Bob & Barbara's Lounge 1509 South Street Mon-Sat, 3 p.m.-2 a.m. (215) 545-4511
Move over Marbar, Bob and Barbara's is coming through. Bob and Barbara's is one of Philly's oldest and most eclectic bars. Located midtown on South Street, this 'weathered' establishment draws a diverse crowd and features ping pong Tuesdays and the oldest drag show in Philadelphia on Thursdays.
Unfortunately, on Saturdays the only thing you may see are fat, balding and socially awkward middle-aged men alongside equally awkward women. Apparently, if you are over 35 and drunk enough, you can dance and spank the guy that walks around collecting empty beer cans. It's not clear whether he is collecting the cans for profit or actually working for the bar, but his dance moves are enjoyable nonetheless. He also offers free packs of cigarettes. The friendly folk at Bob and Barbara's seem to encourage all kinds of smoking: first-hand, second-hand, crack pipe, as long as it is all in the name of good drunken revelry.
After a while one gets the feeling that the nice people at Bob and Barbara's are just trying to help everyone kill themselves a little faster. One old man was just sitting staring at the wall. He was wearing a fedora, holding an instrument case and looking like he was just waiting to die. Most patrons are not over the hill, per se. Rather, as a fellow Penn patron put it, "They look like they never had a hill to get over." They should have a sign at the door: 21 to enter, 35 to party.
One usually associates Penn's campus with cheap beer and drag shows, but its not the only Mecca of such high culture. If you were drowning your sorrows in PBR over the fact that Mask and Wig are not performing again until spring semester, then Thursday night at Bob and Barbara's is just the place for you. It draws an eclectic mix of Philadelphians, which is exactly why the Saturday night crowd does not attend.
