Sometimes you wanna go…Where everybody knows your game… What? It didn’t go like that? Well it should have. If you are just now crawling out from under a rock let me be the first to introduce you to the new world. Baseball has been eclipsed by Pop Culture as the national pastime. Why then, pray tell, are we still meeting up in sports bars and the like? We humbly gather in smoky bars with loud TV’s and chicken wings, begging for a night to host Geeks-who-Drink style trivia; grateful for our Tuesday night and crust of bread. Well, that is about to change in a big way. Have you heard of Geek Bars?
Slowly but surely we are seeing taverns, pubs and straight up bars popping up all over the world with one thing in common… They are flying their geek flags high and proud. Some are very specific like The Waystation in Brooklyn a Doctor Who themed bar that host Who Trivia whilst boasting The Voice’s Readers Choice: Best Cocktail Bar 2014. Others, like 42 Lounge in Milwalki or The Stormcrow Tavern in Vancouver, BC are all geek all the time and gleefully host cosplay raves and table top contests, or let tavern goers bring or borrow games any old Tuesday night. I had the opportunity to visit The Stormcrow a few weeks ago and it was definitely the prefered watering hole of the members of the WWGN (World Wide Geek Nation) located in Vancouver. Some, like Eighty Two in Los Angeles prefer to be called “Barcades” and specialize in arcade games both new and ahem…”retro”.
Despite catering to the geeky/pop culture masses these establishments are not to be mistaken for anything juvenile or unsophisticated. Most have full bars with distinct menus of specialty items that are every bit as delicious and gourmet, as their mainstream cousins they just have funnier names like “The Romulan Wings of Vengeance”, “The Groot”, or the “Awesomesauce! with Fries”. The Stormcrow even had a drinking game that involved rolling a 20 sided dice and drinking whatever shot the number lined up with. Like most rolls of the dice, some led to unlocked achievements and some led to a fate worse than death… it was up to destiny. (For the record I played and was poisoned with the Admiral Ackbar¹, but they made it up to me with Essence of Gelfing².
Long-story-short; the Geek bar is a real deal thing and the movement has got momentum. IF you find yourself in a city without one, call your congressman or the 501st—or someone—and tell them to “Make it So”. The sooner the better. When you find a new fledgling geek bar in your ‘hood, go and check them out. You may just find the rest of your tribe there.
¹The Admiral Ackbar is equal parts Fireball and Peppermint Schnapps. All burn
²Essence of Gelfling is equal parts Peppermint Schapps and Vodka, chilled. Cool!
I’m heading to Vancouver next weekend and this is now on my must-do list!!!
Hope you have a blast! Please write us and tell us how you liked your trip to the Stormcrow Tavern! :)
These bars sound really fun. I love the dice idea. That is genius. I’m always down for geek drinks. There is an arcade bar where I live but every time I’ve been and tried to play the old games the regulars glared at me and my friends so I never stayed very long. It has always been a dream of mine to someday own a really unique bar.
Hi Robin! Thanks for the comment. Wow, those regulars must be territorial jerk-faces. What sort of bar would you open?
I’m not sure yet, but I have a lot of different ideas. The town that I live in just decided to allow the sale of alcohol. Before I had to travel 20-50 miles away to work as a bartender at two different bars. Our town has this whole 50’s vibe going on. Everyone has worked really hard to keep businesses looking retro, so I’d probably stick with that theme and open a rockabilly bar just because people here are really into that.
Your town sounds very cool. A rockabilly bar would be SO awesome!