New Jersey Nightlife

This is a post that I’ve been wanting to write for awhile.  I’d like some comments from those of you living in different parts of the country to see if you experience similiar situations, or if I just live in a shitty fucking state.

For most of my life I never noticed the state of nightlife in New Jersey for a variety of reasons.  During college I was immersed in college life and had plenty of mixers, parties, dorm room get-togethers to occupy my nights.  Then after college I was working at a restruant where I basically created the scene.  Me and my co-workers just frequented other local restruant bars… the goal basically to get drunk enough to make some bad decisons at the eventual after party- that always took place at my house.

But now having been out of college for awhile, and in the “real world” I’ve come to realize that it is very difficult to find good places to hang out in New Jersey.  I’ve broken the types of bars/clubs to three.  I am excluded sports bars and strip bars as these are more of guys night out places then places to meet chicks.

1. The Hometown Hero Bar I live in an area of NJ that I didn’t grow up in.  So when I frequent local bars I am amazed how cliquey they seem to be.  I’ve come to realize that most of these bars are filled with Hometown Heroes.  A Hometown Hero is someone who has not moved past their high school glory.  These are people who are still frequenting the same bar ten years later.  You can spot these people in the bar easily. They are often known by the bartenders… They spend most of the night meeting and greeting other home town heroes.  This type of bar sucks for picking up chicks as it is filled with cock blockers.  Every girl there is being stalked by some guy who is still in love with them from high school.  Whenever you try to talk to a girl this guy will butt in and try to befriend you in a condescending way.. making you feel like an outsider.  Not to mention that these bars all have that depressing feel of being filled with people that time forgot.  Living in the past really produces a gloomy vibe.
2. College Bars These bars absolutely kicked ass…. when I was in college.  College bars are a lot like Hometown Hero bars in that they are extremely cliquey.  I know.  I used to be one of the guys surrounding by a gaggle of sorority girls just waiting to head back to the frat house with me.  The good points of these bars are the extremely drunk girls, the fun party atmoshere, the cheap beers…. (okay maybe these bars aren’t that bad afterall) The problem that I have with them is I’m not the King of College anymore.  Whenever I’m in these bars I feel like I’m trying to relive my glory days instead of creating new glory days.  Girls are more open to talk to you in these bars then in Hometown Hero bars, but they are just as filled with college cock blocks.
3. Wannabe NY City Clubs and Lounges The problem with these places other than the horrible music, pricey drinks, and coke head chicks…. is that they are filled to the brink with these guys. While its fun to look at the girls and laugh at the guys I’ve come to realize that life’s to short to waste in place that makes me absolutely miserable… no matter how much talent the place packs.

So the big dillema is what kind of place does a 29 year semi professional man living in NJ go to cheat on his girlfriend? (um i mean have a good time with his friends)