WEEKEND UPDATE, OLYMPIC STYLE..

(credit: Anthony Ocasio, ScreenRant.com)

The past weekend was a long and mostly enjoyable one, with an "international" flair.  It started on Friday night with the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics.  I was torn on whether or not to put the audio on for the ceremonies, because to be honest, as nice as it is to watch it, you never quite get to enjoy it.  Between the constant chatter of patrons and the occasional douchebag making crude comments, it's almost pointless to play the sound.  But since it is the Olympics and it only comes once every four years, I said what the hell, and it ended up being a good call.  The ceremonies looked pretty cool and a lot of people stuck around for the whole show.  It ended up being a good night because of it.

The rest of the weekend found me taking a much-needed quick road trip to my home away from home, Montreal, Quebec, with three members of the Sunday Brew Crew, DOUBLE S, NORBIT and BIG MONEY GRIP.  I was a bit worried about making the long trek by car because quite frankly, I don't have the patience to do the car thing like I used to.  But we got to Montreal in pretty good time (about 6 hours) and the rest of the weekend (really less than 24 hours) was a blur.

Some of the highlights included seeing Thierry Henry in our hotel (the NY Red Bulls were in town to play the Montreal Impact);  Surprising the boys with what turned out to be a great dinner at Vieux-Port Steakhouse.  And of course, late night debauchery at McLean's Pub was the biggest highlight of the trip.  The staff there treated us well (as always) and made a fun trip that much more enjoyable.   After some late, late night smoked meat poutine at Dunn's Famous (La Banquise was too far away), we finally called it a night, with a long drive home ahead of us the next day.

All told, it was a great trip- just wished we would have had more time to really take in the city.  Especially since it was my first time visiting the city during the warm weather season.  It's such a beautiful city to begin with, being able to enjoy it in the summer was a bonus and only made me love it even more.  If you haven't had an opportunity to visit Montreal, Quebec, Canada, you have to do so.  So totally worth it.

So now I'm back, ready (or maybe not) to start another week.  The Olympics are in high gear (though I have to say, I really hate NBC's tape delay policy), NFL training camps are open and pennant races are getting hot in baseball (and the trade deadline is on Tuesday).  Should make for a fun week!

AND FINALLY: After years of requests, we finally have STONE ARROGANT BASTARD on tap ($7/pint)! It's highly ranked by many beer experts and with good reason.  It's a damn good beer, plain and simple, and at 7.2% ABV, it carries a nice kick too.  Definitely worth a try!

That's it.  That's all I got for ya.  Time to get back to the salt mines!


TONIGHT: Enjoy $2 domestic drafts and 2-for-1 Wine/Sangria by the Glass during our weekly "MONDAY NIGHT UNWIND"!  Catch more Olympic coverage as well as baseball via the MLB Package!  


Cheers!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...

After what seemed to be years of yapping and moaning about taking another trip to Montreal Canada, I finally did just that.  One of our bartenders (CHELSEA LATELY) was going to go there with a group of classmates for a student conference and we decided that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to make that long-awaited getaway back north.

So after taking care of a lot of last minute errands for the bar, we hit the road for what would be a six-hour drive through the lovely State of New York and into Canada.  Now I've been to Canada a few times now but never driven there, so I was somewhat intrigued for what I would be in for.  Let's just say that it wasn't the most exciting ride.  Then again, I had been up all night, between packing, doing staff payroll and just the sheer nervousness of oversleeping and missing my ride- I pretty much dozed in and out throughout the ride.

I did, however, wake up just in time to see that we were about to hit the US/Canada border and I was excited like a kid in a candy store.

We pull up to the border and I was expecting to see all kinds of security with guard dogs and such but alas, all we got was a kind lady sitting at the gate.  She asked for our passports and the purpose of our visit and we were on our way within minutes.  Pretty anti-climatic.

In any case, once we left the border gate, we were in Montreal in less than an hour.  It was overcast and  foggy but I didn't care.  All I knew was that I was back and excited to get my "vacation" started.

After reaching our destination, I bid adieu to CHELSEA LATELY and her crew and made my way to my hotel.  Once I checked in and got settled, I took to the streets and immediately began to take in the sights of the old neighborhood haunts of St. Catherine Street.  Now while am making it a point to do more exploring of the city this time around, I had to start somewhere and I figured that I may as well stick close to the Bell Centre, where I had a date with the Montreal Canadiens later that night, thanks to one of our great regulars, Vic Shaio.

