Czech-ing Things Out
Ever find yourself in a situation where you take a step back, look around, and think, "How did I end up here? How did I end up in this place at this time with these people?" I do, and fairly often it seems. Such was the case at just after 4am Wednesday morning, as I got ready to leave the Czechoslovakian Social Club.
How did I end up at a members only club, which I had previously passed many times in my own neighborhood? I simply asked if I could go in. Someone I work with at Becco, who just so happens to be from Slovakia, split a cab with me back to Queens. She was stopping in there for a drink, as it was the last night the establishment was in operation. I knew this was the last chance I’d have to check the place out. It intrigued me, and I was curious what it would be like to hang out with complete strangers who barely spoke English, and be able to walk home afterward. Hey, it’s cheaper than a Eastern European Vacation! Still, it was a little out of character for me. I don’t much travel out of my comfort zone, especially with people I hardly know. Perhaps it was the 2 glasses of vino rossa I had enjoyed, or the full meal resting in my belly, that gave me the impetus. In any case, once I walked through those doors, I felt like I was no longer in New York.
I was greeted warmly by a group of middle aged, smiling people. The woman was her Aunt, and she said what I presume to be hello in another language. After a brief dialog between Tina, the girl who let me in, and her Aunt, I was welcomed by a few other gentleman in broken English. After having a seat, I surveyed the setting, a festively decorated place, fairly dark with strings of lights softly illuminating the long narrow room. The place was quite full, with many older patrons, who looked to be regulars, populating a messy group of tables in the back. A few younger men and women had moved tables out of the way to create a dance floor, and they spun and swayed to the music playing from the jukebox. The music I heard over the course of the 3 hours I was there ranged from thumping techno sounds with foreign language blasting over it, to old American music, such as Ace of Base, which I heard at least 3 times. The bar was fully seated; a few men discussing soccer wearing futbol jerseys, a soldier in desert camo, and slick looking man in a turtleneck trying to get the female bartender to kiss him for hours, being made fun of by his friends at the other end of the bar. All in another language. Still, i stayed as they kept putting beers in front of me, saying cheers every 10 minutes to one thing or another. Even after the one person I vaguely knew left, I stayed to observe. They were very kind to me, and I spoke with a few different people, relaxing a little more with each conversation, until I no longer felt like an outsider.
I think there was a lesson in there somewhere. Perhaps to be more spontaneous, to try new things, to experience small portions of other cultures whenever possible. The one thing I really took away from that experience was a sense of human interconnectedness. These people grew up and lived halfway around the world, and came here searching for something better. But they were just like people in any other bar I’ve been to. Some a little older, some a little drunker, but the same in spirit. There are so many people in the world we will never know, never meet. Never share laughter or stories with. But just to know that they are much like us, that is something to build off of. If we could focus more on the things we share and less on the things that set us apart, that open-mindedness could do wonders…
Although the social club is now closed, there is another place where Czechs gather, and you may be surprised where it is . Visited by many famous Czechs, including President Vaclav Hovel, the Beer Gardens (which you Astorians know quite well) has an interesting history! http://www.bohemianhall.com/
