Inside the Lounge: Making Memories with Great Vibes, Camaraderie and Atmosphere.

It was a cold and wet February evening in downtown historic Charleston as my husband and I hurriedly walked along the sidewalk, carefully looking for the restaurant that I had chosen to celebrate our 35th anniversary.

A few minutes later, there it was, an old, narrow red door almost hidden by the heavy growing vines and flowers climbing along the large wall, with a small white sign trimmed in gold that read "82 Queens". As we entered, the smell of old polished wood and soft dimmed lighting greeted us, along with the bartender, a tall thin girl with a large friendly grin. Sitting ourselves at the bar, I showed her the coupon I had saved for nearly a month, two free bowls of the coveted she -crab soup we had read so much about. She agreed it was a smart choice. Soon after, we were quickly getting to know more about her and as it turned out, she had just moved to Charleston, from the very neighborhood that we currently lived! We enjoyed talking, experiencing the comradery and the wonderful old nuance that small historic building held. It made a very nice memory of what turned out to be a fun and romantic evening. That’s what can happen in places of charm and character, you can meet people of charm and character.

And that's what a good lounge can do. Friends sitting comfortably on soft tufted antique couches and a bar counter filled with happy patrons chatting away, while the testing sounds of a guitarist is softly heard setting up for the evening. You have entered the lounge.

Now, we’ve all heard the famous statement that music is a universal language, no matter which part of the world we belong to, or what languages we speak, music is one thing that can bring us all together, along with great food. But add to that the friendly vibes, old world atmosphere and comradery found in a good lounge, and you've got great memories soon to happen.