Missed Night Life

Nowadays, night activities are one of the most popular things that younger generation is concerned about. When I was in China, my favorite place that I wanted to hang out with friends was bar drinking and having fun, especially on some big festival days or some meaningful days. Going to a bar gradually became a personal habit, I used to go to bars three times a month, and sometimes I would go there right after work with friends. We talked about different things and time always passed quickly when I was in a bar with my friends. Although I am living in the third biggest city in the U.S, Chicago, sometime it is difficult to find a nice place and have a good time with a few of close friends on those special days. Chicago has a good night lift, but I prefer to spend my nights in a bar in China.

Because of the drinking age law, it is not easy to hang out with everyone in a bar or nightclub. In the U.S, there is no way to go to a bar without a state ID, which can show the person is above twenty-one. The legal drinking age in the U.S is twenty-one, so is the legal age for consuming in bars. Unlike in China, as long as a person eighteen years old, he or she has right to go any place for entertainment. In Chicago, any time the youths want to go a bar on some special days, the first thing that we have to think about is who under twenty-one years old. If we do have a friend who is under twenty-one, we will be so disappointed and have to find somewhere else to go. Because of the drinking age problem, it makes me go to bars less and less.

The environment of the bars in Chicago also makes me uncomfortable. Every bar and nightclub has big guys who serve as security. Every time I go to the bar, the bouncer gives me a feeling that the bar could be quite dangerous, there like I am going to a place that deals with gangsters. In China, the security in the bar is not as big or fierce as the bouncers in the U.S. They normally do not give people so much anxiety. In some cases, I do not like the music that broadcasts in Chicago although people say that listening music without county boundary. The music that broadcasts in China is understandable, meaningful and gentle. It always makes me feel relaxed and lets me decompress. On the other hand, there always play rock music in bars in Chicago. The biggest problem for me is the music volume is too loud. When I talk to my friends, I need to increase my volume, as if I am quarreling with them.

The consuming condition of going to a bar is different between in China and Chicago. For instance, the price of consuming alcohol in Chicago’s nightclub is much more expensive than in China. I used to spend less than one hundred dollars for ten people for the entire night. In Chicago, although we like to split the bill, we still have to spend more than fifty dollars per person. In addition, Chicago does not have nightclubs that stay open twenty-four hours. In China, we usually go out at 9 or 10P.M until 4 or 5 A.M in the morning. Unlike Chicago, before 2A.M the bouncer kicks everybody out of the nightclub. It is hard to limit our fun to 2A.M, two o’clock in the morning always cannot be sufficient. Even though there are some obstacles to my evening entertainment, such as condition and atmosphere issue, we still can have fun with each other on special days. As long as I live in Chicago, I have to blend into this big melting pot and to deal with the nuances of this city. I wish to go back to China for vacation coming soon and have fun with my own night life style.