Chumley's

Coming back for a visit and looking to rekindle the memories of that great little gay bar you loved when you lived here? Save your time this isn't the Chums you used to know.

The manager Ellen has become lazy about her job and bitter towards the gay male clientele. The only reason to go there was Brian the bartender and he's no longer there. Don't even get me started in his "replacement" who is rude and can't make anything more complicated than a rum and coke.

If you are looking for a fun place with cute boys check out Duo, Inferno, or the new bar above the Phyrst. They might not be "gay bars" but with Ellen at the helm there are more gays at other bars than Chums anyway. It's not uncommon to walk in Chums on a weekend night at midnight and see barely 10 customer. What a shame!

First, Ellen (the bartender) is the worst. She plays awful music from her I Pod and is rude and unfriendly. The bar is dark and outdated, giving it a "Moe's Tavern" kind of vibe. Truly a pathetic excuse for a gay bar.

Ahh, I've had some good times here. The cramped space makes the joint feel lively even with only a handful of patrons, and the fact is that Karaoke here is the most fun in town.

Chumley's is that little place tucked in between the the Corner room and Indigo that it seems like no one's noticed. I've alluded to it before to friends who've been in State College for months, only to find they'd never heard that it existed ("There's a gay bar in State College?!") And when I say it's a little place, I mean it. We're talking feel-like-a-sardine-packed-in-a-can-from-the-­moment-you-walk-in-the-door small here. The space between the bar and back wall is probably skirting the line with fire code, since you can barely get through if someone's sitting at the bar and there's someone standing behind them. Yet, for some reason, I think that adds something to the charm. It feels really intimate, and you just have this feeling like you're friends with everyone in the room from the moment you walk in.

The bar is great, Ellen mixes a good drink, and is one of the few people who takes cocktails seriously. As a bit of a cocktail snob, I appreciate not having to explain every drink I order to her, but she's visibly happy to learn when I do order something that's just a little off her radar. The bar is well stocked, ready to handle anything from a classic cocktail to a sweet party drink to a modern mixology creation.

Overall, I like Chumley's a lot. I wish I had more opportunities to go there, and I kind of wish it was a little bigger, so you'd have room to move around. I won't complain about the lack of a dance floor, since I don't think it really fits Chumley's vibe (though there ought to be room for a place like that in town someday). Besides, how can I not give it something good when the times I've had here have all been fun and memorable? A solid 4 stars.