I went out on the town last night. Just to clarify, by out on the town, I just mean I went out. The opposite of staying in, sprawled out on the couch in my yoga pants.
Interestingly, it reminded me of how different a night out on the town looks for me now at (nearly) 35. We had a great time but unfortunately, 25 year old me would totally mocked most aspects of the evening.
The hubs and I went to support a local, independent theatre production and a friend who was cast in it. The play took place in a local drinking establishment, which sounds artsy and nice but in reality it’s a place I have not entered in at least 5 years because a)it smells like smoke and b)I don’t like the bathrooms. These are the fuddy duddy factors that determine my selection of a bar these days. Their happy hour special buy one get one free drafts. Great deal, obviously the 25 year old me would’ve straight doubled down on that, the 35 year old me rationalized that although it was a great deal, I should should just start with 1 and decide about having another later. Who does that? Not 25 year old me for sure. In case you were wondering, the play was well written, though provoking and hilarious.
After the play we rallied outside the bar and while discussing where to go next two things happened. We ran into a couple of friends who were enjoying an unexpected night out thanks to a last minute babysitting offer from a family member and so our party of 6 grew to 8. 25 year old me would be pleased, I always liked traveling in a large group at that age. I felt cool, somehow invincible showing up with a large posse (that only increased the chances of drama but you couldn’t tell 25 year old me that). Then I was brought back to reality when the deciding factor of where we went to next based on the fact that one of the couples had a groupon, or restaurant.com or some money saving deal like that. 25 year old me died laughing at that one. At that age, I spent money like I had money, especially when it came to going out. But grown-up me was mostly jealous I did not have one of my own.
We rolled into the next establishment, a bar with a great menu of small plates for sharing and an atmosphere that leans heavy on the club swagger. A place that might lull you into thinking you were in a big city, and that you needed bottle service in the VIP room b/c everyone is doing it but not when we got there. It was too early for that. There was a family out, the average age in the bar must have been hovering around 45, if you didn’t count the servers and bartenders. They offer all sorts of fancy signature drinks with names like the Lady Killer with no prices on the menu because if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. I really wanted to ask, because I didn’t have the coupon deal, but I knew I really couldn’t afford it so I decided to stick with water. At this point, 25 year old me is crying on the inside. Along the way, we acquired 4 more friends, which felt like cheating the system because without weeks of careful coordination, there is never a time when that many of my friends, who all have at least 1 child are able to go out, at the same time. I surveyed the situation and was pleased.
Then, I already thought the music was too loud and then the volume increased and one of the bussers assumed the role of doorman and I looked over and the DJ had taken up residence in the DJ booth, and I looked around and the family had gone as had almost all of the other tables that were there when we started. Finally I realized the clientele had shifted, now instead of being the some of the younger people there, we were some of the oldest…and under-dressed, it was definitely time to call it a night.
To add insult to injury to my 25 year old self, I didn’t even entertain the idea of moving on to another place. I was ready to go home and go to bed and that’s exactly what I did. It was 10:30pm and I slept like the happiest (almost) 35 year old on the block.
mysandboxlife 