You know when someone pays you a compliment and they're all, "You look really pretty today." And you feel great and say thanks but then start to wonder how shitty you look on every other day?
Esquire Magazine (the actually fantastic national mens magazine) recently did something similar to us in their June/July 2013 issue. They listed Cincinnati landmark neighborhood watering hole Arnold's as one of the best bars in America, saying it's beautiful, historical and friendly and would be incredibly famous ... if it weren't in Cincinnati.
"If Arnold's were in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, or Boston — somewhere, in short, that people actually visit — it would be world famous. Founded, as it claims, by Simon Arnold in 1861, it's one of the flat-out oldest bars in America (even if, as a session with old Cincinnati city directories suggests, that story might not be 100 percent accurate, the bar is still more than 130 years old). It's also beautiful, with unique woodwork and lots of historical stuff on the walls. But it's in Cincinnati, which means that despite its history and tradition of intelligent, respectful ownership, Arnold's is still primarily a no-bullshit local bar. It's got regulars, traditions, and customs, but at the same time the bartenders are friendly and the regulars are — well, they're not hostile. In other words, thank God it's in Cincinnati."
A fantastic compliment and national nod regardless of the assertion that a river town in Ohio might be less of a tourist attraction than New York, San Fran, Boston or Chicago. And if Arnold's booze prices are a reflection of that — a draft beer for less than $6 — whatever, I'll take it.
