Photo by James BunoanAfter spending what had been a typical whiskey-drenched Tuesday night out with some friends, the idea of going to the Beach Ball at 6 a.m. the next morning seemed ingenious—fun, even.
When the alarm went off five hours later, not so much.
Still, upon arriving at the bar at 6:15, my friends and I were greeted by Sally, the bartender, and three other customers: two men with a court appearance scheduled for later that morning sipping vodka and sodas and a general contractor with a hankering for Bloody Marys.
Feeling a bit parched and eyeing the bar's empty coffee pot, I sat down with Sally to chat about her early-morning booze-slinging and asked what she recommends for strung-out barflies.
“Bloody Marys, usually. The locals drink lots of vodka.”
The thought of drinking vodka on an empty stomach reminded me of a horrendous night I spent in a dorm-room closet my freshman year in college, so I ordered a whiskey and coke. Glancing around, I noticed that—including Sally and a deliveryman in the back of the bar—there are nine people in the bar. I point this out to her.
“Yeah, it usually starts out sort of busy, then dies for a few hours before picking up again around 11 or 12 for the lunchtime crowd.”
Even on Wednesdays?
“We mainly just get the regular locals, but sometimes customers will stumble in after getting a cup of coffee at the donut shop down the street. They'll walk by and say, 'Oh, look! The bar's open!' And come in.”
What about the weekends?
“On the weekends, you never know what you're going to see. People sometimes come in, like, 40 at a time and order 15 shots. We'll get busses from Club Rubber and limos full of people coming back from a night of partying.”
Those shifts must be hell.
“Honestly, it can be like babysitting a bunch of tweakers. Everyone's really on edge.”
I spot a bare pool table. It looks like it'd make a fantastic bed.
I ask if anyone ever tries to sleep in here.
“We're not allowed to let people sleep, but you'll catch people passed out while hiding behind their friends. They always say they just want to sleep for an hour and then wake up.”
Is there a bouncer for the morning shifts?
“We don't really need one. The customers usually take care of themselves.”
What about sloppy drunks? Ever get people who mistake the Beach Ball for a hotel room?
“Well, last year on the morning after Saint Patrick's Day, a guy and two girls came in and headed straight for the bathroom. I'm friends with the guy now, so we laugh about it, but I definitely found the three of them in the bathroom . . . having fun.”
That must have been interesting sight because the bathrooms—
“Right. They're really tiny.”
