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I sometimes drive down to the local social club with some neighbors for an "early doors" session on late Friday afternoon. Nearest pub to us is 10 miles way.
Folks around here are all pretty isolated so we take turn hosting a drinks session once a month, which is pretty cool.
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@mariner4life said in The Local:
My local is a fucking ripper. The Red Beret. 3.5km down the road, courtesy bus if required.
Decked out TAB with a big screen for the ponies. Sports on TV everywhere. Tittie girls on a Thursday. The bistro does bloody good food.
Owner must make a fortune
So do you know folk there? Do they turn and say "mariner!" in unison when you walk in?
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@mariner4life said in The Local:
My local is a fucking ripper. The Red Beret. 3.5km down the road, courtesy bus if required.
Decked out TAB with a big screen for the ponies. Sports on TV everywhere. Tittie girls on a Thursday. The bistro does bloody good food.
Owner must make a fortune
So do you know folk there? Do they turn and say "mariner!" in unison when you walk in?
Nah, I don't go that often. I'm mates with everyone in my street so don't need to leave for a social beer. And if I go to the pub, I usually go with them as well.
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My last local was the Albion in Brisbane. Half of it was done up and served good food, good crowd. The other half was the pokies/ TAB/ TV screens. Nice to see the regulars - just a different atmosphere when you know how people react on the turps and you can sit around talking shit.
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@Catogrande cheers! We're more towards Petts Wood so might have to head along to Chislehurst. Bugger not having something a 5 minute walk away though.
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@Catogrande cheers! We're more towards Petts Wood so might have to head along to Chislehurst. Bugger not having something a 5 minute walk away though.
Well in that case there's always the Daylight if you fancy a punch-up or the Chequers in Southborough Lane which used to be OK.
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@Catogrande banned from Daylight for bringing a female in so have to settle for Sovereign.
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Yeah I don't really have a local. The Sport's Club is really close, and I am a member, but it is too old for me. Full of grumpy old gits. Really good when we run our touch tourny there for a few weeks, outside of that I go on ANZAC Day and that's it.
So my local is a work collegues place who always has a glass of wine in her hand
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The sands at Bleak house.
Full of people who work for McLaren. Who are all dull as shit. Except a salesman whose an old school racist.
Go there with some folks on my street often. 10 minute walk home through a wood. Mandatory no lights and must take a whisky.
Great fun.
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Used to have a few “locals”. Hand in Hand up on the common was the regular couple of times a week outing for us and the dogs. Was voted most dog friendly pub in Britain a few years back and still takes out the London award. Lost a little charm when the brewery tarted it up, which sadly seems necessary these days as most money is made from families eating rather than folk social drinking. The landlord is great though.
The Dolphin in Betchworth was our “local” on weekends when we would get out of town for a walk/ride in the Surrey Hills. Still has a locals bar at the front which we were regulars enough to be accepted in. Met some interesting folk.
My personal after work local was “Ain’t nothing but” blues bar in Kingley St, Soho. Always live music starting at 6.30 and would stop in for a pint if in no hurry to get home.Best option now is Panhead up at Brewtown. Just a pain to get to from our end of Upper Hutt.
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Our 'local' is a JImmy Jacks Rib Shack (<100m away) which has a range of Good George on tap.
But cant spend too much time there given that is across the road from work and I usually need to drive home!
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Our local is the Ettamogah Hotel - themed pub based on the Aussie comic strip, but called "Hotel" instead of "Pub" because a rights issue. Undergoing a small reno at the moment which fucking sucks for our rugby club raffles of a Friday. Gotta love an outdoor area in summer tho.
(Note that it is actually quite modern out the back. As @mariner4life describes for his joint: decked out TAB. Multiple bars. Good food. No tiddy tho - its a family joint but a fair few yummy mummies as a result).
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@NTA "Decked out TAB"? This term I do not know.
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@Catogrande said in The Local:
@NTA "Decked out TAB"? This term I do not know.
Go to a club if you want a TAB or Pokies or TVs IMO. Pubs should be for social interaction (and drinking) not staring at screens.
The pubs we liked in the UK would clearly let everyone know before if they were going to have the TVs on eg Guiness promotion during 6N etc. so you could stay way or still go depending on preference.
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@Crucial Mate, TVs I understand. TAB and Pokies not so much.
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@Catogrande said in The Local:
@Crucial Mate, TVs I understand. TAB and Pokies not so much.
Yeah. Pubs in NZ and Aus will combine betting and gambling machines as a big part of the setup. Not a casual relaxing atmosphere IMO.
Easy to avoid in UK of course, betting shops are separate and one armed bandits are usually only in Wetherspoons type places which are generally best avoided anyway
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@Crucial So pokies = slots? TAB being like the Tote?
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@Catogrande said in The Local:
@Crucial So pokies = slots? TAB being like the Tote?
Yep. TAB = Totaliser Agency Board. We don't have bookies in NZ.
Pokies = Slot Machines (although years ago that referred to anything you put a coin in, such a spacies) -
@Crucial You sometimes get that pub (well cafe really)/ bookies in France and I've never really seen the attraction, but then again I'm not much of a punter. However the idea of booze and gambling in the same small space seems a bit stupid to me.
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The area I live in used to have no pubs. I used to occasionally walk to the Trough (Northcote Tavern) which is an Auckland institution and one where I have been drinking on and off for decades. I'm still known by sight but not by name.
Then about 17 years ago a pub opened up seven minutes walk away. Nothing spectacular but a good modern gastro pub. I knew the owner which got me a discount card and a free round whenever he would see me. Staff then decided I must be a VIP so I am treated like one.
Even better 4 years ago a craft ale bar opened BBC (Birkenhead Brewing Co) 50 metres further away from the first pub. They are in an old villa and have set themselves up really well - do good food are always pumping. Turns out I knew the owner (or rather his missus) there too so I get 10% discount on everything. Great beers and the regulars all know me by sight. I'm not one to chat with people but I do enjoy getting out amongst other people enjoying the vibe and a few quiets rather than just sitting at home with the friggin cat.
As a result at the end of my nightly walks my feet seem to lead me to one (or both) of my locals.
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