I hit a spot called BRUTOPIA, which came recommended to me by one of our Canadian regulars and this place did not disappoint.  A tri-level brewpub that brews its own beers on the premises, it's located on the famous Crescent Street strip.  I got there just as they opened so I had the place pretty much to myself, which was fine with me.  I was able to chat with the lovely barmaid about the place, the various beers they had to offer, etc.

While this was taking place, I was anxiously awaiting a text from Vic about tickets for the Habs game that night.  Everyone knows that I LOVE the Montreal Canadiens and every time I come here, it's imperative that I go to at least one game at the Bell Centre.  That being said, it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to get tickets to a game, unless you're willing to shell out a couple hundred bucks for a regular season game.  I love the Habs, but not enough to blow my budget and eat Ritz crackers the rest of the trip.  I don't ball like that.  So I put out feelers to see what I could come up with and sure enough, Vic came through.  And when I say he came through.. HE. CAME. THROUGH.  He informs me that he put a call in to our mutual friend, SCOTT GOMEZ who plays for the Habs, who in turn, left me a ticket. . . IN HIS SUITE!  I shit you not.

As it turns out, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta (both teammates here in Montreal and former teammates together in New Jersey) have a suite at the Bell Centre that they use for sick and underprivileged kids, in conjunction with the Montreal Canadiens Children Foundation.  It's called "The Scott and Brian Suite" and the suite is child friendly, complete with tabletop hockey games, snacks and they get a visit from the Habs mascot, YOUPPI (who almost caused me to have another meltdown, for those of you who know of my disdain of mascots).

So while I was excited to not only get a chance to go to the game, but to be able to enjoy the game in a suite was a bonus! However, the thing I really enjoyed the most was seeing the faces of the kids who if not for the generosity of two Habs players, would probably never get a chance to experience a game at the Bell Centre.  These kids were treated like kings by the Canadiens staff and it was really cool to see.  And the Habs played what might have been their best game of the season, winning 4-0, which was an extra bonus for everyone, myself included.

After the game, I hit the SPORTS STATION for a nightcap (or three) before going back to the hotel.  Very busy, loud boisterous sports bar.  Food-eh but it's a sports bar so you're not looking for "Joe Beef" quality here.  Beer prices were pretty decent though and they had Alexander Keith's Red, which was very good!  Going without sleep for almost 24 hours finally took its toll and I had a full day ahead of me so that was it for the night.

Got a lot to do and see today and looking forward to catching Habs vs Isles at McLean's Pub tonight!


Cheers!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS.....

I spent the day catching up on personal errands and couldn't help but to take notice of the good ol' EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. Now we're located just a mere four blocks or so from the grand old building and I look at it every day, yet I always seem to take it for granted. But for some reason, today I took a special notice at it and realized how beautiful it really is. It's strong and majestic, and in a lot of ways, truly represents the strength of New York City. If you know anything about its history, you'll know that it was built in only 14 months and it still stands strong today. That kind of construction is unheard of by today's standards (notice it's been seven years and we've still not built anything on the World Trade Center site). The architecture of the building is decidedly "old-school" yet beautiful nevertheless. An old soul, much like myself.

Recently I've found myself hooked on a new show, TRUE BLOOD, the dark and mysterious series currently airing on HBO. HBO has always been known for its great tv series and while they have been off the mark the last couple of years (dare I say JOHN FROM CINCINNATI?), it looks like they have come up with a real winner in this case. Set in rural Louisiana, TRUE BLOOD revolves around a town of eccentric folks who are having existence issues with, ahem, vampires. It's a strange concept yet it's dark, entertaining and very addictive. If you haven't checked it out yet, I suggest you give it a try.

So, a week from now I should be up north in Canada, enjoying a break from the day-to-day trappings of Murray Hill. I haven't been to Canada in about seven years, so I am looking forward to the trip. I will also be spending my birthday away from the neighborhood for the first time in over ten years, so that will be a different experience for me as well. Now I hear that there is some betting taking place on whether or not I actually leave the neighborhood. You can be rest assured that unless you find me in the hospital in a body cast, I will be on that plane first thing Monday morning. Take that to the bank. ;) Until then, let the countdown begin!

DOLLAR DRAFT MADNESS ($1.00 mugs, BUD/BUD LIGHT) tonight!



Nuff Said