Friends (1634 Aliceanna St.) has never let me down.
In my five years of drinking and debauchery in Charm City bars, Friends has always been there for me. It's been one of the few places where I've always been able to relax -- to never worry about getting a table, if I want one, or a beer.
As my colleague Jacques Kelly once said, don't hesitate to patronize your favorite restaurants and bars, because no matter how great they are, they're not going to be around forever.
After something like 10 years in Fells Point (this is just a rough estimate), Friends is closing. The last hurrah is tonight, and you can bet it's going to get crazy.
My friend Evan and I stopped by Friends for a nightcap Thursday, to have one last glass of beer and enjoy Friends' lo-fi charm.
If Hampden has always long been a haven for Baltimore's hipsters and art students, Fells Point has had the punks. The real rockers. The old school tattooed set. And for years, Friends has been their hangout ...
In the '90s, when Reptilian Records called Fells Point home, owner Chris X and his crew would be at Friends. Members of The Jennifers and The Payola Reserve hung out there.
I've never seen Friends stuffed to the gills. At most, it was only ever comfortably full.
But no post about Friends can be complete without mentioning the jukebox, which was one of the best in the city. I'm not even going to list all the great tunes on there, but it was almost impossible to go wrong. You could pick something blindfolded and get the whole place going.
When I went out drinking in Fells Point, Friends was my insurance policy. If every other bar was jammed, I could go to Friends. After tonight, I won't be able to, anymore. With Friends closing, we're losing another piece of Baltimore's storied bar scene.
Thanks, Friends, for everything.
(Baltimore Sun archive photo)