"How would I know?" is the common response I give to people when they pose the question of whether Westport is dying off. From the new P&L competition to the increased violence of the area, everyone seems to have a theory on why this one time party destination seems on the brink of extinction.
I just don't know. I rarely venture anywhere during the late night party hours anymore. And I assume that is when Westport can be judged the best. I did make it there on a recent Thursday night and every bar seemed about as busy as the tourist office in Bixby, Oklahoma (sorry, obscure reference to a J.D. Mercer prank phone call).
The beer was cold, the pizza still relatively warm and tasty, but the inside of Kelly's on that night looked absolutely barren. The Foundry fared no better. Even America's Pub looked lonely bumping its techno sounds as if beckoning drunken 19 year olds to please give it a chance.
So is Westport dying? And if so, why? I don't buy the P&L theory. It's a different crowd. Besides isn't competition the very thing that drives our great bar loving nation?
I think it's staleness. We all love that special place that stays the same and we love it for refusing to change with the times. But we also know that most of the places in Westport have long ago lost any allure or charm which made them so special.