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Mark Burlet
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A Welcome Pint in Highlandtown
Yeah, me neither. But if I had, I'm sure it would have felt something like what I experienced walking into The Laughing Pint recently. Of course, in the real-life version, I was taken aback when owner/bartender Shannon remembered me (or, more accurately, the odd-ball group of friends with which I used to frequent the place), and noted my prolonged absence from her establishment. I came up with the usual list of excuses, none of which seemed to hold water, so I simply apologized, took a seat at the bar for a pint of Clipper City and planned my revenge... I mean, reacquaintance. Sadly, my good friend Lauren, the local who brought me back to the Pint, has recently moved on as well. Looks like I'm on my own this time.
However, it wasn't long before Beth, another bar-goddess, was introducing me to some of the other regulars... including Lotta, who happens to be the first person I know to discover this pub when it first opened almost two years ago. After catching up with her a bit on some mutual friends, I quickly felt I was home...
So much so that when my sister came in town from New Orleans last week, this was the first place I brought her, remarking how it reminded me of a neighborhood bar in Mid-city back home. My observations were confirmed when, upon arriving, we quickly found four more native New Orleanians in the Friday night crowd of 20 or 30 patrons. Pretty good ratio, if you ask me.
But I should say, you don't have to be me, or even be from New Orleans, to enjoy this place. There's something for everyone, really. The back of the bar offers pool, shuffleboard and arcade games. The front booths host a collection of boardgames for those who need further entertaining... just try playing Scrabble or Taboo while drunk. The musical offerings from Shannon's personal collection of tunes are top-notch, especially for fans of 90's rock. And the there's even a courtyard out back for you dedicated smokers out there. But what it boils down to is that the staff is friendly, the drinks are well-made (try a fresh-squeezed Greyhound) and the crowd is warm and welcoming. 
So while it may seem to be a bit out-of-the-way from the usual crowded Canton or Fed Hill bars, that's all the more appealing in my book. And the Highlandtown locals have really taken to the place as a haven of refuge from the rougher areas of the neighborhood... I've even witnessed several using the bar as a forum to discuss the issues. Not just an escape from the troubles of daily life, the Laughing Pint has become... to many of these people, including the crusading owner Shannon... a rallying point for neighborhood improvement. Not bad for a little bar on the corner of Gough and Conkling, eh?
I'd have to agree with the growing consensus that the Pint is "The Nicest Little Bar in Baltimore!"
Maybe I'll see you out there sometime?
Mark Burlet
Drunken Intellectual
Topics: drinking , bars , Highlandtown , Laughing Pint
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