Karaoke Wednesday

For better or worse, Main Street has become one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in the city, centrally located and home to a diverse collection of students, blue- and white-collar families, and longtime residents in their retirement years. There's no telling how long this unique mix will hold up-gentrification has swept swiftly down the street since last decade's end-but for now, it's still a wonderful place. There is perhaps no weekly ritual more emblematic of the area's appeal than Wednesdays at the Veterans Club, where you can always count on a motley crew of trendy students and grizzled regulars to liven up the midweek.

In some ways, it is fitting to see students and retirees partying together. Who else still wears cardigan sweaters? And who else has so much free time on their hands? Maybe that's why most of the folks who jump on-stage at the Veterans Club don't even need teleprompters to recite their lyrics-the songs are hard-coded into them, including what seems like every last verse of every last Meatloaf ballad ever written.

Whether or not you have the guts to belt out a tune in public, there are plenty of thrills to be had here. For starters, just try walking into this place with a ballcap on. Go ahead, try it. There's usually this guy sitting near the front who's ready to rip that thing off your head as you step in the door. He's on the welcoming committee. Then, of course, there's the cheap beer, and the kids trading CDs at a table near the back. There's a smoking room, too, and several billiards tables, where former NHL sniper Mike Bossy's cousin likes to hustle kids out of their lunch money. All in all, it's the greatest.