No Strollers

Interestingly, a few days after I first wrote about how I was seeing more children in bars since they banned smoking The New York Times wrote a similar article. A few readers of my blog pointed this out to me and how some of the wording in the article was very similar to what I had posted in my blog.

A few days ago I again posted about children in bars and, specifically, how Union Hall, a bar in Park Slope, had banned strollers. Well wouldn't you know it, today The New York Times had an article on, drum-roll please, Union Hall banning strollers.

Great Minds


Apparently the whole issue of whether or not small children should be allowed in bars is now a hot topic and a bit contentious. I still maintain that it is perfectly acceptable to have children in the restaurant portion of a bar for a family dinner, but having them in the bar area itself is not only inappropriate, it can be dangerous. This may be hard to believe, but often times people drinking at a bar aren't really expecting to find a stroller at their feet. Most bars, especially in New York, aren't really child friendly, unlike pubs in Europe (and some pub-style bars in New York) which are much more family oriented.

I also find it strange that the same people who take their small children into a bar are probably the same ones who would complain about unsafe conditions at a local park because the new artificial grass contains harmful chemicals or that the rubber padding around the swings has become a bit worn.

Oops, I Dropped Him Again


My favorite scratch your head and ponder this part of The New York Times article was when, in support of allowing children in bars, Christen Clifford proudly recalled breast-feeding her son at the bar before ordering a martini. She must be running for the Britney Spears Mother Of The Year Award. Certainly gets my vote. On the other hand, her son, Felix, was probably really looking forward to his next hit of mother's milk. Unless he got dropped on his head first.