Walkin’ Around Checkin’ Stuff Out. #24
Our BINGO! kick rolls on. No big winnings to report (unless you count the cheeseburger and tots, which were fantastic), but I feel like we might be semi-pro BINGO-ers before too long.
Miller’s Corner Bar & Grill.
Miller’s Bar. Columbia Heights, MN
We’ve driven by Miller’s a few times, always curious, but we’ve never gone in. We weren’t sure what the vibe was…it kind of gave off a rough Harley bar vibe so we needed to be in the right mood for that scene.
But I saw they had a BINGO! night and that seemed like the perfect excuse to check the joint out.
We’ve been loving BINGO! as a reason to hit bars we’ve never been to before. I wondered if Miller’s was more of a biker bar, but nothing could be further from the truth (at least on BINGO! night).
Miller’s is an old school comfortable neighborhood bar where the bartender knows what the regulars are drinking without having to ask.
Dare I say that Miller’s was “cozy”? Well, it was. The warm knotty pine walls, the super-cool staff and the fact that they crammed a whole-lot of people in a tiny space made this one of the best dive bars I’ve been in.
BINGO! tends to bring out the cotton-tops and I’m good with that. On this night it was a sea of gray hair and according to the bartender they show up an hour early to get seats. Pro-move. One that seems necessary on BINGO! night no matter what bar you go to. Who knew BINGO! was such a big draw?
Burger, beer and BINGO!
That’s a hell of a night if you ask me. And I gotta hand it to Miller’s…they make a damn good burger. Head and shoulders above the typical dive bar burger…and their tots were a step-up as well. Good stuff.
BINGO! starts at 6:00 sharp. Roll those balls!
What would you call this woman…a BINGO! D.J.? I’m sure she has an official title. She had a sidekick to help keep track of numbers and confirm winning cards. This was a pro operation.
She also read the numbers nice and fast. No delays and a little more challenging if you’re working a lot of cards.
I asked her about reading the numbers fast and she said she likes to move it along. “No one wants to sit around bored waiting for the next number. Win and get out.” I like her style.
Like any good bar, the people watching is a big draw for us, and people watching in bar during a BINGO! game is just that much better.
The regulars are what make a joint like this. This woman was all business…a BINGO! pro. I bet she’s got stories of some big wins and the ones that got away.
That’s the look of a guy that can sense victory is within his grasp.
Waiting patiently for a new game to start. “The last one didn’t go my way…but this next game has my name on it…I can feel it.”
Coveting the purple dauber. She knows she shouldn’t, but she can’t help herself.
Not happy with the results. “How could someone call BINGO! that fast?!?”
This guy had a tough-guy vibe to him. Weathered and well-worn. Didn’t strike me as the BINGO! type. Probably sees killing time with BINGO! cards as a way to stay out of trouble. Good advice.
I’ve always heard the people running a BINGO game referred to as “callers.”
I'm using BINGO as a way to get the adult children to hang out with grandma, while I enjoy an occasional Modelo, or 3...genius move! See ya at Sandy's : )