While I’ve never been much of a ‘go where everyone else is going’ kind-of-guy; I do (and have) enjoyed partying in the local hot spots of several different cities.
Like most other Thursday through Saturday’s, I spent most of tonight at The Brewery; herbie was debuting their new guitarist and filming the show for their forthcoming DVD. It was a pretty decent show; although I’m still partial to the herbie with Geo, the new herbie seems pretty tight.
After a few songs into the second set, I decided to venture down to Smalls on 2nd Street…mostly for a change of pace- late night on a Saturday…but also, partially, to see what else was happening around town.
I got to Smalls right around one AM and found the usual suspects…not a PACKED room…but a good amount of people there.
I finished my second PBR and decided, at 1:30, to stroll out onto Second Street for the (normally) entertaining hour-or-so between last call and 2:30AM when the bars spill out onto the street.
Over the past couple of years, I can recall MANY a night of solid, fun, boisterous, energetic throngs of people pouring onto Second Street in a post-partying mindset.
We’d meet up with friends in front of 2nd Street Pizza. Maybe get invited back to an after-party at a cool spot somewhere in Midtown.
And tonight FELT like that kind of night…it was probably close to seventy degrees and comfortable…but none of that good stuff was happening.
Walking towards the Hardware Bar, I braced myself for a sea of people laughing and stumbling back to the cab or the parking garage…but instead of a boisterous sea, I found barely a babbling brook.
A SMALL handful of people were milling about- seemingly more guys than girls, no less- and barely going through the motions.
Oh look- there’s the Asian guy with the roses.
Hey! Across the street- the hot dog guy.
But then, I scanned the street at the people- and a huge feeling of disappointment washed over me.
Look! A fight!
Oh hey! There’s ANOTHER fight.
Did you hear what he said? It sounds like that guy tried to dance with that other dude’s girl…yeah, fuck em’ up, Jimmy.
Second Street seemed different tonight.
Considering it was the FIRST real night of Spring, I’d have thought it would have been pretty jumpin’.
But it wasn’t even the same old same old.
Second Street seems like it hit the skids.
I guess only time will tell what will become of it.
And what will the Mayor boast about then?
Don’t forget, Jersey, school’s still in session and Harrisburg isn’t a college town. I think that a large number of 2nd Street’s late-night crowd are college kids at home over the summer. We won’t see them start to show up for another few weeks.
I blame the low-brow entertainment for bringing the “I get out my male frustrations by getting into a drunken fight” crowd.
I really don’t think it has much to do with the college crowd not being home yet-
Surely *some* attendance was affected, but seriously- the overall vibe of 2nd street felt more like a night in Carlisle- or Duncannon- if you know what I mean?
I’ve always thought that 2nd street is a fun place–but shouldn’t be considered a destination in itself- it really SHOULD be more of a punctuation of what Harrisburg has to offer-
Come to the city, check out some museums, maybe the Greenbelt, go to a baseball game- and THEN go down to 2nd street and have a few drinks with dinner-
But it’s just a place for mostly West Shore-ers to come and get as obliterated as possible, leave their puked up pizza crust on every corner and pick fights with people because of insecurity in their relationships with girls that are just as bored and angry with life as they are- all wearing the uniform of the Striped Collared Shirt, workboots and baggy pants.
Maybe that sounds a bit general or stereotypical- but I merely comment on what I see.