Review Recap

The semester has mercifully drawn to a close and so has my journey through the bars of Lowell. Obviously, I will continue to visit the city’s bars in the future, but no longer with the eye of a critic bent on finds pros and cons. This is a somewhat sad realization because I really did enjoy the process of rating each different bar on my own criteria.  As I stated in my initial post, I think you can learn a lot about a city from its bars. Months later, I stand by that statement and would add that you being a critic helps you learn more. It forced me to pay attention to details rather than mindlessly chug beers (which I’ve already done enough of in my life). This opened my senses to a diverse city where the unexpected can often be expected.  Here are some highlights and lowlights as a recap:

Highlights

Even though New Orleans is far from Lowell, the pinnacle of my semester of bar hopping was definitely Bourbon Street. Decadent and absurd, this famous street was like nothing I’ve ever seen. It was almost a sensory overload as I attempted to soak in all the ridiculousness in a three day span. There were some highlights in Lowell as well, including Beer Works and the Back Page. Beer Works had the best beer (hence the name), but I think the Back Page was my favorite overall bar. The music scene and laid back vibe converge for a cool atmosphere…I just wish it was a little cheaper.

Lowlights

The term “lowlights” may have a negative connotation, but I mean it in an endearing way because these pathetic moments provided a lot of humor. I still can’t get the image of Wednesday night karaoke at Finn’s Pub out of my head. Listening to such blatantly terrible singers croon to a nearly empty bar had me in stitched and I’ll have to make a return trip. While Finn’s was bad, it was far from the worst. That honor goes to Charlie’s Pub without a doubt.

 

It’s crazy to think that I barely scratched the surface of Lowell’s bars with this blog. I can think of a least five other establishments off the top of my head that I didn’t get to visit. Maybe I’ll have to independently forge onward to complete a full review. I’ll have to take winter break to rest up and regain resources before anything though.