Fri 20 Nov 2009
Purple Noise
Posted by David under Purple Noise at 1:49 pm
Weekly open thread. Talk about anything you like.
What are your lunch plans today? I wish I were at the Log (?) enjoying some soup, salad, and homemade bread.
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23 Responses to “Purple Noise”
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JeffZ says:
This site is good for a laugh on a friday afternoon:
http://autocompleteme.com/
JeffZ says:
Billsville readers, what is the latest on the Pub? Is construction nearly done? Did they find a proprietor yet?
PTC says:
I cannot imagine a “new” purple pub…. how do you make a dive like out of a complete renovation? The place was a hole in the wall, and that is what made it the pub.
PTC says:
The legion has completely taken over the happy hour crowd… it will be hard for the pub to survive without that, trying to compete with the herring at night… depending on prices. I cannot imagine that the rent will be cheap…. or the drinks. The pub had cheap pitchers.
Ronit says:
While I almost completely ignored the Legion during my time at Williams, and would not even have known that they served beer if it weren’t for PTC’s comments, they now have a very prominent sign in front, visible as you come down Spring St:
COLD BEER
BUD
MILLER
COORS
DRAFT
BOTTLES
Or something like that (I didn’t take a picture). I really liked the large block letters announcing COLD BEER.
PTC: I assume anyone can go in and have a drink at the Legion, not just current or former servicemembers?
During homecoming weekend, the Purple Pub was sorely missed by me and many other recent grads, given the obnoxious lines at the Herring. We ended up at the Log – another place where I had never had a drink as a student. It was far more relaxing and congenial than the Herring on Saturday night.
jeffz says:
I always have and always will love The Log — there is atmosphere you couldn’t manufacture — and one of my biggest laments is its chronic underuse most years. Such a great space.
As for the new Pub, it will still have The Purple Pub name. It could potentially be a very cool space depending on how that renovation goes. It will have a lot more space, which was a big problem with the previous Pub. It will likely be a great place to watch football and March Madness with, I presume, high def TV’s, not much in the way of sports watching venues in the area. I hope (and thought I heard?) they were saving many of the old pub decorations / memorabilia, which would at least import som of the old atmosphere. Obviously it will be a lot more sterile but if they do it right it can still be a nice space with SOME of the old pub feel mixed with more amenities and a lot more space, which is not necessarily a bad thing. And there are years and years ahead to establish that patina of atmsophere that is inevitably missing from any new space.
PTC says:
Jeff- but how will it stay in business? More square feet/ newer equals higher rent which translates to higher prices- it simply does not get crowded enough for long enough periods of time to make up for the loss of the local happy hour crowd. Although the old pub was crowded from time to time (not very often really, if you consider operating hours vice hours at capacity), they never had a line. It may be obnoxious for homecoming, but these places need to stay alive 365 days a year. You are not going to pay the rent off of a high priced empty looking bar. College students care about one thing when they drink for the most part… the cost. I see serious trouble unless they completely re vamp into more of a bistro.
Yes, the Legion in Williamstown will serve anyone. You do not need to be a veteran to be a member of the legion… you can be a “son” if you had a relative who served in a war. The people at the legion are mostly “sons of the legion”… and they are cool to everyone. If you have a father or a grand father you can join for 25 dollars a year… and it is, the cheapest beer in town.
PTC says:
If you have a father or a grandfather who served in a war in the US Military, you can join the legion as a “son”.
PTC says:
http://www.sal.legion.org/
Here it is in black and white… 25 dollars a year for the cheapest and coldest beer in town, a pool table, sports on the big screen- JOIN NOW!
JeffZ says:
Fair questions PTC. Maybe Paresky will cut a break in the rent … maybe they will do more to make it attractive for under 21 folks on weeknights (more food / events / maybe some live music at times) … there will also be a built-in following among college seniors and alumni coming back, but they would probably, with a bigger space, need to ALSO become a bit of a regional draw as a sports bar and/or live music venue, or something else creative, without losing its essential character as “the” Williams-themed drinking hole. No easy feat … which is perhaps why it’s taken so long to find someone willing to take on the challenge. But I do think it is doable.
Ronit says:
@PTC:
That’s not a bad idea. I don’t know about bistro, but Spring Street could use some serious pub grub. The Herring made some decent burgers as I remember but it wasn’t a big part of the reason why anyone went to the Herring. Yeah, I know the Water Street Grill exists, but it’s all the way over on Water Street.
Ronit says:
@JeffZ:
I just want Danny Meyer to create a Shake Shack branch on that spot. That’s not too much to ask for, is it?
Ken Thomas '93 says:
My G-d. Is the drinking age over there really 21? And people actually abide by it?
PTC says:
They could do a video theme… with more modern music… there is some interesting stuff out there now that is more modern- hookah, and some live stuff as well. Still, not a ton of draw for that in Williamstown above the drinking age, and booze is what makes the money. The theater and college crowds are relatively young (a lot of underage people)… and the rent is bound to be very high. It will all be about the overhead.
The thing about the old pub was, it was the only venue that would have survived in that space for that long (over 30 years), and vice versa- the only place the pub could have survived was that spot, because the overhead was such that Mary could put out cheap prices.
The pub could have used a little bit of a new look. Just a little more space, like 400 more square feet, maybe a place to put a band… and some new TV’s and more selection with some modern stuff on the jukebox, maybe video. In the end, it will be all about the rent.
