Georgie O's

I first moved up to Hyde Park about nine months ago, and when I first got here, having just moved up from Virginia, I didn't quite feel at home and was still getting settled in. It wasn't until I started going to Georgie's with my girlfriend and our friends that I really started to like Hyde Park.

Georgie's is definitely in my top five favorite bars I've been to, possibly top three. Keep in mind, I've been drunk across the United States and a good portion of Asia (Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, and I got drunk in Laos once but sitting on a bench drinking by yourself doesn't quite count as a bar), so this is no small compliment. There's nothing special about the bar - it's got two pool tables, some lotto machines, a pretty basic selection of booze and beers, and pizza and snacks. What brings me to Georgie's is the people - the bartenders are all really nice (usually!), and the owner, George Ose, is there every night. Georgie O's is my hometown bar, now, so I love it.

I'd definitely recommend coming for karaoke night, which goes down every other Friday, I think. Usually on those nights there's a good crowd of kids from the Culinary Institute of America, and you'll most likely see me there, having a blast.

There are other bars in town, but I was never a fan of the vibe at Crossroads (and that it's cash only, last time I was there), Mahoney's is usually too college-y (that's fine every now and then, but I had plenty of that in college), and Darby's is more of the same, I hear. If you want a nice, chilled out bar with none of the bullshit, Georgie O's is the place.