The folks from the Current recently stopped by the Merchant bar and restaurant at 279 Grove St. in Jersey City to sit down and talk to a few people and make new friends.Here’s what they had to say:
Bartender
Name: Dana Maczuga
From: Bayonne
Status: Taken
Favorite drink: Dirty Grey Goose Martini
Most popular drink at the bar: Big Apple Martini
Weirdest experience at a club or bar?
"I broke the same tooth twice. The first time was at Love Sexy and the second time was at Shine in the city."
Have you ever ditched your friends for a guy/girl?
"I’m sure at one point in my life."
Last words:
"Come see me at the Merchant. Drink all night; you can sleep when you’re dead."
Name: Michelle Tacey
From: Jersey City
Status: Single
Favorite drink: French Kiss Martini
How drunk are you now?
"Lightly intoxicated"
Weirdest experience at a club or bar?
"About two years ago in New York City, my friends threw me into a gay bar called the Tool Box on purpose. Every guy in there stopped and looked at me because I was the only girl."
Have you ever ditched your friends for a guy/girl?
"No, because it’s rude."
Last words:
"Live life to the fullest."
Name: Maricia Ferraz
From: Hillside
Status: Taken
Favorite drink: Cosmopolitan Martini
How drunk are you now?
"Buzzed"
Weirdest experience at a club or bar?
"Four years ago in a Newark bar called Happy Hour, I got into a fight with five guys and got thrown across the bar. I couldn’t walk the next day because my butt hurt."
Have you ever ditched your friends for a guy/girl?
"Kind of, but not really. About a year ago, my boyfriend didn’t want me to go out with my friends so we just ended up staying home and doing nothing."
Last words:
"Stay single as long as you can."
Name: Cheryl A. Zarycki
From: New Brunswick
Status: Single
Favorite drink: Frozen Mudslide
How drunk are you now?
"Barely"
Weirdest experience at a club or bar?
"Two years ago in Las Vegas, I got up to dance and when I got back to my seat, Kid Rock stole my seat."
Have you ever ditched your friends for a guy/girl?
"Not without permission or them coming with me."
Last words:
"The only regrets in life are the risks you never take."
Compiled by Gerald Cadena