Monday, May 19, 2008

WEEKEND RE-CAP(long post)

This past weekend was one of the more interesting weekends in recent months. We went from drab and dreary (Friday) to gung-ho chaos (Saturday), to laugh out-loud funny (Sunday). A true mixed bag of activity.

FRIDAY was basically a washout on all levels due to yet another Friday monsoon. I hope this isn't a trend for the summer because if that is the case, it may ruin a lot of weekends for you summer share travelers. One bright note: The surprise visit of our former bartender and Third and Long hottie, SEXY BLONDE, who was looking hotter than ever.

SATURDAY was a much better day all-around. The afternoon was highlighted by NAPOLEON DYNAMITE's Pittsburgh/University of Maryland crew, in town for yet another bachelor party for the pint-sized groom-to-be. They started their day at the Yankees/Mets game, then made their way back to the bar, just in time for the Preakness Stakes. After checking out the race, I joined the crew for dinner at the BENJAMIN STEAK HOUSE on East 41st and Madison Ave. The dinner was a riot and a shitshow all rolled into one. I'll leave out the details out of respect to the "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" rule. Let's just say that I found myself shaking my head on more than one occasion.

The rest of the night found the boys hopping around Midtown before making it back to the bar. meanwhile, back at the ranch, there was a surprise 30th birthday party taking place for one of our former bartenders and good friend of the bar, ND FAN. I got there early to wish the birthday boy a happy one, but he hadn't gotten there yet. All told, I hear it was a rousing success. Add to that mix the number of impromptu graduation parties taking place and Saturday night more than made up for the washout of Friday night.

SUNDAY was one of those laid back, yet interesting afternoons filled with lots of laughs and excitement due to exciting games on TV. Normally I would be getting excited about this particular Sunday because it's the last Sunday before Memorial Day, which signals the end of Sundays for the summer season. But with the upcoming EURO 2008 soccer tournament taking place in the month of June, I decided to forgo a month of luxuriating on Sundays to remain open for the tournament. So we will still be around on Sundays, at least until the end of June (when the Euro 2008 finals take place).

BOBBY DEWARS was a prime source of entertainment for the bar once again. He came in, complaining as usual about his luck with the horses and everything else in his life. At one point, he's sitting at the bar, trying to read the paper when a female friend of his came into the bar and began jabbering away about some fire that took place in her building the day before. Already cranky from the events of the day before, BOBBY D tried to be polite at first but as the female friend kept hammering away about the fire, it became evident that he wasn't that interested in listening to her.

Finally he throws his hands up in the air and says, "I gotta go home and watch the game!". At this point it begins pouring rain outside, so he puts on his coat and gets ready to leave. So while he's doing this, the lady woman gets up and prepares to leave as well. So I say my goodbyes to the both of them and turn my attention to the mounting pile of glasses that needed to be washed.

About five minutes later I hear a THUMP and someone yelling out "SURPRISE!!": I look up and there was BOBBY DEWARS with a big smile on his face. As it turns out, after the guy got up from the bar and made himself ready to leave, apparently he snuck downstairs and hid in the mens' room, and waited for the lady to leave. He then took off his coat, put himself back in his seat and blurted outloud, "The Boss showed her! Now get me a drink and put on the game!".

Priceless.

T-BILL stopped by with his NY Times Crossword Puzzle and he ended up hanging out most of the afternoon with MR. LOW-KEY and a very hung-over NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. We had some good laughs as always and he took advantage of my heart by making wagers against AMERICA's TEAM, the CLEVELAND CAVS , who ultimately lost a tough Game 7 heartbreaker against Boston (bastards).

I got a visit from an "old-timer" who used to frequent the bar, back when it was called THE FIRESIDE. He took a walk around the bar and shared stories of what the bar used to look like and what kind of crowds used frequent the place. He also shared some cool stories about the colorful former NY Yankees manager, BILLY MARTIN. For anyone who knows anything about Martin, he was a fiery competitor as a manager, but he was also known as a big "boozer" back in his day. The guy shared stories about Martin's frequent visits to The Fireside and how he had this ritual that consisted of stopping by the bar in the afternoon, downing two-three martinis, then making his way across East 35th Street to building #201 and meeting up with a girlfriend for about an hour or so. He would then make his way back to the bar for one more martini, then heading out for the night. Pretty interesting stuff.

All told, it was a pretty good weekend after all.


UPCOMING EVENTS:

This should be a busy week for the bar as there are a lot of things taking place before the holiday weekend. Here's a breakdown of what's on tap for this week:

TONIGHT: "Dollar Draft Madness", with $1.00 mugs of Bud, Coors Light and Bud Light, ALL NIGHT LONG. It's also REDSKINS GIRL's last night working at Third and Long before she moves back to Virginia next week. If you haven't had a chance to say good bye to her, now would probably be a good a time as any to say your farewells.

TUESDAY: "Dollar Draft Madness" continues with $1.00 Bud/Bud Light mugs all night long!

WEDNESDAY: Champions League Final, 2:30pm. The titanic clash between MANCHESTER UNITED and CHELSEA to decide the supremacy of European Club Soccer.

GUITAR HERO PROMO, 9pm. Sponsored by Coors Light, stop by and test your mettle on the ever-popular video game, GUITAR HERO! $3.00 Mixed Well Drinks (for ladies) and Coors Light Buckets for all (5/$15.00)!

THURSDAY: It's the Official PRE-MEMORIAL DAY BASH! Kick the holiday weekend off with a bang with all draft light beers (Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Amstel Light) at $4.00 each; We also offer Miller Lite buckets (5/$15.00), from 4pm-10pm!

FRIDAY: After-Work Happy Hour (5pm-10pm). $4.00, all beers, mixed well drinks and house wines!

SATURDAY: "Kick the Keg Saturday" (12-8pm). Check out the selection of 16 drafts (Bud, Bud Light, Yuengling Lager, Sam Adams, Sam Adams Seasonal, Sierra Nevada, Guinness, Bass, Hoegaarden, Newcastle Brown Ale, Stella Artois, Blue Moon, Smithwick's, Amstel Light and Molson) on tap as we offer $2.00 mugs, ALL BEERS ON TAP!!

It's also FLEET WEEK!!! So expect to see more sailor boys around town than you can shake a stick at (if that's your sort of thing).

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR US HERE


That's it for now, my fingers are cramping up. More to come.....



Nuff Said