Sometimes You Wanna Go....

[LSN80]

All of you recognize the Cheers reference, I assume. And if not, what's wrong with you?

Anyway, the idea behind the entire show is simply a place for a group of locals to sit, drink, and relax . The end of the tagline of the thread title is "Where Everyone Knows Your Name", which certainly implies an intimate setting of some kind. In the case of Cheers, you had Cliff the Mailman, Frasier the Psychiatrist, Coach(shockingly) the baseball coach, Norm the Accountant, and Sam the Owner, a former relief pitcher for the Red Sox(amongst others). The idea behind the show was that the Cheers bar offered a place of solace and escape from everyday life, amongst an eclectic group of people at that. Both upper and middle class people were represented here, showing that in Cheers, who one was didn't matter nearly as much as why they were there. In a more current example, How I Met Your Mother represents a similar theme in the form of McClaren's Pub, where many of the episodes are centered and the main characters gather on a nightly basis.

But this isn't a Cheers appreciation thread, great show that it was. Brain already has an excellent thread in the GSD revolving around just that. The idea of this thread is to discuss the place that is your Cheers. You don't need to think too hard about thia--it doesn't have3 to eb a place where you gather with friends, or even a Bar setting. Moreso, what I', referencing is a place where you find comfort the most. Whether it be in solitude, or with friends, what I'm looking for here are examples from those who wish to discuss it of the place where you most find solace.

For me, it happens to be a Pub myself. Zooky's Pub and tavern is a place I've been going for years almost every Monday night following work. Monday's for me are generally the most stressful day of the week--I work 9-8 on most days, and all paperwork is due the following morning by 10 am. Being the busy guy that I am, guess when I do my paperwork? If you guessed Monday nights, you'ld be spot on.

What I like about Zooky's is that the place is small and intimate. It's a great sports bar-don't get me wrong. Try heading there for a Steelers game, and good luck finding a seat! But Monday nights? Just a few regulars playing pool, with the same bartender and the same waitresses. It's a pretty empty place on Monday nights, and that's exactly what I need. For years, when I walked through the door, they practically had my order of Wings and a Yuengling(now lemonade) waiting for me before i sat down. I generally didn't converse with the regulars, but I spent many a night talking to the Bartenders or waitresses there until closing time.

It's a pretty simple formula for me. Like with How I Met Your Mother, I walk in, and my table is always open on Monday nights. Right next to a TV, I have the opportunity to finish my work, watch Raw, and eat wings. It's simply a nice place for me to relax outside of the stressors of life, as it's a nice getaway. My wife understands and approves, as she knows that I need the time away. Unless it's an emergency, that's where you can find me Monday nights, watching Raw, eating Buffalo Wings, and finishing paperwork. It's myCheers. If I was single, I'd probably spend more then one night a week there.

So where is your Cheers? Where do you go to get away from it all, and get what you need to make your day, or even week, less stressful?

 

[klunderbunker]

As pathetic as this sounds, honestly it's here on the forums.

On here there's far less stress, I don't have to put up with stupid drama (most of the time), I'm one of the leaders here, and I can talk about and read about what I love the most: wrestling. There's no major problems here that can't be fixed with a few buttons being pressed and it's very cool to basically be the ruler of a place. I mean, as far as power here I don't have a superior (at least not one that's going to do anything) and I only have one partner with the same authority that I have and I get along with him pretty well. Considering what I've gotten from here (Becca and money from my site), what's there not to love about this place? It's a nice break from reality which doesn't work like that.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I have had a couple of different places over the years. When I was in college I was a regular at a local steakhouse. My friends and I would go there quite often, once a week or more, to take advantage of their half price appetizers deal while sitting around being guys having typical college guy conversations. What girls we liked, making fun of our professors, etc. Stuff like that.

We were a unique bunch, just like the Cheers gang. We had a Physics/Math Computer Science dual major who was also into anime and gaming. Then we had a sports fanatic who always kept us up to date on what our favorite teams were up to. Another was an independent film maker who despite claiming to have an intense hatred for drama always had something to complain about. Our comedic relief guy was always made fun of by the rest of us for one reason or another, usually over stupid things he said. Then there was me with my wrestling fanboyism. Sometimes others would join us but this was the usual group.

The waitresses at that place usually enjoyed serving us and it wasn't only because of our silly conversations we had there each week, I got the exact same thing each time for 5 years and it was a bit of a running joke to see if I needed a menu or not as I always got the same thing. A ribeye steak with a side of cheese fries. The waitresses joked with us about how my order should have officially been named "The Dagger Special". Anyways. Much like the bar was to the Cheers guys, eating there on guys' nights with my closest friends was one of my bigger escapes from the many stresses of life whether it be drama with angry girlfriends or assignments from annoying professors.... We congregated there to escape it all and just be guys.

Another one for me which I tend to do by myself is sitting down and enjoying the scenery while clearing out various random thoughts that might be going through my mind. Over the years I have loved to either go for walks or find a place to sit and just think about everything. If hangouts with friends is not an option at the moment, this is always a good fallback for me. When I lived in my campus owned apartment at college I would sit on a lawn chair on the porch a lot, and it would be a good escape from whatever was stressing me out because out there it was just me, nature, and the occasional interruption by one of my roomies asking if I'm still out there lol.... I miss that. A gazebo area at
my current apartment has more or less replaced my old campus apartment's porch as my official place of pondering and escaping from the stresses of every day life. I occasionally take my dogs there with me on my days off work.

