Around The Bayside, 34

I'm not a bar girl, but the place I found this past Saturday night could make me one. It's so special that I had to fight the urge to keep it a secret. Ready? It's The Port Authority Piano Bar on Willow St. in Snow Hill.
The general plan was for my companion and I to scope out the piano bar, then have dinner at Tavern on the Green. A word of caution, here. Eat dinner first, because once the magic of the piano bar hits you, you won't make it to dinner.
It's a tiny place, made intimate with rich, hollyhock red walls and antique brickwork. A gleaming black piano sits smack in the middle of the room. Tiny blue starlights and flickering candles added to that intimacy, creating a womb-like atmosphere. Martini glasses filled with hershey's kisses and salted peanuts graced the bar. My glass of wine was served in a tall, flowered goblet. Wine and chocolate? Definitely my kind of place.
We sat at the bar, and swiveled in our seats to watch Cathy Silva playing the piano. Next time I will head for the seats, snuggled up to the piano itself, because that is where the real action is.
By my first glass of wine, I found myself humming along to the music. There were songbooks scattered about, and patrons were calling out suggested tunes, singing along, or occasionally quietly deferring to those among us with beautiful voices.
I watched a man at the bar in a white t-shirt, looking down at his beer, whispering the words to "I'm Leaving on a Jetplane." Request after request flowed, as we all dipped into our music memory banks, recalling the people and places that made each song so special.
By my second glass of wine, bolstered by a few chocolate kisses, I found myself standing with the braver-voiced souls congregating around the piano. I didn't care that my voice is spectacularly off-key, because it just felt so good. Male, female, young, middle-aged and down-right old folks, somehow, we all belonged, all blended.
Unfortunately, Karen Holck, the owner of Port Authority, wasn’t in that evening. I would have liked to thank her for creating such a lovely haven. A special thanks to gracious Michelle, bartender extraordinaire, for making me feel welcome.
Because my day job involves long hours and weekends, once again I was unable to do justice to the town of Snow Hill in my column. If I had been able to, I would have started my adventure walking about town, visiting Bishop’s Stock Art Gallery, a place many of my (artsy) friends have told me is a must. I would have also visited Alice, a book store known to be different and appealing. Next would be a long walk enjoying the historic homes surrounding the downtown, and then dinner at the Tavern on the Green. Of course, you know where my final destination would be, crooning with my new found friends at the Port Authority. See you next week!