PRAISE BE: Chicago Bars Can Now Stay Open Until 1AM With 50% Occupancy
Chicago will allow bars and restaurants to boost indoor capacity to 50% and remain open until 1 a.m. in the latest move from Mayor Lori Lightfoot to ease COVID-19 restrictions and help businesses.
The indoor dining limit will now be 50% capacity or 50 people, whichever is fewer. Lightfoot also will allow liquor stores to sell alcohol until 11 p.m. and boost the number of people allowed at indoor fitness classes to 20, the city said.
How the entire city is going to react to this news and the how every bar will feel this summer
Slowly, but surely back to fucking normal and people are going to treat it like the roaring 20s. People thought that we'd have all sorts of covid-19 quarantine pregnancies and babies being born out of sheer boredom, but studies show that hasn't really been the case. I do think we will have a HUGE spike in pregnancies and maybe STDs when people are released back into the wild. Our brains have probably been conditioned through all of this to behave as if it is end of days. Like the old Don Draper quote, we'll be treating like there's no tomorrow because…there's isn't one. People are going to be reckless and it is going to be FANTASTIC.
The one caveat(and maybe I am not totally interpreting the article correctly) but if bars are open until 1AM while having a last call at 11pm…that is going to be quite the tight rope to walk with your potential hookup. Everyone needs a little social lubricant in those situations. An excuse to make a decision you wouldn't necessarily make sober. Maybe they don't look quite how you'd want them to. Girls, maybe he's an idiot but you couldn't really tell because it was loud and you were drunk. If that last call is at 11pm and the lights come on and you've still got another two hours to stay in that moment getting the finish line is going to be quite the feat. The lights coming on is jarring enough. Mix in waters and sobering up for an hour and you can forget about it. Not only will I no longer be in a mental state to make poor decisions, but I'll just straight up go to bed. 1AM…sorry, that's way after my bed time and quite honestly when I am sober I just want to be alone. Either way, it's going to be a fun summer I hope. So happy for all the bar and restaurant owners that can no finally operate their businesses somewhat normally and can make a living. That is the most important thing here. And my favorite bar in the city is Declans. Buy a shirt and I will see you at the back table.