Historian Christine Sismondo says that "America, as we know it, was born in a bar."

Taverns were where the Boston Tea Party was planned. They were where court cases were carried out, where land was bought and sold, where immigrants came to congregate.

Over the centuries since, bars have fostered so much social change. And today, they're where we go to meet people, to catch the game, to talk about our problems, to relax.

Or at least they were. Back when bars were open, back when there were games to catch... Back when we could relax.

This hour, a look at what we've been missing these last few months when we've been missing bars.

GUESTS:

• Rand Richards Cooper - A contributing editor at Commonweal, and he writes the "In Our Midst" column for Hartford Magazine
• Christine Sismondo - The author of America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops
• Karl Franz Williams - Principle, The Anchor Spa in New Haven