8.00 for a grilled cheese? Or $12.00 for a vegetarian pasta. There is a premium to pay for not eating meat. Paying for convenience is the way I think of it.
Posted by: MIchelle | September 20, 2009 9:24 AM
Mother's was closed all day last Wednesday.
Posted by: Molly Coolz | September 21, 2009 4:08 PM
As owner of Thornton's Pub, I am sorry we missed you. Typically, we close around 10pm Sun-Thursday out of respect to our working neighbors unless a televised sporting event is on and we have patrons watching it, to which we remain open until the end. On Friday and Saturday evenings, we are open until 2 am unless it has been dead for several hours. Having been open for 2 1/2 years, I learned quickly that the Locust Point neighborhood is the "starting point" neighborhood and Federal Hill is the ending or late night neighborhood. I would invite your crowd to join prior to 10pm on the days listed or stop by for late night fun on Friday and Saturday evenings. Ironically we offer a "Recession Happy Hour" from 10pm-2am on Friday nights. I appreciate the comment on consistency, but the volume of customers in that neighborhood rarely warrants staying open past 11 during the week. As your tour confirmed, my collegues agree.
Posted by: Heather Thornton | October 16, 2009 3:51 PM