[DonHopkins]

If/when you're in Amsterdam and into punk rock dive bars, Cafe The Minds is mixed and diverse and inclusive, unlike the other boring uniform venues you describe. It's not the only exception that proves the rule, but some of the other wonderfully mixed venues like Korsakoff have closed long ago or during Covid, unfortunately. In the gay scene, de Trut is still going strong every Sunday night, and is totally welcoming and inclusive to different types, genders, ages, social status, etc!

[AlecSchueler]

Thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to check it out if I'm up that way!

Didn't mean to suggest that the Netherlands didn't have friendly or inclusive places, hope it didn't come across that way.

It's just that in Ireland I know I can go out alone and end up back at someone's house at the end of the night. In most "normal bars" here (doe normaal hoor!) out even just at a bus stop, say, when I try to talk to strangers they look at me like I'm interrupting them. Which is fair enough, just a cultural difference.

[CalRobert]

Wow, that's very different to my own experince. The midlands at least seem quite insular.