What can best be said about the Village Pub that hasn?t already been said about the current state of Afghanistan? Run down and depleted? Yes. Collection of people who have lost touch with reality? Most certainly. Hope of something better? Not in this lifetime.
The Village Pub gives a whole new meaning to interesting. It?s very diverse with its atmosphere, culture, and occupants. First, the atmosphere, which can best be described as a bar, meets a circus, meets a trailer park, meets the aftermath of a terrorist bombing. For a minute there, I thought that a tiger was going to jump out from behind the bar and through a flaming ring of fire. The establishment felt about as safe and secure as a West Bank disco party. I was also a bit uncomfortable sitting at a table in fear of getting an STD from the chair.
The Village has something for everyone including an outdoor patio for eating, a large bar area for getting wasted (which 90% of the patrons clearly defined as their goal for the evening); a second bar adjacent to a stage with a live classic rock/80s cover band; an upstairs area overlooking the stage with a third bar; an upstairs billiards area; and finally, an enclosed room with a fourth bar and a dance floor. The DJ plays hip-hop and house music, and the dance floor might be hotter than the outside temperature of Palm Springs, which was over 100 degrees.
The demographic of the Village was all over the map. Age ranged from early 20s, possibly even teens with fake IDs to AARP members. The median age by my estimates was 28 for guys and 39 for women. The culture of the Village is very similar to spring break in Reno, NV. I think the house special was crystal meth and the daily rates for prostitution must have been deeply discounted judging by the ?clientele.? I really appreciated the Village trying to best capture foreign relations by pairing the Israeli flag together with the Mexican flag, since both countries are similar from a sociopolitical standpoint.
The people of the Village are truly the life of this fine enterprise. As stated before, the demographic was truly diverse with a vast array of races, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures. There was a mix of wealthy urbanites (an extreme minority), OC Bros without the money (Trailer Park bros, perhaps?), bikers, fraternity/sorority types, gangstas, cowboys, and much more. Women had to meet the requirement of being either one of two types: late 30s, tattoos, and weigh no less than 250 lbs or the other type; currently employed at a strip club in a rural area. The men who gained entrance were predominantly UFC fighter hopefuls without the talent, Jersey Shore imitators, stereotypical frat boys, or rejects from a Delinquent Habits music video. The patrons, in general, were friendly, however, a large portion were crazy as well, such as the fifty year old female crystal meth addict who insistently told me that her children moved away from home to attend college. Wow, what a shocker?!
In conclusion, the Village is a once in a lifetime experience. Sure, it might not rank as high as climbing Mt. Everest, but the place will provide many laughs and memories. The irony of it all is that there is actually a line to enter the Village.
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