Stop crying over spilled milk from your vintage cereal and get out there.
Until now, I have been more than sympathetic to your lamenting cries about how nothing will be the same and how you cannot believe that this is happening to you. This might sound a little brash, but it is something that needs to be said: you need to get over it.
The mourning period has past and my patience is quickly waning. Everything comes to an end eventually and The Waldorf was no exception. You need to move on. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. Quite frankly, I am sick of hearing the whining about The Waldorf’s closure. I cannot fathom why people are so fixated on a venue that is at an end when there are so many vibrant locations that are worth talking about in Vancouver.
The way we are treating The Waldorf is much like how in death we tend to exaggerate about how loved or wonderful someone was. The Waldorf is overrated. We need to stop talking about what is gone and appreciate the things we still have.
Funky Winkerbeans on a weeknight is a perfect example of an underrated venue. The gritty nature of the bar and its East Hastings location will drive some away, but that part of its charm is what keeps me frequenting it.
Funky’s somehow manages to be both rough and laidback, a combination which promotes a “come as you are” ambiance and attracts the kind of people who have a story. The conversations
I have had in the bathroom there have been some of the most interesting I have ever had. This is a stark contrast to many of the vapid interactions I have had while waiting in lines at classier places, such as The Waldorf.
My wallet will also attest that Funky Winkerbeans is a better venue for a night of drinking. As a student, I tend to gravitate to locations where cheap alcohol is present and this is a good location for that. Even Caribou is attractive when put in a pitcher with a $12 price tag.
With a goal of getting drunk (and the way that Caribou will almost always taste better with more consumed), Funky’s offers the perfect off-campus drinking experience.
Though the other patrons and the price of alcohol are incentive enough on their own, the best part of Funky Winkerbeans on a weeknight is The Evil Bastard Karaoke Experience. The magic begins around 9 p.m. and comes without a cover charge.
There is no kind of judgemental or pretentious atmosphere here. Everyone, regardless of how well they can sing, is able to get on stage and sing. I am effectively tone deaf and even I can drag someone up with me, with the encouragement of Caribou, to belt out Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe” with confidence. The best part is that they have no Nickelback on their song list and likely never will.
Though the Waldorf closing is without doubt unfortunate, Vancouver has a plethora of worthwhile joints for entertainment and drinks that deserve to be the topic of conversation. There is no reason to lament for what was when we have such great places like Funky Winkerbeans that still exist.
