Monday, November 10, 2025
The National Guard is deployed in cities with decades-low crime rates, the White House is being demolished to make room for a vanity ballroom and ICE continues to arrest people at random as MAGA people cheer them on. The compassionate and inclusive values of America seem a distant memory in this sea of absurdity. If a true alien landed in D.C., no doubt they’d be calling: “Beam me up, Scotty, there’s no intelligent life here.”? ?
If only we had our own personal rockets. Unfortunately, that’s not an option for most Washingtonians, unless you’re Kalorama resident Jeff Bezos.?? ?
Even escaping the States on a commercial airline has become more complicated as the government shutdown continues and TSA staff and air traffic controllers work without paychecks.?
? Luckily there is a spaceship you can board only a short drive from the DMV.??
Pittsburgh, an excellent weekend getaway, is not only home to suburbs named Moon, Mars and Apollo, it also offers an otherworldly experience at the intergalactic watering hole Space Bar. Stepping into this super-groovy sci-fi hotspot is like boarding a futuristic vessel and touring a galaxy far, far away.??
You’ll find it nestled in the center of the Steel City, off historic, brick-paved Market Square. From the outside, the only indication of anything unearthly is an inflatable alien greeting you at the door. Once you step inside, be prepared to be transported into a glowing avant-garde UFO.??
The Starship. Photo by Jody Kurash.
?Space Bar is the brainchild of Elizabeth Menzel and Dale Thomas Vaughn, who moved to the East Coast after many years in L.A. In her past career, for 30 years, Menzel helped people recover from the long-term effects of trauma — superb qualifications for working behind a bar.
It would be easy to write off Space Bar as just another gimmick, but the spunk and expertise that has been poured into this arena exceeds the theme. The craft and science behind the cocktail menu reach Michelin-star heights. Each menu item is a labor of love, sometimes involving months of tastings and experimentation. Menzel and her mixologists, who she calls “nonstop idea machines,” are not only creative and daring but sticklers for details.?
My first choice on the menu, “Starship,” was a supersensory take on a gin and tonic, served in a star-shaped goblet with a dry-ice mist seeping out the top. This supernova concoction has a complex ingredient list. To the typical G&T and citrus, it adds blueberry, lemon balm, dandelion gentian root, lemongrass, cardamon, allspice, clove and cinchona bark. Menzel sources many of these extravagant ingredients online and from local Asian markets. The taste of my pink quasar is multi-layered, with sharp, sour, bitter and fruity flavors.?
My next foray is the “Fifth Ele-mint,” a glowing, Martian green, cucumber-mint creation that comes with special sipping instructions. The drink itself is served in the triangular bowl of a martini glass, which is balanced atop an illuminated sphere of gas. The radiant hue of this tipple is exaggerated by a shimmering constellation formed on the surface by droplets of house-crafted mint olive oil.?
My first swig induces a “wow” moment. I’m impressed by its soft crisp flavor. “The secret is acid-adjusted cucumber,” Menzel explains. “We take off about half of the cuke skin, leave other half on, juice it and add citric acid.” This mixer, made fresh every two or three days, has a lightness she describes as “glorious.” Mint and yuzu build depth and the oil dribbles pack an umami punch that enhances this tipple’s sophisticated nature.??
Regrettably, after two cocktails, it’s time for me to return back to earth and reality of 2025. Leaving this mothership feels like deboarding the plane after a delightful holiday. However, I feel better knowing temporary refuge lurks nearby.??
Vaughn?sums it up: “We’re here to provide a glimmer of hope, and we think a starship is inherently optimistic. Maybe somehow enough of humanity will survive climate change, unite and become technologically capable of traveling the cosmos. Too optimistic? Call it an escape then. A ‘moonage daydream,’ to quote the space poet David Bowie.”??
Photos by Jody Kurash.?