TOO much fun

Last night my friends and I got to know our good old town of Norman just a little bit better. We introduced ourselves to a few stares and a lot of laughs by going on a "shady bar" tour in our cute little college town. It turned out to be one of the most fun nights I've ever had, even though I'm going to have to shower at least 4 times before getting the smell of smoke out of my hair.

Here's a little description of each bar, starting with the one to which I will least likely to return.

1. Bill and Dee's (Main and Porter)
This was the 3rd bar we went to. It was the only bar that didn't ID us at all. The domestic beer was $2 and it had more of an Alternative/Punk feeling to the bar. Lynard Skynard's "Gimmie 3 Steps" was playing on the jukebox. Shadiest thing was probably the strange pictures/posters on the wall, including an all too revealing painting of Daffny Duck.

2. Henry Hudson's Pub (W. Main and 36th Ave)
Staring seemed to be going out of style at this bar. We also got ID'd not once, but twice. Loan Star was on special for $2 and my beer was "prematurely" snagged by the waiter because apparently no one drinks the last swig any more. We got cheese fries for $1.75 and there were mirrored name plates on the bathroom doors. Dave Matthews and Matchbox 20 played over the jukebox. Shadiest thing was probably the stares from the people.

3. Blue Bonnet Bar (Main and Porter)
This was a great place. The domestic beer was $2 and it wasn't very crowed. The tables were made from big, wooden cable spools. There were two HUGE murals, advertising Coors and Budweiser on each one. "Coming to America" was playing on the TV and "Free Falling" by Tom Petty was playing on the jukebox. My friend Arnold and I played the longest game of pool ever because we are both so bad. We sort of got ID'd twice here also. Shadiest thing was probably the skulls and deer heads on the wall.

4. Old #9 (E. Alameda and 36th Ave)
This was a tiny, courteous joint on the east side of town. There were 7 people in the bar, including the bar tender, Carry. We ordered 2 pitchers of Bud Light for $5,50 each. When Carry saw we needed more, she brought another one over on the house. Friends played a game of darts and we kept with tradition by signing a beam in the middle of the room. A skipping Steve Miller Band CD played and a Pizza was delivered. Shadiest thing about this place was the lack of people. If you ever get a chance, get a group of friends together to support this place, and say hi to Carry for me.

5. Ol' Blues (Flood and Robinson)
Definite winner in my book! We ended our night here, which was good because if we came here first I'm not sure if I would have made it to the other bars. Ol' Blues had a dance floor with a disco ball and karaoke. The domestic beers were $2 and they still had the Christmas tree up. The lady let us sing karaoke even though she should have cut us off. My friend Brook and I sang "Girl's Night Out" by the Judds, then all the girls got up to sing what we thought was "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", but it turned out to be the talking version so we just sang a lot of "woooos" and "aahhhs." The best part was that when the karaoke lady announced the last karaoke song, she was the one who sang it. I will definitely come back to this place. Shadiest thing was probably the gravel parking lot and building structure. It reminded me of the scenes from "Midnight Cowboy." I could certainly picture brawls going down.

Pretty much all the bars had pool tables, darts, cigarette machines and jukeboxes. A few had shuffleboard tables. I'm so happy the night worked out and it was an awesome way to spend time with friends before I head out.