The Diary of Third and Long: last call

June 26th, 2013. The final night at Third and Long turned out to be a memorable, bittersweet night. A night where we found ourselves being overwhelmed by an outpouring of love and support from friends of the bar from the past 20-plus years. It was sad and beautiful all at once. To listen to Matt and Jim Long share memorable stories and watching the various reactions of everyone in the bar was something that I will always carry with me for the rest of my life.

And getting to speak to various individuals from both the present and the past and listening to their favorite Third and Long moments was something that I truly enjoyed as well. The fact that people were willing to sit in a hot, sweaty bar to pay respects to our bar says a lot. This, of course, made me feel even sadder that all of this was soon going to end.

(photo credit: Michele Tabet)

(photo credit: Allison Churchill)

I had more than one person ask me throughout the course of the evening this one question: "What was the most memorable event that you can recall in all of the years you were here?" And to be honest, there were so many moments that stood out over the years that I could probably write a book on them. Hell, I've probably forgotten more memorable moments that most people could have experienced at the bar in their lifetime.

However, if you had to put a gun to my head and made me choose a specific moment that stood out for me, I'd have to go back to the Gold Medal game between Team USA and Canada during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. That was such a magical event where you had a bar filled with fanatical fans of both countries, dressed in their country's colors and cheering passionately for their respective teams. To make it even better, both teams played such an epic game that you couldn't help but to get caught up in the frenzy. Long story short, it was the best game I'd ever seen with a group of patrons at the bar. Hands down (click the link for the full story).

(photo credit: Mike Carver)

The one frustration that I had with the night was the fact that my iPhone battery died early into the night, so I didn't get to take as many photos as I would have liked. However, I did get to see some of the Vine/Instagram posts from the night and it made me feel good yet sad at the same time. That being said, if any of you were present at the goodbye festivities, PLEASE post any photos you may have on our Facebook page. It would mean a lot to me.

(photo credit: Marie LaPilla)

(photo credit: Sujohn Sakar)

(photo credit: Courtney Smelter)

(photo credit: Shivank Kumar)

(photo credit: Sujohn Shakar)

And by the time we finally called "LAST CALL" at the end of the night, it really became real. We had a good number of patrons who were reluctant to leave- some were even adamant about not wanting to leave. But the sad reality was that this was it- it was time to raise the lights on a 22-year run.

As I wind down my 2,992nd post, it suddenly dawns on me that this is the last post that I will ever write for this blog. I mean, if there's no more bar.... it's only right that I retire the blog as well. After 8 1/2 years of posts, it's the right time.

But before I sign off for the last time, I want to say from the bottom of my heart, it's been an honor to be a part of the Third and Long Family for the past 21 years. I want to send a special thank you to MATT and JIM LONG for giving me an opportunity back in 1992 after a chance meeting in the Hamptons. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have all of the experiences and memories I leave with today.

I also want to pay a special homage to all of the great staff that I had the pleasure of working with over the years. From the managers I had, to the co-managers I worked along side by side with, to the employees that worked for me- It was because of you that I enjoyed going to work each and every night. Our "family" was and will forever be a tight knit one; A family that even after moving on, can still connect and pick up where we left off without skipping a beat. That's rare to find in any occupation.

And finally, I want to acknowledge you, the patrons. As much as we enjoyed working at Third and Long, the bar wouldn't have had the 22 year run it had without you. A good friend from across the pond said it best: "Good people make a pub". In my eyes, we couldn't be what we were without you. You accepted us for what we were: A neighborhood pub who knew how to treat its customers right. In many cases, I've gained wonderful friendships from individuals who started out as patrons. And for that, we will always thank you.

So with that, I'll leave you with this quote from "The Office" that pretty much sums up Third and Long:

"No matter how you get there or where you end up, human beings have this miraculous gift to make that place home."

And that definitely held true here.