Here is a list of basic rules that we came up with before we started the tour in an attempt to make sure there was no discussion later about how everything would play out.
(1) No Bar Left Behind!
-We will visit every bar on the list, regardless of where it is, who usually hangs out there, or what its reputation might be in town.
(2) Order, order, we must have order!
-We have to go in alphabetical order, from A to Z, and not skip a bar before it is completed. We will place numerical bars at the end of the list in numerical order. We will place bars where the number is spelled out (i.e. Sixth Gear) under its appropriate letter.
(3) Late night menu?
-If we arrive at the next bar on the list and it is closed for some reason, we may at our discretion go to the next bar on the list and return to that bar at a later time, but we MUST drive to the bar and see it physically closed before we move on, and the next time we pick up the list, we MUST visit that bar first.
(4) Skipping around...
-We MAY NOT go to a bar that is on the list, that we haven't visited, if it is not next on the list.
(5) Who made the cut?
-We had some serious discussion about what made the cut, and you may notice there are some "grey area" bars on the list. Our qualifications for a bar are as such: The establishment must have an actual bar, with seats that you can sit at. There must be a period of time when only people over the ages of 21 can be in there...if it is kid friendly until 2 AM, it's not a bar. For the most part, establishments that are more restaurant than bar are excluded, but to support local business, we did include local restaurants that are not chains as long as they are open until 2AM with a bar, i.e. Irish Democrat, Lighthouse Inn, and so on. Some people may not agree with the list, but it is what we have decided on to be as inclusive as possible. Hotel bars are also included from the Marriott and The Clarion as both of those establishments advertise their bars independently from the hotel and they have specific names for their bars, i.e. The Cedar Grille and 33rd Ave Bar and Grill.
(6) The times they are a changin'
-Some bars may close, or open, in the time it takes to complete this task. We have decided that any bar that opens and is later on the list than our current position will be added, and done when its time comes up alphabetically, any bars that open that are in a part of the alphabet we have already completed will be added to the list in its respective place, and visited at the end of the tour. The reasoning behind this is, when a new bar opens, service can sometimes not be representative of what it might be once the bar is fully up and running, so by giving it some extra time, it may give us a better idea of how its runs.
(7) Discrepancies, disputes, and disagreements
-One interesting thing we have learned throughout this process is that there is no one universal and official source for finding bars, their names, and information regarding those bars. Because of that, we have used a fair amount of resources compiling the current list. We used a combination of the phonebook, Google Maps, word of mouth, driving around and physically looking for bars, and our newest resource...the TouchTunes jukebox registry to compile the list. We have found that even among all of those resources, there still exists no one all encompassing place to look for official answers. Some bars seem to have multiple names, and it has been decided that the official name will be determined by the sign on the building. Al's Blue Toad is named Blue Toad, The Blue Toad, and Al's Blue Toad. Mr. B's has changed names a few times, and we are still unsure of it's official name, but the sign on the building says Mr. B's, so for now, that is where it will remain on the list. If it changes names during the tour, it will fall under the terms of rule number 6.
