A Very Average Experience

The beauty of living in a big city means that there are so many options to choose from when deciding what bar to go to.  But for bars, that's a problem as being just ok isn't enough.  For example, Rumors.  A bar really close to me that should have become my neighborhood haunt.  I mean there is nothing wrong with it.  It's a solid Irish Pub.  I mean when I say Irish Pub, that picture that comes to your mind.  That's Rumors.  But...there isn't anything great about it either. 

A bar needs to have something to get me to go there more than once.  Whether its the crowd, a certain cool bar tender, great food or the fact its a sports bar that actually knows how to handle its TV's (believe me, this is a much bigger problem than you would think.  How many times have you walked into a sports bar assuming the featured nba/nhl/mlb game would be on, only to have the local news on? Annoying right?), in a city with 3-4 bars on every corner, there has to be a distinguishing feature that sets a bar apart.  And unfortunately for Rumors, it just doesn't have that.  It's average.  And average in NYC, just isn't good enough.

In some cities, Rumors would be a great choice.  For example, in San Francisco, the area I lived in had no real sports bars.  There were a lot of hole-in-the-wall watering holes that were dimly lit and attracted an interesting neighborhood crowd, but in terms of just a solid Irish pub that you could count on to be showing whatever sports game you wanted to watch, there wasn't any.  So if Rumors had been on my block there, you bet it would have become my go-to-spot.  In NYC? Not so much.  I've been 3 or 4 times, and every time I go with the intention of liking it, but I always leave feeling very indifferent.

Now, the only time I go into Rumors is when I'm walking by it and decide I want a quick beer with a friend.  I never make an active plan to go to Rumors.  It's always a spontaneous decision.  Versus other bars around me (Three Monkeys, HIMYM Bar, Gastropub, etc) where I make a conscious choice and tell people to meet me there.  So if you see Rumors, by all means go on in.  You'll have a decent time.  But then again...in a city that offers so many places that will give you a great time.  Why would you choice to have only a decent one?