i know a lot of people here live in real cities so this may seem quaint, but here in da swamp, it’s very difficult to find establishments open past 9p that are not alcohol-focused bars. of these establishments, it is even more difficult to find one that is a laid-back environment to vibe with friends and isn’t playing dogshit music at an absolutely deafening volume (and, in my city, usually to a crowd of single digits)
enter: the kava bar. they usually have normal-ish late night bar hours, so they can typically be relied upon to be open when most cafes are closed. they are frequently less expensive than cocktail bars, they typically play music at a reasonable volume, most importantly, kava / kratom is just a vastly superior social drug to alcohol for the purposes of vibing. it leaves your mental faculties basically intact, doesn’t turn (certain) people into huge assholes, doesn’t keep you from driving home for however long, etc.
and, if you are one of the many people who find kava / kratom gross, it’s much more pleasant to be sober around a bunch of hippies sipping relaxing tea than it is to be sober around a bunch of drunk people. you never see any dead-eyed people hanging outside the kava bar because they just spent their “fun night out” vomiting up their kidneys.
yes, it’s a pretty new-agey environment and that can be annoying at times, but i would take it any day over the vast majority of alcohol bars in my city. if you find yourself in need of an evening hang spot but are tired of alcohol, give one a try
