Where To Drink - Barbary Coast - Downtown Wilmington

http://www.myspace.com/the_barbary

We're not fans of the new Barbary Coast motto. Frankly, upping the standards is something that should not have to be said. It would have been simpler to change the name in order to tell your customers that you have entered a new era. But when you are Wilmington's oldest bar, as we are constantly reminded from their ads, it's smart to preserve the name for the sake of nostalgia.

The bar was immortalized in David Lynch's seminal film about the underbelly of small town America, Blue Velvet. Lynch choose the place because it was so seedy, and the appearance of the bar in the film probably attracted even more assholes than it already had. Today's story is that they kicked out most of the drunken old regulars (the type of pirate personality that gave the place a bad reputation) and now cater to the young, hip crowd that has been making downtown their domain. While we have nothing against that, we still raise our eyebrows every time we read this new motto because it does not do what mottos are supposed to do: give a feeling of fun, enjoyment, and relaxation. It makes you wonder how high their standards are, if you fit it, and why you shouldn't just keep walking.

It's the fucking Barbary, man. It's the basis of the story Wilmington mom's tell their kids if they don't want them to grow up to be drinkers. That type of ingrained fear can never be overcome. The place is named after the home base area of Berber white-slave traders that raided European coastal towns and sent over a million slaves to Morroco and Algeria, while making the coasts of Spain and Italy desolate from fear well into the 19th century. It's also the name of San Fransisco's red light district during the gold rush of the 1850s.

With that said, it is really nice to walk into the Barbary Coast without worrying about getting stabbed. Yeah, you're still on guard against imaginary threats of violence, but that's only if you know about the bar's rough and tumble past. Most of the other bars (and the streets) in downtown are far more dangerous than the tone-downed Barbary these days, but the ghosts of the past still hover and whisper in your ear.

New floor, clean walls, decent bathrooms, and new ashtrays are only some of the upgrades from last year that are now finally worn in. There are exceptional collectibles on the walls that have remained from the old days. The pirate theme has been maintained with several nods to progress and the 21st century, like numerous flat screen TVs to watch sports or FuelTV. There are over 100 beers available (YES!), as well as mixed drinks.

The outdoor patio that was highly touted when they reopened is really not that big a deal. It's tiny, but it will come in handy for smokers when January comes around. There are two pool tables and...HOLY SHIT!...a real dartboard, with very good quality darts! Is that really so hard? And you don't even have to pay for it. We love free darts. There's also a foolsball table...Sorry, that's fooseball.

The bartender mentioned that the last couple of weeks have been good for business, so whether we like or dislike that douchey motto has nothing to do with their continued success. And that's the way it should be. Young, black president... Young college people at the renewed Barbary Coast... What a time we live in. What a time. Go and enjoy.