scrubbedexpat027

Yep, it'll just have to be Vegas whenever I do need a blowout. Do whatever you like there.

Sally Redux

Also they've snatched the food off you after 20 minutes anyway.

Bnet36

Back home I drank for social reasons at get togethers, pubs more group settings type of thing. Here I am mostly self soothing after a long stressful day or serious longing to be home. I mostly drink at home. Not sure if it's more though.

N1cky

That's one thing I love about living in the Bay area (and I hated about LA). Our town has a main street which is just full of bars and restaurants. There are at least 10 really nice restaurants that have separate bar areas, where you can just go and drink. Then there are at least 5 pub like places where they show sport and you can just sit at a table and drink, and get a burger/fries kind of food. Then a great wine bar. We've also got 2 nightclubs (but I haven't been in either). Outside seating is available at nearly of them too, and that's just one street.

scrubbedexpat027

SF is definitely on my list of places to live for a while before I retire back to my UK pub The others I'd like to try are somewhere in Texas (no idea where yet) and somewhere deep south (maybe Alabama).

Hotscot

I don't really like SF city in particular..smells of urine a lot...crowded, hellish traffic, aggressive beggars and homeless on the streets...Admittedly good pubs and restaurants though...I love Scala's Bistro off Union Square.
San Francisco Union Square Italian Restaurant & Bar | Scala's Bistro

But North in Marin County, Point Reyes, the Russian River.
Then up Napa way

Also Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay

I guess I'm not much of a city dweller...

N1cky

I don't live in SF, I'm around an hour's drive south. I've never lived in a big city (I don't count LA as a city), it's something we'd like to try once the kid has gone off to uni. Maybe Seattle or Boston, depending where she ends up.

Redwing

And they are limited to a percentage, dollar wise, of total sales, or they can lose their liquor license.

Pulaski

Which is why a lot of bars encourage people who work in offices to come in for lunch, because in America the lunch "take" is almost entirely for food, and a little for non-alcoholic drinks, thereby easing the pressure to sell food to the evening crowd who mostly just want to drink.

mrlion

True true! Although the beer here (at least the craft beers that are so prevalent around here in the bay area) are HELLISH strong. I went out with a couple of buddies and after two pints I was swaying - I thought "I must be ill" - I asked the barman how strong they were - the first one was 9 and the second 11% abv…

It was a huge treat going back to the UK and having four pints of brown beer in the pub - all under 4% - I didn't feel sick and I could think clearly the next morning…

mrlion

Just thinking about this - I do like, though, that you don't HAVE to drink here. One is free to not drink alcohol without comment - people won't be asking if you're ill or pregnant...

SultanOfSwing

I drink less, mainly because of all the driving I have to do. Plus, I don't like getting pished anymore anyway, I can't take the hangovers these days

Ruth16

I drank much less when I came here in my 20s. I think it's because there were no local pubs , plus 21 was the drinking age , my friends weren't quite 21 so I didnt drink .

When you see the series Mad Men and see how small the liquor glasses were back then , imagine handing someone a glass of wine now with 6 ounces in it Lol

kimilseung

Good point, well made. It is your choice, no social pressure.

penguinsix

This was an interesting chart that came out today.

Think you drink a lot? This chart will tell you. - The Washington Post

Basically it shows that

30% of Americans don't drink at all.
The next 30% drink less than one drink a week.

However, on the other end of the scale, the top 10% of Americans drink on average about 10 drinks a day!