A Stroller ain't nothing but a sandwich*

Anchower, again. Actually been going places and eating things, rather than say, hanging around the office, hitting refresh on Chow.com scanning for imprecise usages of "deconstruct." And deets TK! For now, Portland is pretty much like you would figure, and in San Juan, large multigenerational families eat out at all hours! The latter point is interesting, as the stroller wars are heating up again. If you could get these folks on the same page, the combined force of the huffy indignations would be enough to free Tibet. For now, I'll observe that this whole strollers-in-bars contretemps is a classic example of unintended consequences, in that the whole issue would go away if they re-legalized smoking in bars. At the Cod's local, you'd only bring in an infant at a busy time if you wanted to cure it, Jamon-steez, so it's really not an issue. One of America's Park Slope's  great social ills solved before nine on a Monday--you're welcome, Brooklyn.

*Baby Watson, whut whut -- The Garage, circa 1982, hollerin atcha!
**Image from the Chronic's baby blog, "The Poop." The debate plays out a little differently in SF. What the fuck do they put in the water out there?

Comments

[Marco]

Are you talkin' about the Paradise Garage?

[Rose's Lime]

I happen to be reading this post in the Starbucks in The Garage. I was offered the choice of drip or brewed coffee this morning for my tall regular - this store being one of the first five Starbucks in the country tooffers pressed coffee I was smugly informed. My comment, "How Coffee Connection of You" was met with an uncomprehending stare.

My before noon solution to the stroller war is the kryptonite lock. Park the stroller at a meter and have a slice and a pint. Oh, and don't forget to unclip the kid from the stroller and bring him in.

[Fesser]

Once again, Rose's Lime speaks with the wisdom of a Solomon who does not automatically reach for the sword. But would the stroller not then require thorough dousing in Purel?

[Rose's Lime]

The stroller? Try the bar! Next time you reach for the ketchup in the slope, think about who's been gumming the bottle. That's the bigger hazard here. The average stroller is as sticky as a pub floor anyway.

[Skeen]

Much wisdom from Rose's Lime.

I'd like to think that the "no strollers" signs are intended to keep out two elements: (1) the clunky, space-hogging strollers themselves, which get in everyone's way and take up precious space in small hostelries, and (2) the kind of parent who thinks stroller = kid, because they can't imagine kids being transportable (viable?) without a set of wheels or a plastic handle.

They're called arms and laps, people. Use them occasionally.

[Grace]

It is the strollers that were banned in the bar, not kids. There is a huge difference in it. Since stroller size and a sense of entitlement seem to be directly related, it becomes problem for other visitors. Many of these moms are simply too self-centered to notice that their strollers are incredibly inconvenient for everyone else.