the District and Cassidy's v. Tomichi Tavern and the Wine Bar

Sorry about the delay but here goes the exceptional nightlife blog.

As with everyone, whether you have a good time going out it is largely due to who you are going out with. In Newport it was almost always with this guy:

(dude standing tall)

We went to Michigan together but really got to become friends working at Gibson and more directly via the "Team Gibson" basketball team. The night would usually start at Mike's house, where'd we have a couple beers and watch hoops while people gradually gathered to go out. We'd chill at Mike's until we finally hit the boiling point and left. The boilling point usually manifested itself when someone would just pull rank and call a cab without really clarifying with everyone if they wanted to go yet or not. To be fair this is usually the only way I'd ever go out, I'm more than happy hanging out with Mike, drinking a couple beers, and watching hoops.

In Gunnison, I usually go out with this guy:

He doesn't live in Gunnison, he lives in Lake City about an hour a way, but it's good when he comes up because he brings the party with him. As opposed to meeting at Mike's awesome Newport Beach pad I've noticed going out in Gunnison usually starts at the hockey rink. I can't complain too much, it usually lends itself to a pretty good group of people.

Location:

In Newport Beach, not surprisingly, we were near the beach, so location was hard to beat. First off the weather was usually very near perfect. In fact, I would almost always ride my beach cruiser to Mike's place as opposed to driving (not really a lot of parking in Newport in the summer so the beach cruiser is definitely the better option). Plus, during the summer months I'd usually be heading up to Mike's just after sunset, which made for a beautiful ride along the boardwalk running parallel to the ocean. Very good way of starting the night.

In Gunnison, it's a bit chillier. I did wear my flips out one night but pretty quickly regretted that decision as the weather dropped from 40 to 20. There isn't a night in Newport all year long that you can't get away with wearing flips. While realizing that you won't be spending much time outside (not a lot of smokers here in Gunni during the winter months) you still have to bundle up a bit. Most people will wear long underwear and a few layers up top. Also, you can't just stumble home out here. You need a ride. Fortunately they have "Dude-a-ride" which is a free shuttle service that will pick you up at the bar and take you straight home. They don't have cabs in Gunnison. Seriously.

Also, I feel compelled to add that some people, even in the dead of winter, will ride their bikes to the bar. Out here beach cruisers are called "townies."

The bars themselves are pretty similar. I prefered the dive bars out in Newport and in Gunnison that's pretty much all you've got. The difference, sadly, is you can find a few full bars out in Newport, usually in Gunnison your best bet is half full.

Apparel

In Newport fools usually look just a little less ridiculous than the cast of jersey shore. That's not exactly accurate, you certainly have the very strong laid back surfer-wear contingent. Unfortunately, on the other hand, you also have the strong Ed Hardy contingent. Every time we'd go out, one of my friends would tell me "Mark it looks like you just woke up" or some other dig at my appearance. To be fair a lot of times he was fairly accurate, but he also was wearing shirts like this:

(no matter how bad I looked I reckon I still came out ahead)

(unfortunately this is not uncommon in Newport)

In Gunnison, the story is quite different. As you can see from the following picture, the guy on the left is wearing a camoflauge hat and Wade on the right is wearing camo pants. Also, a lot of people when they go to the bar don't bother getting rid of their jackets but just keep them on for the night. So instead of jeans, a plain t and flips in Newport, I wear jeans, a jacket and boots (sometimes my flannel if I dress to impress). Really not too much of a difference. However, because people traded in their Ed Hardy's for Bass Pro Shop I suddenly went from "homeless" to "preppy" without really changing my look.

Pick-up Lines:

In Newport, the same friend that would tell me I looked like I just woke up would go up to girls I was talking to and tell them that I was a lawyer at a big law firm. Classy. In Gunnison my buddy asked a girl if she'd want to go hunting with him some time. He later confided in me that he was intimated by the fact that this chick had taken down a 300 point buck, whatever that means. Both of the stories, believe it or not, are 100% true. Personally I prefer the hunting angle.

Women:

I'm going to leave this one alone, but there is definitely a distinct difference.

Conclusion:

If you like the people you are going out with you are going to have a good time whether it's in Newport or Gunnison. The only real difference is that in Newport you don't need a shot of whiskey to stay warm.