Wednesday, November 23, 2005

GIVING THANKS....

Last night was DOLLAR DRAFT MADNESS at Third and Long. For those of you out of the loop, every Monday and Tuesday the bar serves up $1 mugs of Bud & Bud Light all night long. This is considered an awesome deal by any stretch when you consider that living in a $1500/mo. studio apartment the size of a shoebox and eating Ramen noodles just so you can have enough money to have a social life is a common occurrence. Easily one of the best deals in the neighborhood; heck, if not the whole damn city. That being said, it generally brings with it a pretty good crowd each week and last night was no exception.

Last night in particular was busier than usual in that it was the night before the "GREAT EXODUS", the big travel day for Thanksgiving. Everyone tends to go out with workmates and friends; stay out longer knowing that the next day will only be a half day at work, or if they are really lucky, the full day off. So I was expecting a pretty busy night and had "all hands on deck" to make sure our bases were covered. It turned out to be a good prediction on my part as we were met with waves and waves of festive drinkers, celebrating the fact that they can let their hair down for the next few days. It also marks the beginning of the holiday party season for the bar as we will find ourselves hosting office parties and group gatherings between now and New Year's Eve, topped off by our own Annual Holiday Bash, which is legendary in its own right.

A few highlights from last night:

-THE CUSACK BOYS (named as such because they bear an uncanny resemblance to actorJohn Cusack)stopped by to celebrate the birthday of one of the boys. The birthday boy was escorted into the bar by his lovely girlfriend, whom I will dub LUCY LIU (although I think she's much better looking than the real LUCY myself), to find a group of his friends and his brother waiting in the wings for a surprise toast. Needless to say, the birthday boy was pleasantly surprised.

-NURSE BETTY and her sidekick NURSE VERONICA (get it? BETTY AND VERONICA from Archie... aw forget it.) were chilling out in the back of the bar when I arrived. I asked her about her incident on Sunday and she started laughing. Apparently she couldn't remember half of it but got a good laugh from it anyways. The girls told me that they had no travel plans for the holiday weekend and would be around, which is cool as they are fun to hang out with.

-THE LADY IN BLACK made a rare appearance after a brief hiatus from the bar. Because of a job promotion, she found herself no longer working in Manhattan but in New Jersey instead. So it made more sense for her to move back home since it was closer to her new job. As a result, we don't get to see much of her anymore, but she made it a point to stop by for a bit. And surprise surprise, she actually had some color added to her outfit this time and not full black as she is normally known for.

-MR. BLIND DATE made an appearance with some of his nerdy sidekicks last night. For those of you out of the loop, this guy is the one who usually meets his blind dates at Third and Long on Dollar Draft Night so he doesn't have to spend money on her. He has distinct features that makes you cringe if you look at him long enough and he has a distinct preference for "beefy" women which always intrigues me because he's probably 140lbs. soaking wet, holding a brick (on a good day). While he was hanging out with his "boys", his current woman of the moment showed up. So he's being all lovey-dovey with her while hangin with his boys, no doubt, trying to play up his coolness. At one point, I overhear him say to his beefy paramour "HEY GUESS WHAT? I WON A CONTEST TODAY! I WON A CONTEST FOR HAVING THE HOTTEST GIRLFRIEND!"... I spit out my drink all over the back of this girl when I heard that. I apologized profusely to the girl (who surprisingly took it well) and bought her another drink.
You can't make this stuff up.

-We got a hit towards the end of the night from a large contingent of advertising flacks who happens to be good friends with P-DIDDY, the Tuesday night bartender. Now these guys (and girls) love to put them away and they have a good time in the process. Now within this group there was one guy who was pretty shit-faced. I'm talking zombie-like state here. He was generally harmless, basically staggering from one end of the bar to another, trying to text message someone in the process. At one point, he annoyed so many people that finally P-DIDDY gave the hook sign and I escorted him out of the bar. During the escort, he all of a sudden got offended that he was being thrown out (as drunks usually do) and started protesting the fact that he was being singled out. So as he's staggering away cursing at me and giving me the finger and such, I smiled as I watched him walk right into a pole and fall on his ass. Talk about poetic justice.....

-At the end of the night, just as the last of the advertising flacks were leaving the bar, we get a SURPRISE visit from the one and only MADAME X! Now she is probably our most unique customer, in that she is in a class by herself. She pretty much keeps to herself, choosing to sit at the bar and staring off into space. She often laughs to herself, cries to herself, basically keeps herself entertained. She brings to the table many eccentric habits that are too long to list, but fascinating to observe if you ever get the opportunity. She ended up closing the bar, alone.

Overall, a very busy and very good night for the bar.

JUST A REMINDER: If you are in the neighborhood after work this evening, stop by for our PRE-THANKSGIVING DAY BASH. We are offering $4 Domestic Drafts, Wild Turkey/Cranberry Shots and Jager Shots, and $5 Mixed Well Drinks/house wine from 6pm-10pm, and $3 Coors Light/Blue Moon Bottles and Drafts from 10pm-Midnight. So there will be something for everyone who's still in town! I'll be there to make sure the night runs smoothly and look forward to seeing everyone....

Before I sign off, I want to give thanks to everyone who takes time to read the blog and for the great compliments from new readers from around the country! It's flattering that's for sure! A special shoutout to the boys from the SECRET SERVICE (i'd say who they are, but it's a SECRET!)who always stop by whenever they are in town; you are always welcomed here! And don't worry- the CUSACK BOYS are in good hands (most of the time). Stay out of the Strip Clubs!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

NUFF SAID