Listening Post 2. Anthony and Joey

View Larger MapMy second visit to Andy’s was a good experience. I got there early this time. I mean it was almost 11:30 p.m. but for a place that closes after the sun rises the midnight is an early stage.
Not more than seven customers were sitting on the bar and no more than two were playing at the pool table. Again, as soon as I entered the place I felt a heavy atmosphere; I was not a welcome customer but I was a customer anyways.
Kelly was bartending that night. We didn’t have an actual conversation, but she always hand me a beer with a smile. I tried to approach the few customers smiling and saying hi, but after two or three words and in decent ways they avoid to get involved in a deeper chat. Finally, an angel dropped from the skies.
Anthony Alparone, a good friend from long time was at the front door. He sat in the bar with two friends and ordered a whiskey. I approached him and say hi. He was surprised to see me there; however, after I explained to him that I was doing a report for one of my classes he understood. Following that he introduced me to his friends. Joey, a white Caucasian from Jacksonville in his twenties who is a bartender in Carolina Ale House a restaurant located in Weston. Frank was the oldest in the bar I think, also white and on his fifties. Frank left ten minutes after they got there. He said that he was coming back, but he never did.
After that Joey, Anthony and I engage in different conversations involving beer, race and beer. From the beer talk I can say that for Joey a good American beer is one hundred times better than a Corona or a Modelo. Anthony likes hard liquor instead of beer, but if he has to drink beer he prefers a Heineken. The race talk was very productive. I wasn’t trying to get involved in that kind of conversation in a direct manner, but the topic jumped into the dialogue and it was fine to me. According to Joey people that go to Andy’s are white mostly. He said that some Latinos were very annoying and sometimes they didn’t understand that is important to respect in order to be respected.For him it was not important if people from different backgrounds were at the bar; however, he also said that he felt more comfortable with his own people. His tone was calm; nonetheless, I detect some anger in his words.
Anthony is half Italian, half Venezuelan. For him races were secondaries,he was in the place for the drinks and to have a good time.
In general this was a better expetrience and Anthony help me substantially. They even introduced me to some girls that were a little bit too drunk. We also played some pool.
At 2:00 a.m. I decided that it was enough for the night. Joey said good bye and whispered that I was cool. Anthony gave me his phone number, he seemed happy to see me again. I left the place knowing that I am going to come back, but not just because I have to.