Unpopular opinion: I skip the hostel bar and buy a $6 six pack from a corner store in whatever city I'm in
Two months ago in Lisbon I paid 18 euros for three beers at my hostel bar, then walked 40 feet and found a corner store selling the same thing for 1.20 each. Now I buy a cheap six pack, sit on some steps near the river, and end up talking to way more locals than I ever did at the bar. The hostel bar is the most costly way to make zero real connections. What's your go-to move for drinks in a city you don't know yet?