PTC says:
The Herring has survived in part because it is the only venue on the street, but also because it is in an awkward space that it is hard to use for much else… they give a decent drink at a good price- if the pub is unable to compete with the prices, it will be no contest.
Personally, I like the Smith brothers a lot. I hope the herring continues to thrive.
PTC says:
Ken- A lot of people use fake id… but it has gotten harder. I think the age should be 18 for beer and wine… 21 for alcohol. I also think that anyone who has a military id card should be able to buy beer and wine at a bar. Anyhow ken yes… the age is 21- but the reality is that most Europeans simply cannot afford to drink in the excess like we do in the states. Booze here is dirt cheap, and most 21 year olds can afford to get drunker than hell on any given night. Not so for Europeans, who’s consumption is largely controlled by $$ and prices…
Ken Thomas '93 says:
PTC:
Where have you been drinking in Europe?
I am still a little surprised when I see someone with a flask of beer on a public street, in a park, or on a subway or train. A little.
What you probably already know–
Cost of drinking in pubs varies widely, and by where you are. I exited the first pub I found in Berlin with a 4.95E bill, for what would have been 15E in Gent or Brussels. But there are student pubs in Gent that are 1E/pint– I walk (quickly) by one place across from the main Uni building, which advertized Jaegermister, 6 shots, for 5E. (They do not seem to get much business).
Generally, getting drunk to the extent people do in the States, in Finland or Sweden or the UK, is rare and socially unacceptable. Drinking a beer or two at breakfast or lunch– another think. “Healthy,” was how one friend put it, when I asked.
Of course, with the drinking age at 16 (more or less), one can simply buy a six pack at a store– in Belgium, (looking the nearest bottle in the fridge), that’s easily six 1/3 litre beers @ 8-12% alcohol content, for 4-5E; it’s a bit less in Germany, and a bit more in France. Buy a 24-pack, and the price gets much less– especially in Germany, when buying the local town’s brew.
Sweden: okay, up there, people cross borders to avoid the liquor tax. Long nights…
I am, of course, making fun of the US, but the difference in approach, and approach to legislation and privacy, is notable. Criminal background and credit checks for employment? Are you kidding?
Parent '12 says:
@Ronit:
Perhaps there’s an Eph on Meyer’s staff, who could create a great pitch for Shake Shack. I wouldn’t mind a branch of any of Danny Meyer’s establishments in Williamstown.
My guess is that JeffZ would like a branch of Joe’s Pizza, which now has branches in Southern California.
Realistically, I don’t see why a brewery couldn’t go in. There’s one in Bennington. I didn’t find their beer great, which might be why right now I can’t recall the name of the place. The food wasn’t bad. I can definitely recommend the macaroni & cheese. The waiter said it’s not always on the menu and that it was his favorite, which I obviously believe.
Ronit says:
@Parent ‘12: Madison Brewing Company. I like their steak sandwich.
@Ken Thomas ‘93: All I remember about drinking in Europe is that London is obscenely expensive (and I went when the dollar was weak) but I guess that’s to be expected.
Ronit says:
Women’s cross country taking part in the NCAA championships tomorrow:
http://williams.prestosports.com/sports/wxc/2009-10/News/1119NCAA_Preview
Parent '12 says:
@Ronit:
Thanks. Yes, that’s the place. And, the few reviews on Yelp were relatively positive for the food, and even for the beer.
As one person wrote, Vermont has a lot of very fine breweries, which might be why I wasn’t that impressed with Madison’s beer.
In a Vermont college town I prefer Otter Creek. If you’re ever in Middlebury be sure to go to the brewery. Very nice staff, interesting tour, & free tastings of a selection of about half a dozen. I was there one late afternoon and it looked as if locals, i.e. regulars, stop by on their way home from work to taste & pick up a growler.
When last there, I liked Quercus Vitis Humulus, probably because of the Sauvignon Blanc & champagne yeast in the brew. It’s part of a series dubbed high octane. I’m also more of a wine than beer drinker.
http://www.ottercreekbrewing.com/otter_creek/beers/Imperial_Series.html
PTC says:
Ken- My biggest impression and difference is that in the USA, it is not at all uncommon to find a 16 year old making 250 dollars a week in a summer job the united states. In Europe, people share, people have a good time, but the money is just not there for youth, not in the same way it is in the United States. The youth have a good time, “share a flask”… and such, but in the United States, 14 year olds can quite literally afford a keg of beer (16 gallons) on their own dime on a regular basis. You are much more likely to find people living with family at older ages in Europe… and perhaps, a better mixing of the ages in part due to the economic condition, but the earning is not there like it is here in America. This does depend on the the nation to some degree… but again, in general, the opportunity to make money in America for youth in America is far superior to that of the youth in Europe.
I know this because I live it. My niece, last year, at all of 17 years of age, made over 400 dollars a week working at a restaurant in Williamstown. I used to make over 700 dollars a week at 20 years of age, working blue collar and bartending in Boston at 19 years of age… in Europe, the opportunity simply is not there in the same way.
Ken Thomas '93 says:
PTC: changing, but– heck, it still takes a four-year internship to get a waiter/waitress position in (West) Germany. Those in the US often miss how extensive their freedoms are– which is a reason to rally and worry, when they are unreasonably curtailed