A couple weeks ago I realized I have a special place in my heart for old men. I’m not talking about I-need-a-walker-and-don’t-remember-my-kid’s-name old. Just the kind of jolly old drunken male retiree you find at a neighborhood pub…in a college neighborhood. Yes, that kind of old. Skeeetchy.

I walked into The Bubble, 6036 N. Broadway, wondering what to expect. A futuristic scene? A tiny glass-bound watering hole for Loyola kids who don’t want to travel too far from home? The absence of a line, a bouncer or even a sign on the door gave me little to work with. Alas, I was surprised by the normalcy of The Bubble – dusty tables, too-few seating areas, bathroom doors that don’t lock, the familiar nervous feeling that the glassware isn’t clean. A true college bar. Well, except for the continuous row of white-haired, chubby men flirting with the bartender.

For the underage crowd, well…my 22-year-old sister (5’2″) and my 19-year-old friend (5’10”) got beers right after each other, and each was holding a copy of my sister’s ID. The bartender bought that I was going on 26. Enough said.

Besides an eagerness to get ladies inside and tipsy, The Bubble offers these fabulous $6 draft pitchers. At the bar getting a round, I was seduced by a balding man wondering why a girl as pretty as moi was buying my own pitchers – and who doesn’t love to hear that? How did he know that I’m constantly traveling from sketchy bar to sketchy bar, looking for Prince Charming to buy my next sloppy, heaping pitcher? Way to get right to my heart, grandpa – a true class act.

The Bubble is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday.

– Allie Markowitz