We Walk into a Bar because We Have a Coupon

Thunderbird Lounge, Las Vegas, Nevada

“My phone ran out of power, can I power it up?” A street person asked the bartender, holding out his open flip phone. “Leave it open, or it won’t charge.”

The bartender plugged in the phone, closing it as he did.

The man from the street standing next to Mindy held out two dollars. He asked the cost for playing pool and was told it was a dollar. He asked the bartender for a dollar in quarters “so I can hit balls with a stick while I wait for the phone to charge.” Then he asked if he could use other dollar for a “taste of beer”.

The bartender said beer was four dollars and made it clear there was no tasting menu. Next thing I noticed the man was holding a beer. The woman around the corner of the bar from us had bought him a beer (we’d all been fascinated by the conversation). I asked her, “Don’t you want to open the phone?”

She grinned and started to reach for the phone, and the man with her said, “Don’t encourage her, she’s an instigator!” She ended up leaving the phone alone* and so did Mindy and I, but we introduced ourselves to Chris (him) and Corey (her).

We were in the Thunderbird Lounge because it was part of the hotel where we were staying (the Thunderbird Boutique Hotel). When we checked in, they’d given us coupons for the place, and we’d decided to use them for food, not alcohol, since this was the first of two bars we’d be visiting that night. We ordered buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks and drank several glasses of water.

The photos on the website made the Lounge look like quite the wild place, with girls dancing on the bar and stylish people playing pool. We saw the stage, but it was empty while we were there. When we came in, two women were eating at the bar; they left shortly after we ordered, and Chris and Corey sat down near us.

They were in the city for an event, staying at the Thunderbird Retro Boutique Hotel and Lounge like us. We spent time talking about last year’s trip, and they told us about their travels. They’d spent time in Alaska, too, but we’d been there in the time of the Midnight Sun. Chris had been there at a different time of year and saw the Northern Lights (though not one of the more spectacular showings, he said).

We eventually asked them our two questions, “What makes for a good bar?” and “Whether you go or not, what makes for a good church?”

For the bar question, Corey said a good bar has the “ability to be both intimate and sociable at the same time. Negotiable sociability. It’s nice to be in a place that doesn’t require you maintain social interaction.” I thanked her for being willing to socially interact with us.

Chris also answered the bar question. He said dressing up for a fancy cocktail bar was too much work, but he also didn’t want to be in “a dive bar where you have to check your wallet. If there’s Guinness or Jameson, I’m happy. It there’s an acceptable selection, I can make do.”

Before they answered the church question, their friend Shaun came in and Corey greeted him warmly. (We forgot to ask how his name was spelled. He might actually be Sean or Shawn or another variation. We’re sorry). They greeted each other warmly. As Corey talked to Shaun, Chris answered our church question. He hesitated about answering it, “I’m an atheist.”

I assured him plenty of atheists had answered the question, and we just wanted to know what he thought.

He said he’d been to different churches, and he wasn’t interested in hearing different people give different interpretations for an ancient book. He said he’d read the Bible cover to cover, and told us,  “I feel comfortable without a faith to tell me how to be a good person.” He said in his experience people in church are hypocritical, but “If it makes your life better, awesome.” He just thought that hour in church was a waste of time which could be better spent, say, helping the homeless.

Corey was still talking to Shaun, but I asked if she’d mind answering the church question before we left. She said she grew up in the Catholic Church, but didn’t go anymore. She said churches would be better if “the leadership allowed the congregation to have input so there can be different points of view.” There should be more than one voice heard, because preachers often make assumptions about those in their congregation.

As we left for our other bar of the evening, a woman was setting up to perform on the stage. More people straggled in as we left, but we were happy to have met the people we had, because a fun thing about visiting bars is meeting delightful strangers -- even if the meeting is short.

*We don’t know if the guy’s phone charged or not. It was still plugged in and closed when we left.