My Cheers

For the last three weekends I’ve gone to this little bar in Arm.enia called Texas Bar both Friday and Saturday nights. Imagine a Saloon in the middle of some Podunk town in Texas and there you’ll have Texas Bar, on a downtown street in Yere.van, Arm.enia, in the middle of the Caucasus, 500 miles from Baghdad, within spitting distance of the Iranian border.

The wood benches, the peanut shells on the floor, the dried tobacco leaves adorning the ceiling, pictures of BB King smoking a cigar, an old Texas license plate and the friendly wait staff make for an inviting atmosphere. The music is loud and good ranging from blues, to country, to swing, to Latin pop and the occasional pulp fiction soundtrack. The waitresses dance with the patrons in between orders for local draft beer, vodka shots, espresso and my favorite drink, the Vodka Tonic. I guess folks should drink Jack Daniels but despite the music and our surroundings we’re still in Yer.evan and Vodka or Beer is king.

There’s just something about this place that draws me back every weekend night and sometimes during the week. I don’t think I’d go to a place like that in D.C. so maybe it’s the company there, friendly people, a colleague and some cool Arme.nians I’ve met during my frequent trips here. Whatever it is about this place, time stands still. You walk in at 11 PM and next thing you know you’ve danced up a storm and they’re starting to shoo people out because it’s 4 AM.

I’m heading home next Friday and one thing I know I'll miss is my Cheers.