Dickinson College Humanities Program in Norwich

From the limited experience I have with American bars, or even American bars in the style of English pubs, I would have to say that they are extremely different from their English equivalent.  Physically, and atmospherically, the two were at one time mutually exclusive.  Now however, with the advent of a global community, influences from the other are creeping into various establishments, both here and at home.  Despite these changes the basic feel and idea behind British pubs is far different than in America and, I find, is an altogether more enjoyable experience.  

To start, the atmosphere caters to an entirely different crowd.  Pubs allow for anyone to come in and have a pint with a friend, be it businessmen just off work, old men with canes and dogs, or college students just wanting to hang out with friends.  In the U.S. it seems that every type of person has their own seperate bar, and god forbid if you go into the wrong one.   Granted, most of my experience with bars has been in the far north of the midwest, where bars are mostly frequented by loggers and bikers.  Thus, the se bars are a bit more rough and tumble than others, and my judgement may be skewed a little.

Physically, I’ve found that traditional English pubs are quite different from their American counterparts.  Due to lack of space, the buildings are often smaller, and the bars themselves are quite different.  In the U.S. we are used to the catwalk-sized bars that take up the whole room.  They often have seating along them.  Here the bars are smaller with no seating.  Customers are supposed to take their drinks and move, or if they must, stand at the bar. 

The general mentality behind visiting pubs doesn’t seem to be to just get drunk.  Often times back home I would see people downing beer after beer (or something harder) in a blatent attempt to get smashed.  Here, however, a person goes to a pub with friends, and if after a few drinks one begins to feel a little bit differently it wasn’t a result of trying.  Rather, people enjoy having fun with friends and if it happens, it happens. 

I know other people have written about this place, but one of the pubs that I found most enjoyable was The Court.  Located a few blocks from our hotel, most of its customers were college students.  It had cheap drinks and food, and the bartenders were our age and enjoyed having fun.  It had a great atmosphere and was the perfect place to spend the evenings.  Now perhaps I just haven’t found the right place yet, but I have yet to find a bar in the U.S. that appealed to me as much as The Court. 

If American bars are your thing, that’s great, but I prefer the atmosphere elicited by pubs here.  The attitudes are more friendly and the beer is better.  I’d take a pub over a biker bar any day.