As bars reopen, we find masks, no masks, open space, foamy taps, everywhere a sign - and a lot of smiles

Sign at the Green Hut

The hairy guy’s report:

What happens when bars suddenly reopen after being closed for – gee, how long was that, anyway?

People walk in and smile a lot, it turns out.

We can tell that because mostly they’re not wearing masks, though it’s tough to drink or eat with a mask on anyway. Life is full of risks, and time will tell whether this will come back to bite us in a few weeks. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy it.

But every bar now has an assortment of signs saying to do this and don't do that. "Do you feel sick?" asks one. (It almost invites you to act like a wiseguy and think, "Yes. I need a beer.")

At 12:01 a.m. Monday, when the governor decreed that bars and restaurants could reopen, we were among about two dozen of those happy people who marched in to the Green Hut on Columbus – which was among at least four local bars that didn’t want to waste any time.

By 12:10 a.m., customers were at the available tables, laughing and talking amid music. Friends greeted each other. Within minutes, a couple of people were filling out Keno slips.

In other words, things were pretty much back to normal, though with a more festive than usual air (and likely a bigger-than-usual turnout for a Sunday night).

But not entirely.

The taps were foamy after the extended disuse. The bartenders wore face masks. Two tables were marked “Do not use” (and weren’t). We didn't mind any of it.

Checking out a few spots later Monday ...

Coonan’s Irish Hub on Johnson had lots of space just after noon. The back patio has been enlarged. At the bar, a few people sat apart but still close enough for conversation while we

Sign on the door at the Curve

downed a glass of Killian’s and a bowl of chowder. In the old days (Can we call it “the old days” already?) the place would have been too noisy for that.

Coonan’s has obviously been cleaned and painted. The menus are on paper instead of laminated plastic. Fancy industrial-strength hand sanitizer dispensers have foot pedals.

Across town at the Curve on Henry, the pool tables are shoved aside to make room between tables. Clear plastic curtains hang over the bar to separate the bartender from patrons. Ceiling fans provide a brisk breeze.

The Curve was among the places that had opened at midnight to what was reportedly a good turnout. Reopened during the day, about half a dozen people at around 2 p.m. grew to a dozen by 2:45 p.m. A can of Bud Light was perfect.

At Lucky’s up on Midland Street, six people were seated at 3 p.m., in two groups at distance. Every other booth was marked not to use. We asked for a Manhattan but struck out; no sweet vermouth.

We tried again down the block at the Crowne Pub, which opens at 4.

“Can I get a Manhattan?” “Yes, of course,” said the bartender.

Again, every other booth was kept empty. The laminated menus are still in use, but supposedly sanitized between uses. The Crowne’s hamburger was as good as ever. The whole place had a slight ammonia smell, which wasn’t bothersome.

A few people kept their distance inside, where the giant stuffed bear remains on guard at the end of the bar, while a row of chairs became filled out in front.

And it turns out that, back in February, the Crowne’s owner bought the former Madame Shelley’s

People lined up out front at the Crowne Pub

(more recently called Bottomz Up, before it closed) at Washington and Ninth. He hoped to have it open by June, but that didn’t happen.

We’d hoped to check out the redone Duso’s just across the street, which in the past opened at 4 p.m. But the new owner aims to turn the pleasant dive bar into more of a nightclub and wasn’t going to open until 7 p.m. The interior has been quite changed, complete with 7 Deadly Sins cocktails (so the famed $1 pints of PBR are likely long gone). We decided to call it a day. Another time.

And we likely would have stopped in at the Rathskeller while we were in the neighborhood. But in a stroke of bad timing, the bar said in a Facebook post Monday that it would be closed for the week to sanitize after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. A posting Tuesday wasn’t as specific, saying “Hope to see you in a few weeks.”

The whole situation is obviously a tough one for bar owners, but they’re making the best of it without complaining.

And in another reminder of the old days, all those large TVs in bars that usually show sports are still doing that. But the games are all reruns.

One more thing: We oldsters with lousy hearing are used to staring at talkers’ mouths to help figure out what’s being said. Now we instead find ourselves staring at an impressive array of face coverings -- fancy designer masks, colorful homemade masks, serious-looking medical masks and bandannas. And we probably say “What?” more often. We’ll deal with it.

How long will it go on like this? Nobody knows.

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See doc’s report: The masks are off, but I’d know those eyes anywhere