Monday, February 1, 2010

HELL IN A HAND BASKET (or STAFF DAY OUT)....

I'm writing this blog post in pain, thanks to my long weekend, more specifically, yesterday.

Yesterday I celebrated the end of NJJ (better known as "No-Juice January") by partaking in "Staff Day Out" with the employees of Third and Long. We usually schedule these get-togethers a few times a year as a way for the staff to blow off steam and bond together away from our place of employment. Besides achieving our goal of bonding, mayhem usually follows, especially after a day of drinking.

We started out the day by meeting up at the bar, where we were picked up by a Colombian Party Bus, driven by a guy who could pass off as the brother of Juan Valdez, the coffee king of South America.




We made our way to the Yellow Hook Grille in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for a very good brunch. Everyone was in good spirits and looking forward to the fun activity that would follow.



After brunch, we made our way to BROOKLYN BOWL for some bowling fun. I personally looked forward to this activity since I hadn't gone bowling in years.



We exchanged gifts along the way and had some good laughs with the exchange. I could tell, however, that with the flowing of the booze that we were about to make our way towards the "dark side"..

We finally arrived at the Brooklyn Bowl, which was located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, better known as "Hipster Land". I wasn't sure what to expect from this relatively new venue but I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the place, as well as the rest of the staff. While the outside of the venue looked like a non-descript warehouse, once you got inside, you got blown away by a sleek, funky (and yes, hip) venue that was part bowling alley, part restaurant, part bar and believe it or not, part concert venue.






The group and I thoroughly enjoyed out time at the BROOKLYN BOWL and I would highly recommend checking out the venue. Between the bowling and the open bar (all of their beers on tap are Brooklyn-based, by the way, with Brooklyn Brewery, Sixpoint and Kelso beers being highlighted), by the time we made our way back onto the bus, it was as the title suggested, hell in a handbasket. We'd completely crossed over to the dark side.

a poor soul falling out of a hammock hung in the middle of our bus...

And by the time we made it back to the safe confines of Manhattan and Third and Long, the casualties of the day were piling up quickly..

So today, between the Colombian Party Bus and the bowling, I'm nursing a sore neck. However, with all of the fun I had with my staff, it was totally worth it. Good times.

FEBRUARY BEER OF THE MONTH: ABITA AMBER ALE ($4/pint)



TONIGHT: MUG NIGHT MADNESS featuring $1 mugs of Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light AND $2 mugs, all other domestic drafts ALL NIGHT LONG! Beer Bingo at 7pm (free to play and great prizes to win)!

The countdown to the Super Bowl begins today as the big game is less than a week away. Stay tuned to see what's on tap for Super Bowl Sunday at Third and Long!



That's It. That's All I Got.