When I lived in Providence, I always had a bar I could go to where I knew everyone, knew the bartenders, and knew the bar. I could walk in with no money in my pocket and still be able to put down six beers, purely on the honor system. Until it closed, I had the Decatur, where I could walk in by myself on a Wednesday afternoon, saddle up on a stool, and entertain myself/self-medicate for a few hours. Before that, I had Babe's On The Sunnyside.
I can't seem to find that same thing in Bristol.
This all comes about because I went to the recently-reopened Aiden's last night. It had been closed for renovations for the past 9 months or so, and I was really excited to see what the upgrades had done to the bar. Before closing, Aiden's had been this charming little Irish pub - uneven floors, intricate woodwork, dark- a workingman's bar. Sure, it drew the tourist-types during the summer, but during the off-season, it was a perfect little pub.
I walked in full of hopes for the little bar. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met. The building that had once been filled with so much ambience and charater was now dull and sterile. Gone was the woodwork and flooring, replaced with stale plainly-stained trim and wainscoting. The walls were painted hospital-white. The barkeeps were subpar...
I don't understand how someone renovates a bar and actually makes it worse. Sure, everything looks new, and the place smells of fresh varnish, but thecharacter is completely gone. A great little place had been turned in to another cookie-cutter bar, which means my search for a place to become a regular at goes on.
