How to Be A Regular
Regardless of your interests, there’s going to be places for you here in London. From pubs and restaurants, to bookstores and parks, and I know your tourist-y mindset is telling you to explore as many as you can as quickly as you can, so you’ll get the full experience while you’re here. Lemme just tell you, you got it all wrong. All that’s going to do is saturate the places so much, you won’t remember one from another. My first advice would be spending your first couple weeks doing a little exploring at a comfortable traveling distance for you (bout twenty-minute walk max. for me). Get accustomed to these places and pick out some that stand out to you as a favorite. Now that you got some places, it’s time to infiltrate and make yourself known. There’re perks to being a regular, wherever that might be. Bartenders might give you free and/or stronger drinks and restaurant workers might give you bigger portions or free samples. Even those places where money isn’t exchanged, there’s a glorious opportunity for you that no tourist has on their mind: Strong human relationships with the people you see on a regular basis. You might see the same person at your favorite park or bookstore. This kind of facial repetition is noticeable for both parties, which could eventually spark conversations, and you’ll learn new things about people. It’s all about being a regular in order to make your stay here something worth the while, and it’ll be a skill you can take wherever you're at. The people you meet might even become your best friend while here. You can’t just show up and be a ghost though. That won’t get you anywhere if you’re trying to be a face that gets remembered. You got to make yourself standout. Don’t freak out, it’s simpler than it sounds. For my beginner regulars (possibly introverts), just start by being friendly. The first thing you should do is smile at people. Simple I know, but it’s welcoming. As you see the same person over and over again those smiles can become bigger, and eventually aconversation will pursue. You can become connected with other regulars at any kind of location. I’ve become close with another regular at a pub, and now I’m good friends with a tall, old, drunken bastard. Every time he sees me, I get a point and a “you fucking cunt” then an embrace. I quickly realized it’s out of love so now the first five minutes of our conversation is always arguing over who the bigger cunt is. Even if you’re not planning on purchasing the services from a pub or restaurant, it doesn’t hurt to pop your head in and say hi to the people who provide their services for you. There’s a bartender at The College Arms I’m a regular at that I found out works every day the bar is open. Since it’s close to the house, I go in everyday, ask him how he’s doing, and what’s new in life. The first day I broke this tradition, I got a message from him asking if everything’s ok. This is why the key to being a legitimate regular is to hunt for human connections. Too often customers will forget these people are, in fact, people. Hopefully this will set you on pace for becoming a successful regular like me. Just like any practice, the way to perfecting this art of being a known face is repetition. While being a regular comes with lots of benefits, I’d still suggest getting out and exploring places. I’d say that going out over the weekend is when to find new places further from your comfortable distance. Maybe some of the connections you’ve made will take you to other places they know about. Shit, maybe you can be like me and have your regular bartender take you out to their favorite pubs when they’re not working.
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