Charlie's: A Dive too Deep

In realistic terms, Charlie's Pub is located near the intersection of Merrimack and Cabot. Figuratively, it sits somewhere near the intersection of semi-belligerent drunkenness and dwindling self-esteem.

I visited Charlie's last Friday with a group of four friends and was immediately forced to amend my mental picture of a "dive bar" to include this quest into the true underbelly of Lowell.

The Charlie's crowd seemed to have meshed with the atmosphere of the bar itself to form a sort of teetering organism grasping at the straws of respectability. Perplexed, I swiveled on my stool to observe my surroundings:  short-skirted women gyrated on an empty dance floor as older men down the bar spewed incomprehensive banter back and forth. I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into, but, like someone slowing to observe a car crash, I decided to stay.

This haven for down-and-outers featured a live band that could really only be described as "live" in the sense that they were living human beings. Otherwise, they were just a collection of garage banders painfully churning out some tunes. This got me thinking about the precarious position live music can put a bar in. Music can make or break the vibe of a night, unfortunately this band did the latter.

I think I'm too young to be a cynic, so here are a few positives I could dig up at Charlie's

• The interior itself had some interesting features. There was a spacious floor with multiple pool tables in addition to a dart board and jukebox. We didn't partake in any of these activities, but they certainly could have served as good distraction from the rest of the place.
• Cheapness (in a good way). I was able to grab a couple 24 oz. PBR cans for only $2. For a financially strapped college student, this can put a simple on your face at any bar.

After about an hour in Charlie's my friends and I exited and came to the simultaneous agreement never to return. Was this just a rough night at Charlie's or is this one of Lowell's worst bars? I think my ratings will reflect my answer to that question.

Cheapness: 4
Beer Selection: 2
Crowd:1.5
Atmosphere: 1.5
Romantic Potential: 1.5