That depends entirely on the environment of the bar. Many are also restaurants, in fact, most restaurants here have bars. Also, there are some very nice bars that have great live music, I've been to several in my younger years, and I didn't feel bad about it at all. Now, the bars that are mostly just people standing around drinking and shooting pool (and are usually very dirty)? I don't know why members would want to go there anyway, but I personally don't think it's a good idea to be inundated with the idea that you need to drink to have fun, which is the general idea of those establishments (my opinion), even if you didn't go to drink, there is still pressure there to do it and why subject yourself to that?
It depends on if you have a problem with whats in a bar like beer and such. I mean if you're trying to quit drinking then going in a bar is like suicide.
I had an interesting experience with this. My husband and I met in a bar--he was playing in a rock n roll band and I was....there! *wink*
We drive by there now and wonder how the Lord could make what he did of us and it seems like a totally different lifetime ago that we were there. I would not encourage anyone to go and find a nice non member to convert while you get reactivated by any means, I think the Lord knew how it was all going to work out--(ya think?)
Anyways we would go every once in awhile if his old band came back or whatever. We went to the temple about 1 1/4 years after getting married and after that I felt like I could not be in a bar that was dark, loud music and full of people that were trying to find happiness in a bottle. It wasn't a judgment, as I would hope each one could find a way out like we did...it was more of an observation. It just didn't feel right.
I think it depends on the bar but why not. When we travel we eat in bars or clubs fairly frequently. Especially now that more and more are going non-smoking I have less of a problem with it. Many restaurants serve alcohol and I don't see any reason to not eat there. So what is the difference? I doubt I would eat in a real skanky dive because I wouldn't trust the food. And besides if you want to go dancing, where else are you going to go?
You are right about the restaurant type bars. I was mostly speaking of the bars where it is exclusively drinking and hanging out! Restaurants usually are well lit and classier as well.
I am thankful that there are anti smoking laws now in most places now.
In Stateline, Nevada, there is a little bar called Sam's that has the best pizza I think I've ever had in my life. (I was there shooting pool with some friends one night (20-some years ago) when Bill Cosby walked in... to pick up a pizza!)
Yes, I'd go into a bar for the food. And shooting pool isn't exactly sinful