Pubs

As I will admit, being newly 19, I do not have much experience with bars back at home. However, I do know that, at least in my household, bars are not exactly seen as a good place to be hanging around. Bars are places that old men go and drink their lives away whilst puffing on a cigarette with a missing filter, or, it is the place to go when you are young and stupid and want to get wasted on a Friday night.
In England, going to the pub is a totally different thing. Going to the pub is never a bad thing here, it is considered a normal thing to do on a regular basis. Pubs are normally quieter than bars in the US and most also serve "real" meals, sort of like a restaurant. Pubs are a place where you can get together with your friends after a long day at work, have a pint, and possibly play some trivia, watch the football game, or even do some karaoke. Pub culture in England is something that every native here knows and loves and thus are very proud of.

Sadly enough however, because of the recession and the new ban on smoking, many pubs are being forced to close down on a DAILY basis. Although an outsider may think that a couple of pubs closing down each week is not at all a big deal, many natives are very upset about this because they feel as if their pub culture is slowly being stripped away.