Early fascinations and poor socialization

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Since my earliest fascination with nocturnal entertainment, I’ve been

bombarded by the belief that the Greater Bangor area scores a shade above zero in the nightlife department.

For all its clubs, pool halls, bars and socializing arenas, the city just

doesn’t seem to have the allure of the outrageous hangouts frequented by the

flat mates on shows like MTV’s The Real World.

If you’ve had a similar impression, let me run a scenario by you: Your college friend calls you on a Thursday and tells you she’s coming up to visit you for the weekend. Upon graduation, this friend moved out of central

Maine and spent the last five months in the booming metropolis of Portland,

Boston or, dare I say, New York City.

Although she was a little timid in college, the big city life has expanded

her horizons and social connections, leaving her a ravenous dance-crazed

party animal.

You, on the other hand, live in Bangor and have spent the same five months eating takeout and catching flicks at the second-run movie theaters on your free evenings.

The two of you always had so much fun in college and she was hoping you

could take her out for a night on the town.

Do you:

A) Sidestep the idea and suggest you head down to see her for a visit.

B) Fake an illness and hope she’s not looking for a rain check.

C) Swallow your pride and attempt to pass Bangor off as the happening

stomping grounds of numerous hip twentysomethings.

If you took more than 10 seconds to think about your answer or you read the

choices more than once, perhaps your faith in the Queen City after sundown

isn’t as strong as you thought.

It’s not as if Bangor is suffering from a total lack of entertainment. The

Greater Bangor area is overflowing with musical and artistic performances

every weekend. Festivals, grand openings and other such celebrations are commonplace. And yet, I get the impression that young people are left

wanting.

So, what is it that young people are looking for – the presence of good food

and drink?

Perhaps.

The company of a charming member of the opposite sex?

It can’t hurt.

The pulsating and rhythmic thump of the subwoofer as primal house music

pours out on the dance floor?

Yup, that’s good too.

But the basic appeal is much simpler than that. It’s the aspect to the night

life that few people experience in the daily grind – excitement. The kind

that takes two minutes to plan and all night to enjoy. The kind where you’re

not thinking about what time you have to be up the next morning, how much

money you spent or what you looked like when you left the house. The kind

that beckons the question, “Why do I want a day job at all?”

But ask any young adult on the street what the Greater Bangor area has to offer in the way of excitement and you may find yourself wishing you’d asked a simpler question, like “Which way is downtown?”

So are the twentysomethings of the Greater Bangor area really fighting a

losing battle with the evil forces of nighttime boredom? Or does the scene

really have more to offer than what’s on the surface?

I don’t have answers for either of these questions, so it looks like I’m

going to have to do some research.