changing drinking habits, changing socialization habits (particularly dating moving mostly online), etc. have mostly led to the decline of bars.

Gay bars have declined even faster, I think mostly because being gay has become more accepted. Not only are the bars following the general trend of declining sales like all bars, but gay people generally don't "need" their own communities to the same extent they once did, I don't think. Just my thoughts though.

For me drinking in a pub is so wildly expensive that I can't really be bothered. These days you are looking at almost $15 for a pint in Toronto, it's ridiculous. I'll go out for a pint on a nice day, but I can't even remember the last time I had more than 2 at a bar. If I'm getting drunk it's at someone's place. Even it Hamilton it's hard to find one for less than $10, and the drunk driving issue is a huge thing as well. I've noticed a serious decline in people's personal comfort levels of drinking before driving too - the legal limit is about 2 drinks before getting behind the wheel but most people I know refuse to drive after even 1, while older people I know are much more comfortable pushing past even the 2 drink limit.

Me too. Started hitting the bars at 17 (you had to be 18 in Manitoba) and all around Manitoba there were seedy hotels and bars at every little town. Lots of drinking and driving back then. It was almost a right of passage to get a DUI.

Minto Hotel - Now a home to someone I think
https://live.staticflickr.com/7296/9...eac702ea_b.jpg

Dunrea Hotel - still kicking
https://a0.muscache.com/im/pictures/...5.jpg?im_w=720

Ninette Hotel - I got kicked out here for life, twice.:haha:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...sLACA&usqp=CAU

Boissivain Inn
https://winnipeglovehate.com/wp-cont...w768_h510).jpg

Killarney's Erin Inn - I was in there this summer, sad sad place now.
https://res.cloudinary.com/pxpv2/ima...t%3D1634229210

The Bucket, just across the line in North Dakota. If this place could talk......
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/me...der-lounge.jpg

From Trip Advisor:
It is a very interesting little (not so little in some ways) hole in the wall pub/restaurant.
The name border lounge is for very good reason as the border is literally right there ... US Customs is across the road and the Canadian is about a 100 yards.
I like it as it has that local hole in the wall character that I enjoy so much and at least part of the building has been serving the same roll since 1903 when it was originally built.
Hand made burgers and hand cut steaks occupy the menu except for a couple of items for those people that really don't want a burger or steak.
The hours are short and they don't open til after 5. If you want to try it though, don't go by clock hours ... look to see if there is a vehicle in the parking lot and check the door.
Outside ... needs maintenance ... inside could use a little bit of maintenance too.
Food is good .. lots of character .... will go back and would recommend anyone looking for that "local hole in the wall" to go.

All those places were hopping back in the 70's and 80's. Especially with curling bonspiels and senior hockey games. Now they barely stay afloat. Great (and not so great) memories from those times!

The old bar in Brunkild MB sure had some memories and they still bring in rippers to the place in Sperling MB I believe for the snowmobilers that come into town.

I miss kids yelling "car!" when they were playing hockey on the street.
I miss the days when school getting out didn't result in rush hour because you walked home.
I miss Simpson's & Eaton's!
I miss going to cafes and restaurants where people actually talked to one another and you would strike up conversations with people you didn't know as opposed to now when people just stare into their phone.
I miss Christmas when EVERY house had lights up, no exception.
I miss the great music as opposed to the stuff today which will be forgotten in 5 years and will never survive the test of time like ours has.

In 1997, I brought a friend from Toronto to the Bucket. He was 22.

I went to the cooler and brought a bunch of beers to the table.

'They will put it on your tab'.

He couldn't believe it.

I can't remember the last time I saw this happen. It used to be a regular sight in my neighbourhood when I was a kid not even 35 years ago.

Only one kid I know plays street hockey literally in the street... it's one of my son's friends, and his family lives at the end of a fairly long cul de sac where the neighbours know each other and traffic is extremely light.

I've been watching a lot of Seinfeld since it showed up on Netflix. This happens about every other episode:

George: Look at that woman; she's gorgeous!
Jerry: Well why don'tcha go talk to her?
George: Are you crazy? I can't just talk to her. I'm bald!
Me: What's with you creeps? Who just talks to anyone?

Even ten years ago lurking people on FB was creepy. Now they have apps specifically for lurking people and vetting if you could maybe, possibly be fucked to talk to them in real life.

