I know what "fern bars" are because of the Comics Curmudgeon. Since comic strips usually exist in static timelines that date back to their inception, fern bars are still a going concern in many of them.
San Francisco had the most fabulous fern bars in the world during the 1970s and 1980s because of the weather, the ease of growing ferns year-round there, not to mention gay and straight people unafraid to be seen drinking and flirting in public through big plate glass windows.
Geez, I'm old. I remember going to a fern bar in the early 80s to dance to disco music left over from the 70s - not that I danced, but it was about the coolest place in town to drink and talk - and be heard, since the disco music wasn't so loud in many parts of the bar ( maybe the sound was muffled by all those ferns ). The rest of the bars in that college town were too crowded, too loud, and smelled too much of vomit
"Fern bars" were just the result of unimaginative, corporatized interior decorators - you've seen one, you've seen 'em all
Nope, I never go to fern bars! I go to "bar bars" that serve the neighborhood and barely have a name. If you are walking along and see a brick or stucco facade with a small neon sign that says just BAR, you are likely to find me inside with the usual crowd. This place will close by 9 or 10 p.m. so the locals get home before most trouble starts, but it will open again at 7 a.m. to serve the folks getting off the night shift!! My kinda place!! 💖😍
Sounds like 75% of the bars in my old home town - every couple of blocks there was a family-owned bar filled with the neighbors. Quarter draft beers ( in 7 0z glasses - none of those "pint" jars ), a small TV set over the bar, a pool table in the back, maybe a juke box ( 3 plays for a quarter ). In a German bar, you'd find pig's knuckles and pickled eggs in large jars next to the cash register, on either side of the bottle shelves ( never mind "well drinks" - all the booze came from bottles on these shelves, and I don't think there was even the concept of a "premium liquor" there ). The Italian family bars ( technically "restaurants" all served pasta dishes and sometimes pizza. Polish bars were similar to the German bars, except they had jars of sausages instead of pig's knuckles - altho', some of them had both.
Most were welcoming of kids from other neighborhoods, and they almost never carded anyone ( this was when drinking age was 18 ) - some of the regulars weren't all too happy with "visitors" - but it a short coupla blocks to the next bar.
In Scranton, in my youth, the claim was that every neighborhood had a church on one corner, a funeral parlor on another and a bar on the 3rd . That was back when every ethnic group had its own parish. All the bars were dive-ish and local.
Now here in North Scranton, 2 Lithuanian , 1 Polish, 1 Italian, 1 Hungarian parish are all folded into the biggest oldest church, the Irish parish. The closed churches are now A a parish of Anglicans who became Roman Catholics when the Anglicans got too liberal for them, B a catering company that is also a part time restaurant, C occupied by various small protestant churches D a Hindu temple.
I know what "fern bars" are because of the Comics Curmudgeon. Since comic strips usually exist in static timelines that date back to their inception, fern bars are still a going concern in many of them.
Ruby Tuesday was also a fern bar, iirc.
On "cheers" Cliff and Norm were warning about the risks of refreshing the bar's decor with ferns.
Favorite Bozo story (which y'all have heard before, sue me):
(kid does something that is Not Approved)
Bozo: That's a Bozo No-No, kids!
Random kid voice from audience: Awww, fuck off, clown!
I did TGIF fern bars in the 80's. Love plants. There was at least one pick-up that was worth it. Oh, to be young again.
San Francisco had the most fabulous fern bars in the world during the 1970s and 1980s because of the weather, the ease of growing ferns year-round there, not to mention gay and straight people unafraid to be seen drinking and flirting in public through big plate glass windows.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥 1960𝘴, 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨.
𝘐𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘙𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬’𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯 63𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 — 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘛.𝘎.𝘐. 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴.
https://lakewood.advocatemag.com/rose-among-fern-bars-history-one-unusual-watering-hole/#:~:text=The%20fern%20bars%20that%20began,didn%27t%20prove%20very%20welcoming.
They were very ferncy!
Fern bars were the precursors to sports bars. Personally, I preferred the ferns.
Ferns are quieter!
So, If I were to go into a fern bar, and saw a woman who struck my interest, I could go up to her and say, "Know what I mean, fern?"
I'm sure that would kill.
Bennigan's was the quintessential fern bar, so I've told.
What! They don't have ferns anymore!? Mercy me, how do you flirt between fronds?
Geez, I'm old. I remember going to a fern bar in the early 80s to dance to disco music left over from the 70s - not that I danced, but it was about the coolest place in town to drink and talk - and be heard, since the disco music wasn't so loud in many parts of the bar ( maybe the sound was muffled by all those ferns ). The rest of the bars in that college town were too crowded, too loud, and smelled too much of vomit
"Fern bars" were just the result of unimaginative, corporatized interior decorators - you've seen one, you've seen 'em all
I member fern bars
Nope, I never go to fern bars! I go to "bar bars" that serve the neighborhood and barely have a name. If you are walking along and see a brick or stucco facade with a small neon sign that says just BAR, you are likely to find me inside with the usual crowd. This place will close by 9 or 10 p.m. so the locals get home before most trouble starts, but it will open again at 7 a.m. to serve the folks getting off the night shift!! My kinda place!! 💖😍
Sounds like 75% of the bars in my old home town - every couple of blocks there was a family-owned bar filled with the neighbors. Quarter draft beers ( in 7 0z glasses - none of those "pint" jars ), a small TV set over the bar, a pool table in the back, maybe a juke box ( 3 plays for a quarter ). In a German bar, you'd find pig's knuckles and pickled eggs in large jars next to the cash register, on either side of the bottle shelves ( never mind "well drinks" - all the booze came from bottles on these shelves, and I don't think there was even the concept of a "premium liquor" there ). The Italian family bars ( technically "restaurants" all served pasta dishes and sometimes pizza. Polish bars were similar to the German bars, except they had jars of sausages instead of pig's knuckles - altho', some of them had both.
Most were welcoming of kids from other neighborhoods, and they almost never carded anyone ( this was when drinking age was 18 ) - some of the regulars weren't all too happy with "visitors" - but it a short coupla blocks to the next bar.
In Scranton, in my youth, the claim was that every neighborhood had a church on one corner, a funeral parlor on another and a bar on the 3rd . That was back when every ethnic group had its own parish. All the bars were dive-ish and local.
Now here in North Scranton, 2 Lithuanian , 1 Polish, 1 Italian, 1 Hungarian parish are all folded into the biggest oldest church, the Irish parish. The closed churches are now A a parish of Anglicans who became Roman Catholics when the Anglicans got too liberal for them, B a catering company that is also a part time restaurant, C occupied by various small protestant churches D a Hindu temple.
IIRC, there were fern restaurants in Denver at least.
My singles years were spent in the fern bars of Denver in the 80's. Good times!