---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like bars just after they open for the…"
description: "\"“I like bars just after they open for the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny and the barkeep is giving himsel..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/raymond-chandler-629_bars_i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the_719075.jpg"
---

#  I like bars just after they open for the evening. When the…

![“I like bars just after they open for the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny and the barkeep is giving himself that last look in the mirror to see if his tie is straight and his hair is smooth. I like the neat bottles on the bar back and the lovely shining…” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/raymond-chandler-629_bars_i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the_719075.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/raymond-chandler-629_bars_i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the_719075.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/raymond-chandler-629_bars_i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the_719075.jpg)

> ““I like bars just after they open for the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny and the barkeep is giving himself that last look in the mirror to see if his tie is straight and his hair is smooth. I like the neat bottles on the bar back and the lovely shining glasses and the anticipation. I like to watch the man mix the first one of the evening and put it down on a crisp mat and put the little folded napkin beside it. I like to taste it slowly. The first quiet drink of the evening in a quiet bar—that's wonderful.””

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator cherishes the calm, ritualistic start of an evening at a bar, savoring sensory details and anticipation before the night unfolds.

**In simple terms:** Enjoying the quiet, first drink at a bar.

Key Takeaway

Savor the moment before the night begins.

Themes

ritual sensory anticipation solitude

Mood

calm reflective

Type

literary descriptive

When to use this quote

- First night out
- personal reflection
- writing inspiration

Key Concepts

Atmosphere ritual mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- What small rituals ground you before a busy period?
- How does setting a calm tone affect your evening?

A Different Perspective

The calm may be fleeting; later chaos can disrupt the mood.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bar Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bar-wonderful-5656460/) [Bars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bars/) [Drink Evening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink-evening-2917069/) [Drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking/) [Like Bars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-bars-1346392/) [Quiet Bar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-bar-4731092/)

## Related quotes

> [I like bars just after they open in the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-in-the-evening-when-the-air-inside/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [I've got to be high class... Which is sad, because I like bars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-craig/i-ve-got-to-be-high-class-which-is-sad-because-i-like-bars/)

[Daniel Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-craig/)

> [“It was still quiet at the bar, early afternoon, before the happy-hour crowd arrived with their after-work bonhomie, and even as the barkeep kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/it-was-still-quiet-at-the-bar-early-afternoon-before-the-happy-hour/)

[William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/)

> [“It wasn't a lie, not at all like one of those lies she told herself all the time, like This is the last drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/it-wasn-t-a-lie-not-at-all-like-one-of-those-lies-she-told-herself/)

[Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/)

> [I'm not very good with drink recipes. If I'm entertaining, I like to come up with a house drink for the evening, one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/i-m-not-very-good-with-drink-recipes-if-i-m-entertaining-i-like-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [Every day kill just one, rather than today five, tomorrow ten . . . that is enough for you. Then your nerves are calm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-hartmann/every-day-kill-just-one-rather-than-today-five-tomorrow-ten-that-is/)

[Erich Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-hartmann/)

> [I don't like meeting strangers. I don't like bars. I don't like small talk. I have five friends, and that's enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/i-don-t-like-meeting-strangers-i-don-t-like-bars-i-don-t-like-small/)

[Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/)

> [“Promises from Lo are like bars at 2 a.m.--empty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/promises-from-lo-are-like-bars-at-2-a-m-empty/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [Not only do I like to go to bars because I like to drink, I do like to drink, but I go because who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-caray/not-only-do-i-like-to-go-to-bars-because-i-like-to-drink-i-do-like-to/)

[Harry Caray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-caray/)

> [When I started playing music at East Tennessee State University I would sit on a stool with a tip jar in front of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-chesney/when-i-started-playing-music-at-east-tennessee-state-university-i/)

[Kenny Chesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-chesney/)

> [Reformers have long observed city people loitering on busy corners, hanging around in candy stores and bars and drinking soda popon stoops, and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/reformers-have-long-observed-city-people-loitering-on-busy-corners/)

[Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/)

> [Take me down to the bar! We'll drink breakfast together!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/take-me-down-to-the-bar-we-ll-drink-breakfast-together/)

[W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/)

> [Sam Snead was born with a natural ability to keep his bar bills as low as his golf scores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-demaret/sam-snead-was-born-with-a-natural-ability-to-keep-his-bar-bills-as/)

[Jimmy Demaret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-demaret/)

> [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/)

[W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/)