Tech is making life boring.

VANRIDERFAN, great tour. I loved seeing the seedy bars and hearing the anecdotes.

Yeah, "Car" for street hockey. I can't recall the last time I heard that. Nobody ever seems to play street hockey. When I was a kid in the 70s, there was always a street hockey game (with two nets, naturally) going on, sometimes even two, on my block alone. Often during the summer months too. We also played something called "soccer-baseball".

Not sure where you're going, but aside from high end restaurants I haven't seen anything approaching that. Prices have gone up to be sure, but most of the places around me are $8 for a draught pour, sometimes $7 for the house lager (usually Great Lakes Brewing). It's true that lots of places no longer do 20 oz pours - especially for IPAs - but there are quite a few that do.

My social circle enjoys going out to sit at the bar a fair bit, and we are definitely "regulars" at a few places. Even if you go on your own for a quick drink you'll usually know the bartender or a few people at the bar. Helps knowing lots of people who work in the industry though.

$8 + 18% tip is basically $10.

Yea, neighbourhood bars outside of the core are in the $8 range, but anywhere in downtown more or less is looking at $10/pint which after tip is $12+ for higher end brews. And as you said, it's usually for 16oz beers and not 20oz.

And yea, It's not to say I don't go out to bars, just that I don't sit down at a bar and pound back 5 beers. More like one or two. I've also just never been a massive binge drinker in general though so :shrug:

18% for a server to get a glass from a shelf, put it beneath a tap and pour and hand over to the customer. Never a big fan of tipping for that level of service. I think pints are often priced at $8.50 or so including tax and before you know it you are in $10 a pint range (and it isn't a true pint) with a tip (as nobody wants to ask for that amount in change) for a product that in a can is about $3.50. And you wonder why people don't drink in bars as much.

It's a ripoff at chain restaurants, but I think in a local where you can sit at the bar and chat with the bartender while enjoying a few drinks it's definitely worth it. The latter with tip generally ends up to be the same as the former beforehand - places I go usually have tax included in the list price too. I have no doubt this kind of going out is in decline overall, but certainly still seems to be going strong in certain circles / areas.

booze always has tax included in it's price ;) ( if it wasn't people would probably riot since tax is like 60-70% of the cost..)

Beyond consumption taxes alcohol is still subject to HST, but the LCBO (and beer store?) includes it in the sticker price. This doesn't apply if purchased through a restaurant license and they often add HST on top of what it will say in the menu.

Thanks. I don't know about SK or AB but in MB there is a string of hole in the wall bars just across the MB/US border.

Do they still exist? I assumed a lot of the tiny self-serve rural border crossings have closed in the last 30 years making those places just over the border a lot less convenient than they once were.

tipping has gotten out of hand. It used to be 15% (before taxes!!) only for exceptional service. I notice that out of the "helpful" options provided by payment systems, that 15% (including taxes) is the lowest option (nudging people into 18% or 25% or whatnot).

Nobody wants to be the cheapo in front of the server, so they will go with 18% out of social desirability bias.

Inflation + stagnating wages = tipping more.

I can't really relate to bar culture: having severe social anxiety I have always tried to avoid crowds. Drinking and eating in public makes me uncomfortable. However, a few times I was dragged to dive bars in Toronto (Green Room, various places around Queen and Bathurst, Kensington Market) and Vancouver especially around Main and Hastings - eg the American Hotel where you could buy half pints of Pacific Pilsner (gross) for $1.50, sit in the smoking room (again not by choice) and watch the local Natives sell their stolen steaks from Buy Low for $5, dockworkers would sell stolen laptops for $50-100, hookers smoked crack and many of the clientele worked in mining, the navy or trucking. Lonely days for sure.

As for street hockey, last week I did a tour through Scotland, Waterford (nice town!), Simcoe, Port Dover and Hagersville. Hagersville definitely had street hockey games like you describe. I've also seen many street games in other small towns like Drayton, St Clements, Listowel, Mitchell, Atwood, Milverton etc where they screamed "car" etc.

I have noticed that many payment machines now also give you the tipping options in places where you walk in, serve yourself and the employee's role is basically to scan your items, ask you if you want a bag or not, and give you your receipt.