Trendy Bar Trend

I think of myself as a fairly sociable individual and in a town like mine this means hitting up the "trendy bars" for birthdays, cocktail hours and the occassional last minute suggestion. Oh the trendy bar phenomenon. I don't know who thought up taking a five dollar martini, splashing something pink in it, adding an exotic garnish of unknown origin and charging fifteen bucks for it but they're a genius and I wish I'd thought of it first. Women and men alike flock to the martini bar, the hotel bar, the newest of the new establishments to over pay and over dress at, mostly, over rated locations. And the only saving grace that keeps your bank account somewhat in check is the insufferably long wait to get back to the bar, at which point you must expell all the charms you can muster to catch the tender's attention.

I must admit I do so love to get "gussied up" and the lavish expense at what are admittedly some pretty snazzy digs seems a good enough reason to don a cocktail dress with some killer heals and a few shiny baubles. Still, as the evening unfolds my dogs start to bark, my wallet starts to empty and I begin to forget why we opted for swank over simplicity. As I tally the many local watering holes I'd prefer at the moment I can't help but wonder if the whole scene isn't just a little bit foolish. Best case scenario I'll have some good stories for the years to come, big picture I think it's all part of the ride of the urban twenty-something and I take it with a grain of salt, preferrably on the rim of a cocktail glass!

P.S. The photo is one of myself and some very fun-loving co-workers at Alibi, one of the trendiest of trendy bars found in Beantown.