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

## More by Raymond Chandler

> [Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the higher apes are so proficient, and lean back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/television-s-perfect-you-turn-a-few-knobs-a-few-of-those-mechanical/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-is-no-trap-so-deadly-as-the-trap-you-set-for-yourself/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [ “Hammett was the ace performer... He is said to have lacked heart; yet the story he himself thought the most of \[The Glass Key\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/hammett-was-the-ace-performer-he-is-said-to-have-lacked-heart-yet-the/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [She jerked away from me like a startled fawn might, if I had a startled fawn and it jerked away from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/she-jerked-away-from-me-like-a-startled-fawn-might-if-i-had-a/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-good-story-cannot-be-devised-it-has-to-be-distilled/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Dashiell Hammett took murder out of theVenetian vase and dropped it into the alley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/dashiell-hammett-took-murder-out-of-thevenetian-vase-and-dropped-it/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [ “He \[James Cain\] is every kind of writer I detest...a Proust in greasy overalls, a dirty little boy with a piece of chalk and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/he-james-cain-is-every-kind-of-writer-i-detest-a-proust-in-greasy/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/it-was-a-blonde-a-blonde-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-in-a-stained/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“I had been stalking the bluebottle fly for five minutes, waiting for him to sit down. He didn't want to sit down. He just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-had-been-stalking-the-bluebottle-fly-for-five-minutes-waiting-for/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“A three-piece Mexican band was making the kind of music a Mexican band always makes. Whatever they play, it all sounds the same. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-three-piece-mexican-band-was-making-the-kind-of-music-a-mexican/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Mostly I just kill time," he said, "and it dies hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/mostly-i-just-kill-time-he-said-and-it-dies-hard/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“The book was not new. Dates were stamped on the front endpaper, in and out dates. A rent book. A lending library of elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-book-was-not-new-dates-were-stamped-on-the-front-endpaper-in-and/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Without magic, there is no art. Without art, there is no idealism. Without idealism, there is no integrity. Without integrity, there is nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/without-magic-there-is-no-art-without-art-there-is-no-idealism/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“The homicide skipper that year was a Captain Gregorius, a type of copper that is getting rarer but by no means extinct, the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-homicide-skipper-that-year-was-a-captain-gregorius-a-type-of/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

[Explore all 430 Raymond Chandler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

## More Bars quotes

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Your thief looks Exactly like the rest, or rather better; 'Tis only at the bar, and in the dungeon, That wise men know your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/your-thief-looks-exactly-like-the-rest-or-rather-better-tis-only-at/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [While traveling, I love granola bars, trail mix nuts, dry cereal and fruit for on-the-go snacks. I also try and start the day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-rampone/while-traveling-i-love-granola-bars-trail-mix-nuts-dry-cereal-and/)

[Christie Rampone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-rampone/)

> [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/)

[Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/)

> [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/)

[W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/)

> [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/)

[Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/)

> [If you look at coffee, tea, food and juice, we think there are inherent opportunities. If you look at health bars or grab-and-go products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/if-you-look-at-coffee-tea-food-and-juice-we-think-there-are-inherent/)

[Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/)

> [At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/at-about-10-o-clock-in-the-morning-the-sun-threw-a-bright-dust-laden/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I bet a guy at a bar 50 bucks that I was more dysfunctional than he was. He raped me. So I tipped him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-a-guy-at-a-bar-50-bucks-that-i-was-more-dysfunctional-than-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I closed my own jazz bar so I could be a man who can write novels as I like. I was pleased about that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-closed-my-own-jazz-bar-so-i-could-be-a-man-who-can-write-novels-as/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [My parents were Orthodox Jews but not very regular Orthodox Jews. I was bar mitzvahed and all that. But God was hardly ever mentioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-parents-were-orthodox-jews-but-not-very-regular-orthodox-jews-i/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [I know a lot about Canadian politics. I lived in Canadian bars for six years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/i-know-a-lot-about-canadian-politics-i-lived-in-canadian-bars-for-six/)

[Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/)

> [History is the heavy traffic that prevents us from crossing the road. We're not especially interested in what it consists of. We wait, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/history-is-the-heavy-traffic-that-prevents-us-from-crossing-the-road/)

[Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/)

[Browse all 1,768 Bars quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bars/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I like bars just after they open for the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny and the barkeep is giving himself that last look in the mirror to see if his tie is straight and his hair is smooth. I like the neat bottles on the bar back and the lovely shining glasses and the anticipation. I like to watch the man mix the first one of the evening and put it down on a crisp mat and put the little folded napkin beside it. I like to taste it slowly. The first quiet drink of the evening in a quiet bar—that's wonderful.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Raymond Chandler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the-evening-when-the-air-inside/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bars"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the-evening-when-the-air-inside/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/raymond-chandler-629_bars_i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the_719075.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/raymond-chandler-629_bars_i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the_719075.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/raymond-chandler-629_bars_i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the_719075.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I like bars just after they open for the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything…” — Raymond Chandler",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Raymond Chandler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I like bars just after they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the-evening-when-the-air-inside/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-like-bars-just-after-they-open-for-the-evening-when-the-air-inside/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```