Halloween pub crawl not worth the hype
Springfield nightlife is in need of improvement
Neil Sickendick
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: Perspectives
In hindsight, I don't mind the fact that I didn't turn 21 until right before my senior year here at Drury.
The prospect of heading to the bars downtown seemed to be the most exciting thing about coming of legal age.
But now, having experienced the "nightlife" of Springfield, I realize that it isn't all that special. I spent Halloween hanging out with some friends this year.
We headed downtown to experience the famed Springfield pub crawl, the supposed biggest Halloween pub crawl in the state of Missouri.
Knowing it would be crowded, the group I was with decided it would be best to pick a single bar to hang out in for the night, instead of paying for a wrist band and waiting in multiple lines.
That proved to be logical thinking.
After arriving downtown, we found a bar with a comparatively small line and waited for entrance. After about 45 minutes of waiting, the bar was gracious enough to let us pay our money and get in. Inside, the bar was over- crowded, poorly run, and not nearly as fun as anticipated.
I partially blame myself, as we did not arrive downtown until after 11pm, but I also feel as if this town lacks a good social scene.
To start, none of the facilities are all that impressive. Typically, the actual bar area is quite small and understaffed, which leads to slow and poor service.
Additionally, they are forced to close at 1:30 in the morning. While this may seem late to some, many of us who have lived in larger cities understand that the night is only half over at 1:30.
While I am certainly not one who hits the bars every night, I do like to go out once in a while. That being said, I think Springfield could benefit from relaxing some of its regulations and increasing the quality of its bar and club scene.
The prospect of heading to the bars downtown seemed to be the most exciting thing about coming of legal age.
But now, having experienced the "nightlife" of Springfield, I realize that it isn't all that special. I spent Halloween hanging out with some friends this year.
We headed downtown to experience the famed Springfield pub crawl, the supposed biggest Halloween pub crawl in the state of Missouri.
Knowing it would be crowded, the group I was with decided it would be best to pick a single bar to hang out in for the night, instead of paying for a wrist band and waiting in multiple lines.
That proved to be logical thinking.
After arriving downtown, we found a bar with a comparatively small line and waited for entrance. After about 45 minutes of waiting, the bar was gracious enough to let us pay our money and get in. Inside, the bar was over- crowded, poorly run, and not nearly as fun as anticipated.
I partially blame myself, as we did not arrive downtown until after 11pm, but I also feel as if this town lacks a good social scene.
To start, none of the facilities are all that impressive. Typically, the actual bar area is quite small and understaffed, which leads to slow and poor service.
Additionally, they are forced to close at 1:30 in the morning. While this may seem late to some, many of us who have lived in larger cities understand that the night is only half over at 1:30.
While I am certainly not one who hits the bars every night, I do like to go out once in a while. That being said, I think Springfield could benefit from relaxing some of its regulations and increasing the quality of its bar and club scene.
Article last update: 11/3/09 at 8:19 PM CST
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