My friends and I traveled to Asheville, North Carolina for New Years Eve. We celebrated with the fine folks at Banks Ave Bar near downtown, and had a fabulous time.
We arrived at 10:30 pm and the bar was already at near capacity. The cover charge was zero, nada, zilch; which is almost unheard of these days for special occasions. After a short wait we were allowed to enter, greeted by the owners, and cheerfully welcomed. To our surprise, the drink prices were extremely reasonable, and service was fast, even though the bar was packed with members and guests.
Our fellow patrons were in a joyous mood, the music was good, and overall it was a better than expected adventure, given how gloomy the past year has been for our nation.
The trip was almost a polar opposite of our Christmas night excursion to Charlotte, where we found ridiculously high cover charges and much higher beverage prices. In addition, the crowd was much smaller at the bars we visited in Charlotte and to be honest, not as welcoming to outsiders.
Overall, it was a great way to start the new year.
