2024 07 19

The scene inside Electric Funeral, a new bar in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. June, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

Having just returned from some restful days up in Wisconsin’s Northwoods (we stay in St Germain each summer), I was thinking on what it is I like most about being up there. Yes, the lake it nice; taking the boat out for a leisurely ride. Yes, the nature and trees and fire pit and beach are all great. Viewing the starts on a clear night sky is incredible. Perhaps it’s the city slicker in me, but my favorite thing about visiting up north is exploring the bars and restaurants.

I’m not entirely sure why I’m drawn to bars so much. This would be a topic worth pondering in a longer post, for sure. But I think largely it’s a combination of my introverted nature and need for observation. While this may sound contradictory, the bar offers me a space I can let my imagination work and provides my mind with stimulation: people talking and moving, music and clinking glassware, interesting sunlight and backlit bar shelves. When you mix in some alcohol to the equation, it allows me to let my guard down just enough to engage in the setting and participate in the action.

This may all sound like common sense to a normal fella, but for someone with an endless supply of social anxieties, the bar provides an understanding that we’re all hanging out there for more or less the same reason. It’s okay to engage and explore. Saddle up and order me a round and let’s find some common ground. I’m not sure why I’m dipping into cowboy slang but that’s just the kind of thing the bar does to a guy.

-Clayton