The Girl with the Pitcher of IPA
This past Wednesday, my best friend dragged me out with her to go to Mo Jeuax’s, despite my opposition. Usually, I would only go to the Cajun bar and grill in the middle of the week for $1 beers, but this night I went in search of someone who could give me a new perspective on weeknight drinking in Fort Collins. My friends and I were sitting at a table inside, as I panned the small bar for someone who looked like they would be up for a chat. I saw a girl sitting by herself with an untouched pitcher. When my friends left our table to go mingle elsewhere, I walked up to the girl with the pitcher and started a conversation.
After a few ice-breaking questions, I asked if she would be open to answering a few questions about her night, and she seemed pretty excited about it. “I just don’t want my name on this,” she muttered. At this point I was hesitant to keep going, but there was something intriguing about her, so I stayed and began my questions.
Q: So you drinking that pitcher by yourself?
A: Well I guess I am now.
Q: Why’s that?
A: My friend left with a guy right after I bought this. So now I just have it to myself.
Q: Oh, I’m sorry, so what’s next?
A: What do you mean?
Q: Are you just going to go home after this, or meet some of some other friends or what?
A: *Laughs* Just because my friend left me doesn’t mean my night has to end.
Q: Good point, so what’s your plan?
A: I’ll finish this beer while we talk and then I’ll see where the night takes me.
Q: Gotcha, do you usually just see where the night will take you, or do you usually have a plan?
A: I plan so much for everything, school, work, my future…. But going out is one thing I don’t plan. I will literally be in bed watching Netflix or doing homework when one of my friends asks if I want to go out, and I put on some jeans and go to their place to pregame.
Q: Does this happen often?
A: Lol, like 3 or 4 times a week.
Q: Oh, so Mo Jeaux’s isn’t a new thing to you?
A: No, not really. I’ve been going here since I turned 21 last year. It was my first bar I went to, and fell in love. So now it’s kind of a Wednesday night tradition.
Q: Well, now Rec Room and the Boot have drink specials that are cheaper than here, have you checked them out?
A: Ya, I went to Rec that first night they had it and it just didn’t do it for me. I know my night will end in there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday so I stick to here for Wednesday night.
Q: What do you like about this place?
A: The bartenders are nicer, it’s a different crowd of people, and Idk it just has a nicer feel to it.
Q: Could you expand on this?
A: Well, the bars in Old Town I feel the bar tenders are just kind of rude, they ignore you and slam your drink down. But here they will actually take time to talk you. Plus I see the same people every time at Bondi or Lucky Joe’s but here I meet new people and it just becomes a funner night.
Q: Besides here, what are your other favorite bars?
A: I like Barcade, I’ll probably go there later.
Q: So you really like the Campus West scene. Why is that?
A: The Old Town bars are just so crowded.
Q: What makes you like going out on weeknights?
A: I feel like the weekends are just too far apart for me to wait to have fun, and plus I know I won’t be doing this after I graduate, so might as well do it while I can.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: May!
Q: Want to stay here, or move somewhere?
A: I want to move somewhere new, West Coast maybe.
Q: What will you miss most about the bars of Fort Collins?
A: The cheap drinks for sure. I’m from Miami and when I went to the bars back there this summer each drink was like $15.
Q: Wow, so what about here? How much do you usually spend a night out when you go out during the week?
A: I have no clue. Maybe like $10.
Q: My friends are leaving for Barcade, and they are my ride so is there anything else I should know about you?
A: Uhm….. I end most of my drunken nights at McDonald’s. It’s a ritual.
Q: Well maybe I’ll see you there, or at Barcade and we can continue this?
A: Definitely.
Q: One last question, what kinda beer were you drinking?
A: An IPA.
I never did see her at either McDonald’s or Barcade, but who knows maybe I’ll run into her again this Wednesday if my friends drag me out to Mo Jeaux’s.
Most of the time when I go to the bars, I stick to talking to my friends, with no interest of meeting new people. But this time I tried something new and talked with a stranger. It was different and pretty interesting. I urge everyone to initiate a conversation with a random person at a bar at least once. You never know what could come out of it.