 

[BK Styles]

There's a couple of places I go, where me and my uni friends will meet up, talk about shit, play some pool and just generally enjoy each others company. One such place is a pub called the Phoenix. It's in the middle of the university area, and as such, you're bound to know at least one person in there if you're on your own. It has a jukebox, and three pool tables that we usually dominate for the foreseeable future. Some of my funniest, best memories are from that place, with my core group of friends.

The second place is a sister-pub to the Phoeniox, called the Aardvark. Exactly the same context, just further from the university. Meaning it's quieter. All of the good memories I have of the Phoenix are nothing on the ones I had at the Aardvark. Great food, better company, and an endless supply of music to choose from on the jukebox, and hardly anyone else in there; it was the best place to go after a very stressful day. Still is. We got on well with the staff there too, and best of all, they stayed open untill 4am for the last Wrestlemania. Watching 'Mania in a packed pub of students and fans alike was an awesom experience, and at the time it felt like one of the best Wrestlemania's ever.

The final place I colsider to fit this is a student bar that I can still get into despite not being a student, called Quids Inn. Come 9pm, we'll head up there, grab the long table out the back by the smoking area for the smokers among us, and just chill out. I went there with my friends for new years, and it was one fo the best nights out I've had, not only because I was asked to be godfather to a friends soon-to-be-born baby girl, but it was just so relaxed and...I dunno, just happy. It has that effect on you. You can just walk in, get a drink, sit down and automatically you know you're gonna have a good night.

 

[JWGunslinger]

Zookey's sounds awesome LSN, I wish that we had a place like that around here. Not too long ago we did, we had a sports bar called McCoveys and it was the place to go for my friends and I. It was a place where the guys working there knew us well and always helped us get a good seat where we'd be set up with a view of the big screen. unfortunatly though they stopped showing UFC PPVs and free cards so that ended out stay there indefinitely.

Aside from that we dont have any other good sports bars but our other hang out is the Cheesteak Shop that's right around the corner. I've been going there since middle school when my dad introduced me to the glory that is a cheesesteak, after that I turned it into a hang out for my friends and we still go there to this day. It's got a special feel to it too because after moving away and going to school for a year I came back to see my folks and as soon as I walked in the door they rolled out the welcome mat and started making my "usual" before I could say what I wanted.

 

[CH David]

I had a place that was getting very close to being my Cheers. I had started going to Top Golf about five minutes from my house. It's a driving range with targets and three levels of bays to hit from. I would always be there Thursday mornings around 10:00 AM, the cashier knew me and was always talking to me when I came in. Then there was an older waitress who would always work and knew I would be getting a Coke when I got there. She would see me getting my golf balls, ask where I was at, and would fetch my Coke. Then as I went more and more with friends at night people would still be recognizing me, though not familiar with my drink order as much.

Unfortunately that stopped a while ago. New manager was a dick to my buddy and I. The want to go there every week stopped and kinda lost its luster. I still go there, but not as often. When I do the cashier still says hi and we'll chat for a few minutes, but none of the wait staff really know me or my friends. Asshat manager.

 

[LilacFray]

There are two places that I feel this way about. One is my History class - but it's not somewhere that I can go whenever I wish. I'd love to just sit there, glued to my seat all day if I can because it's a subject I enjoy with all my heart and our teacher's just wonderful. Her Bosnian accent, Kashmiri shawls, that swag (?) almost sweeps me off my feet. When it's time for my History lesson, no matter how rough my week or day's been, I always find myself enjoying it and eventually forgetting everything else.

The other place I find solace in is this other forum I'm regularly on. It's a small community and each and everyone of us know each other very well. It may sound crazy to some but it's more like a little family. I've always found myself either venting or confiding in people over there. Not to mention the different backgrounds we've got and countries we're from. Time differences sometimes get annoying but that's alright.

So yes, those are the two places that I can refer to as my Cheers. This place is somewhat there too, but I don't exactly know many around here and I've always had this strange feeling of not fitting in and being extremely young. I don't like that.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The health club, five days a week. I'm on the Stairmaster for 45 minutes, my eyes are closed and my thoughts drift wherever they want to go. If anyone wants to talk to me, I wouldn't know it unless they touch me.....and it almost never happens, which is good. Others in the club know not to disturb a person who's got themselves in a zone.

Physical exertion makes stress drain away; you don't even know it's happening because you're thinking of something else. When you do this as often as I do, it becomes a fixed part of your life, something you can't do without. When I miss a day, my mind doesn't feel quite right; it's telling me that I've upset the routine and had better get my ass back in gear.

This discipline makes me happy. It's good for the mind and good for the body......both at the same time.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I find the gym to be place like that. I go with my brother and a couple of friends, and when we train we can let out the frustration and stress from life and put it to good use.

There is always a lot of good banter and joking going out, between the 4 of us and some other regular gym-goers, I listen to good music on my ipod, get to see and talk to lots of hot women and improve my physique. Whats not to love?

A nice swim and steam room afterwards rounds it off perfectly. I love going to the gym, and dont see that changing any time soon.