The Bar Scene

Sims don’t move to Bridgeport to sit home and practice their chess. They come here to see and be seen, and there is no better place to accomplish this goal than the local bar scene.

Bridgeport’s night life is bumpin’ almost seven nights a week, as Sims spread out across town to grab a cheap drink at a dive bar, dance the night away at a club, or hopefully brush up against the rich and famous at an exclusive lounge.

If you want to get the most out of your time in Bridgeport, you too will jump into the bar scene with both feet. But do not expect to waltz through the doors of the Prosper Room, Bridgeport’s ritziest lounge, on your first evening.

You may not even make it through on your 20th evening. But if you follow the strategies detailed in the celebrity chapter, Popularity Contest, the barrier ropes that bar entry to lesser Sims will magically melt away.

There are three varieties of bars in Bridgeport: Dive bar, dance club, lounge. Knowing what to expect at these bars, such as the days with the most action or the drink prices, will help ensure you have a good night out.

So study up on the scene and then get to work on raising your profile, because if you don’t you’ll spend a lot of nights in the same dive bar over and over again, eating wings and watching the game. (However, for some Sims, that’s a perfect night out—and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.)

Hours of Operation: These are the hours in which the bar is open and welcoming new customers—well, at least those able to get past the ropes.

Prices: The general price range of food and drink.

Happy Hour: During these hours, food and drinks are discounted.

Peak Time: Between these hours, you are likely to see the maximum number of Sims in the bar.

Peak Day: Every bar type has a peak day when they pack ‘em in. On other days, you risk showing up to a ghost town. Hot spots are designated on Map View with a red triangle.

Maximum # of Guests: This is the limit of Sims that can be inside the bar.

Clientele: These are the kind of Sims the bouncer (if there is one) allows through the door.

Number of Celebs Typically Onsite: Looking to hook up with celebrities? Use these figures to see where you may have a good chance of running into one.

Bouncer: Is there a bouncer onsite to deny you entry?

Unappreciated Traits: Sims with these traits are not likely to fit in very well at this type of bar.

Dive Bar

Hours of Operation: 11 a.m.‑3 a.m.

Prices: Low

Happy Hour: 5 p.m.‑6 p.m.

Peak Time: 2 p.m. lunch crowd

Peak Days: Wednesday, Thursday

Maximum # of Guests: 8

Clientele: Average Sims

Number of Celebs Typically Onsite: None

Bouncer: Only the Bridgeport Sport Zone

Unappreciated Traits: Snob, Coward, Neat, Family-Oriented

Dive bars are “everybody knows your name” joints that welcome anybody through the doors without checking their celeb status or pocketbooks. Keeping the average joe in mind, dive bars set lower prices on the menus.

Dive bars tends to have amusements onsite, such as darts and shuffleboard. These are good places for socializing (but watch out for somebody with a chip on his shoulder, ready to start a fight) and starting to make a name for yourself through selfless acts like buying the bar a round of drinks.

The bar food at dive bars is cheap‑but itís still better than the stuff you make before you starting developing the Cooking skill.

Dance Club

Hours of Operation: 5 p.m.‑4 a.m.

Prices: Medium

Happy Hour: None

Peak Time: Midnight

Peak Day: Saturday

Maximum # of Guests: 14

Clientele: Mixed

Number of Celebs Typically Onsite: 3-5

Bouncer: Yes

Unappreciated Traits: Frugal, Loner, Loser

Thumping bass. Swirling lights. Swiveling hips. The dance club is the place to go on a Saturday night to get down and have a great time with your friends. But don’t just stick to the group.

Chat up strangers, ask Sims to dance—who knows, before the sun comes up you may be bringing a new friend (with benefits) back home to your hot tub. These are typically the most crowded bars because of their size, little bit of status, head to dance club so you can meet even more Sims—and continue working your way up the fame ladder.

Lounge

Hours of Operation: 2 p.m.‑2 a.m.

Prices: High

Happy Hour: None

Peak Time: 11 p.m.

Peak Days: Friday, Saturday

Maximum # of Guests: 10

Clientele: Celebrity, Rich

Number of Celebs Typically Onsite: 1-3

Bouncer: Yes

Unappreciated Traits: Frugal, Loner, Loser

These are the toniest night spots in Bridgeport, and thus the hardest to get into. You can attempt to sneak in through a hack or a back door, but it’s more likely that you’ll just have to wait until you have a few stars to your name or are in a celeb’s group before you breeze by the barrier ropes of the lounges.

That might be for the best, too, because the prices are the lounges are the highest in the city. If you try to impress Sims by buying rounds of drinks, be prepared to part with some serious coin.

The quality of the fare at the lounges is as high as the prices! But you will get great moodlets off this quality cuisine.