When Transit closed down, I was like as livid as a Black Panther finding out the fact that he’s of around 20% European ancestry. African Americans don’t know that shit, but Wesley Snipes is probably the only black American without a white great great great great grandfather.

It’s not that Transit was some amazing place where dreams were realized and legends were born. It was a shitty dive with enough smoke to bring back Truth PSAs. Transit’s redeeming quality was the live music and cheap drink prices. I liked Transit, but it’s like the place was run by a retarded mushroom. Every time I left that place I was like, “great, now I have to wash my jeans even though I’ve only worn them 5 days in a row.” The smoke smell stuck to you viciously and the assholes running the place couldn’t figure out that installing smoke filters in the place would be a good investment, or having people smoke in the outdoor area, because there’s a fucking outdoor area, would be a cheaper alternative.

Blackbird Ordinary does this right, because I was there recently on a Friday night and there was nary a bit of smoke to be found. Also, they kept the board games and shit. I wish more places would do that. There’s no better way of breaking the ice with a fine-ass honey than going up to her carrying a box and saying, “sup girl, wanna play Operation?” She’ll love that shit, especially if she’s a doctor or med student because it’ll let her go on about her boring-ass career and her crushing student debt.

…great, now I have to wash my jeans even though I’ve only worn them 5 days in a row.

In place of the worn booths they used to have they replaced them with these nice, padded leather booths. That’s a good thing, because the old booths were awful. You sat in those things and it felt like you were being massaged by a Somalian pirate. God damn, it’s amazing that we have pirates. Sure, it’s not as romanticized as the pirates of the 18th and 17th century because instead of ornate motherfuckers with parrots we just having a bunch of starving black guys and tiny Filipinos, but it’s still badass that there are dudes hijacking shit on the high seas.

Outside they’ve got a ping pong table and the stage which used to be there is gone. I’ve Heard From Some Guy™ that they’re rebuilding it, but whatever. I’m wondering if this place is even going to be a live band venue. The bar outside is still there and it’s still shitty. The crowd is still largely the same, complete with the awkward white people dancing to Top 40s rap. Less smokers, that’s for sure. You’ll still find the people who openly smoke weed.

To me it doesn’t feel like Blackbird Ordinary is a completely new place, just a better version of Transit. I can’t do the whole “hittin’ on bitches” thing to reveal to gentlemen how whorish the crowd is anymore, but it’s Brickell; they’ll put out.

• 729 SW 1st Ave
• Miami, FL 33130
• (305) 671-3307
• blackbirdordinary.com