(Part 1 of 3)
If you are a tourist, especially if you're female, AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. There are plenty of other places in Door County to eat and drink, with better food, and where you'll feel and actually be safer.
I visited Door County for the first time ever this past Friday through Sunday. Found a lovely B&B, and they made some excellent recommendations for places to see and things to do. I was interested in finding a non-fancy, local restaurant or bar for a Friday Fish Fry, before heading over to Adults Night at Hands On Art Studio, and they suggested the AC Tap. Unfortunately, that was a bad recommendation.
Now, I should state that I am a woman in my late 30s and was traveling alone. I have never had any problems going into bars, restaurants, or anywhere by myself, and frequently strike up conversation with people near me or the bartender. I have never in my entire life had an experience like the one I had at this bar.
I walked in from the back door and found the barstools at the bar to be full, and the noise level moderate, with people talking and the music. Not a problem - it's a bar on a Friday night. I was glad to see lots of people and figured it must be a good place with a bunch of people there on a Friday night around 5-5.15pm. I found one open barstool at the bar, about 5 stools in from one end. To my left were a bunch, maybe 6 or 7, 30s-40s guys, who were loud and having fun, and seemed to me to be at least moderately drunk. To my right was an older couple, with the woman directly on my right. I asked if the seat was taken, was told no, and sat down. Immediately upon sitting down, the man to my left (a mid 40s looking guy, sunglasses on his head, maybe looked liked he'd been out golfing that day?) started trying to talk to me. His friends were saying things like, "You should buy her a drink," "Tell her I know her," and "Tell her she looks like a Wendy." One saw over my shoulder that my wallpaper on my phone was my cat and started saying, "She likes cats. I saw, it's on her phone, she likes cats." I ordered a cocktail and the fish fry from the male bartender. There were two bartenders - one a late 20s guy and one a late 30s or so woman. I began chatting with the woman on my right and turned my back to the guys, hoping that ignoring their silliness would encourage them to stop. The guy next to me started talking to me, even with my back to him, and proceeded to tell me several times that "Hey, my friend says he knows you," to which I turned to him and told him that he didn't. I turned away again and continued chatting with the woman on my right. Then he poked my arm a couple of times and said, "Hey, my friend says your name is Wendy. Is your name Wendy?" Obviously not interested in carrying on a conversation with him, I turned to him and said that No, my name wasn't Wendy, and turned quickly back around again. He then started talking loudly in my general direction, certainly to me, but to my back, because I was obviously trying to ignore him, that "Oh, I thought we'd be introduced, I thought you were gonna tell me your name, I was only trying to be friendly..." etc. I found his seemingly drunk behavior to be inconsiderate and stupid and hoped ignoring it would make it stop. I don't recall when the bathroom vending machine single condom packages started being slid down the bar and banging into my drink or food, but it was pretty constant once they started. I tried ignoring them, I tried putting them on the bar rail away from me and out of reach of the guy to my left, but they just kept sliding down the bar into the side of my drink or into the side of my fish fry basket. The guy to my left started taking them and putting them in his pocket or tossing them back to his friends, saying loudly that "See? I'm taking them away. They're throwing stuff, and I'm taking them away." Meanwhile, the female bartender was hanging out around behind the bar, but much of the time to my left with the bunch of guys, doing shots or chatting away loudly and having fun. I don't begrudge anyone that, as I am from a small town and have been a bartender in small town bars. Hang out, have fun, enjoy your regulars and a fun Friday night. She seemed like she was having a good time, which is great. However, if she was unaware of this, she was drunk and not paying attention, and if she was aware of it, she was complicit. The guy bartender (sober as far as I could tell, quiet, and just doing his job behind the bar) I think was aware they were harassing me as well, and also did nothing to tell them to stop up to that point. That's when the condom sailed through the air from the end of the bar and landed in my food.
Yep. They threw a condom in my food like junior high boys being bullies in the lunchroom. That's sure what it felt like. (continued in Part 2) read more