Turn down the music, and they will come

A friend called me a couple of weeks ago to go out for lunch and artsy talk. We met at a nice-looking restaurant, and I was a little surprised to see that we were the only people there, especially when the food turned out to be quite good.

On Monday, I went with another friend to another place, and although the waiting benches outside Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba's Italian Grill were still packed when we drove by, we were the only people at the establishment where we went.

What gives? Why are some places overflowing and others, even others with good food, are empty?

I think I know one possible answer: LOUD MUSIC.

Both the empty places I went to had screechy, thumpy music SO LOUD it made the walls -- and my chest -- vibrate.

We begged the servers to turn the music down, and when it STAYED LOUD, we pointed out that because we were the only people there, it couldn't make much difference if it played at all. One place turned it down a notch; the other place turned the music off.

LOUD MUSIC might be okay in a place where conversation doesn't matter -- say, a bar, dance club or rock concert. People who go there are looking for LOUD MUSIC.

But people wanting to talk business, or talk at all, need relative quiet. Some people have hearing problems, and others wear hearing aids, and both groups have trouble distinguishing sounds when the background music overwhelms conversation. Others of us are distracted by ear-piercing singing, blaring horns and pounding drums.

Always wanting to be helpful, I told the servers at both places one reason they might be empty is, well, the LOUD MUSIC. They both responded that the LOUD MUSIC is "company policy."

It's likely the decision to inundate patrons with LOUD MUSIC was made by a young, hip 30-something junior executive (perhaps with limited conversational skills) in a city where young, hip, 30-somethings dominate the market.

But this is Pasco and Hernando counties, where the restaurant market is dominated by people of a certain age who actually like to talk and listen to each other and parents whose kids don't need anything to further excite them when the family goes out to eat.

Earlier this week, National Public Radio's Morning Edition had a piece on a northern university student union where, for 25 cents, you could play Silent Record on the jukebox and get five minutes of complete silence.

Many is the time I would have happily spent $3 for an hour's peace and quiet at a local diner.

As it is, I do takeout and keep hunting for places that don't have LOUD MUSIC blaring us out the door.

I don't know about anyone else, but, to me, Ralph Butler's design for the state's commemorative quarter looks like a slam dunk.

The Bayonet Point resident's design is the one with the sailing ship on the left and the space orbiter on the right, with palm trees and rolling clouds in the distance and "Gateway to Discovery" underneath.

It's not just a quarter; it's a history lesson, a topography lesson and a tourist ad rolled into one. The whole package seems to say, "We have it all, and we always have."

Besides that, it's just beautiful, and I can't wait to own a handful.

The 2003-03 season at Playhouse 19 on U.S. 19 south of downtown Crystal River has some familiar titles and a couple that my research tells me haven't been done in these parts before.

Opening the season Sept. 5-29 is My Fat Friend, a comedy about a young woman's weight problem and her relationships with her roommates and a new boyfriend. Next is the mystery/comedy Death and Deceit on the Nile (Oct. 17-Nov. 10), an audience participation whodunnit.

The All Night Strut, a musical, goes Jan. 9-Feb. 2, followed by the suspenseful drama, Wait Until Dark (Feb. 27-March 23).

Two more musicals, The Fantasticks (April 17-May 11) and, one of my favorite shows, Stephen Sondheim's Company (June 5-29, 2003), wind up the season.

Season tickets for all six shows are $72. Call (352) 563-1333 for tickets.

A bonus is that going to Playhouse 19 gives you an excuse to go up the road a bit and eat at Cracker's or Charlie's Fish House overlooking King's Bay. Yummm-me.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright