International Bar Crawl in NYC!

So Saturday, January 17th was…









First off, meet Francesca:









I met Francesca in 1987 when she was three and I was 12. I was a mother’s helper for her family. She and her family moved to Florida though, and I lost touch with the family. But in 2005, we got in touch through Myspace, and she traveled from Baltimore to come to the crawl and stay with us for the weekend! So I hadn’t seen Francesca in almost 20 years! Francesca wore my Go-Go blazer to represent for Japan.




And of course, y’all know Shannon, of Snickers and Samara fame.









Shannon was representing for Ireland (notice her shiny pin!) and Russia, because of her coat (not pictured) and also ‘cause she is Russian.




Now okay, you see that orange thing in the first picture? That is what I was supposed to wear. A German beer maiden costume. But wonder of wonders, it was way too big on me! Good in a way, bad in a way. So instead, I represented for Scandinavia and Finland in particular! Children of Bodom woooo! And in an unprecedented turn of events, I even wore a jacket! Javier said I had to :-/









We took the train, then a cab, and finally arrived at Caliente Cab Company! Here, we would be drinking to Antarctica, since CCC specializes in excellent frozen drinks!









And lo and behold, if it isn’t MILTON!!!









I met Milton in Oneonta, and hadn’t seen him in years! I was so excited! But not as excited as him. Not ONLY did he get to drink a fruity frozen drink, he got a glo bracelet as well!









Meanwhile, we got some flautas, and they were lovely!












Shannon and I got some strawberry margaritas, which were delicious! As Javier took our picture, I told Shannon to look cold since it was Antarctica! She apparently completely ignored me, and I apparently am a very angry shiverer.








Francesca is not a drinker. But she got into the spirit with a peach margarita! Leading to silliness.












Powerpuff Girl Wondertriplets with our glo bracelets!






At long last, having survived “the train ride from hell,” Donnie, the guest of honor, arrived!






Woohoo!




Guys, it’s SO sad. Donnie’s moving to Atlanta. Even though it was only my second time seeing her, I’m going to miss her so much :’(




I do not have a picture of Javier with his frozen drink, but he got one! I’d include a FAIL pic but there is NO TIME because we must depart for Africa. Say goodbye to the Taco Taxi!*









*That’s what she said.




For the next bar, we went to Duplex!






We forgot to take a picture, and this is what the Internet gave me.




Africa, baby! We all got “Giraffes,” and they were REALLY tasty. One of the most awesome things about bar crawls is confusing the hell out of the bartenders, like WTF, you need 7 Giraffes? Javier said the bartender was hesitant to make them, much like the Quarter Irish, but more on that later. But they were made, and they were delicious!






Vodka + Blue Curacao + Sour mix + Banana liqueur + Sprite =






Joy and girl bonding!




Meanwhile, Milton’s friend Joseph arrived!







And Michael came with his friend Eric! I met Michael at 7-11 when I lived in Levittown. And he RULES. Eric was really nice too! But we did not take a picture of them at Duplex, as we were moving on! To pizza!












Francesca loves this movie “Devotchka” (sp?) because it makes her very, very sad. So randomly she likes to take “Devotchka” pictures. Look sad!










The next bit of time was rather nightmarish, as all the bars seemed to disappear, and like if you were watching a movie, you’d say that’s not realistic, it’s Manhattan on a Saturday night. There may as well have been tumbleweeds! Or at very least that aggressive smoke that comes from the street in New York stuff that is filmed in LA. Anyway, it was truly bizarre, and truly confusing. I was upset and felt for sure everyone’s night was ruined, but everyone was so upbeat and awesome – thanks guys. Seriously, another REALLY nice group of people. And all’s well that ends well, because we ended up here:









I cannot say enough good things about this place, or the people in it. From the man in charge, whom I believe was the owner, to the bartenders, to the patrons. It was a great vibe. It was a classy place, but really laid back, and no one made us feel weird for getting kamikaze shots in a wine bar, for Asia. I wanted a Mai Tai, because few things in life bring me greater joy than a Mai Tai even if it is ten degrees outside, but when in Rome, you know? So to speak. ALSO, this gave us the opportunity to pay homage to Mike, aka Smartass Blog Kamikaze.


















That is Michael and Eric in the picture with me! They are totally fun and awesome. Guys I hope you’ll come out again!















Donnie found a kindred spirit in Francesca, as they are both masters at Glass Finagling, and scored an Amstel Light glass!









We gave glo bracelets to the (I think) owner and bartender, and they invited us behind the bar, which ruled!









Seriously guys, if you’re ever in the area – check out this bar! Tell them the weird people with the glo bracelets sent you.



Next up – Australia! Which we drank to here:









I’ve been here for shows before, but never just to hang out. It was GREAT. Fun and lively, but very open and spacious. And did you know that a vodka martini with lemon was originally called a Kangaroo Cocktail!


















Donnie made the executive decision to switch to Europe because she wanted a Guinness. Which I could not argue, because a) it was her bon voyage, and b) I’m pretty sure begrudging someone a Guinness is an equivalent to a cockblock. Guinness is magical. (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)






Wanna see a magic trick…






It’s…GONE!




Meanwhile, Milton returned!









And wonder of wonders, it is none other than Deep Thought himself! He came all the way from Virginia, but it took a long time because of the inauguration. It was midnight when he met up with us! He’s awesome, even more in person than I could have imagined. DT, I don’t know if I’m allowed to use your name, so I will call you that, it was a pleasure; thank you so much for traveling to hang out with us.









I’ll tell you right now, we never got to the Americas. Which I will justify for two reasons: Javier and I were the hosts, and he represents South America and we each drank a Sam Adams on the train in. [/FANWANK]. Also, and this is just logical fact: The Peculier Pub is one of the best places to end a night of drinking, ever! It calls to us on the bar crawls, like the mermaids, each to each. They sing to us, and we respond. There is no choice.




Previously, at…


















Anything can happen. Tonight, Europe happened, and fresh on our high of Libertarian bonding, with DT, Donnie and I invoked the name of Spud!












Because truthfully, where would we be without Spud and his Amazing Text Of The Quarter Irish? Certainly not terrifying bartenders everywhere, having them put together an alcoholic Ecto Cooler!












So as promised and in keeping with tradition, we all toasted to Todd and drank our fluorescent green drinks. It really does amuse me to no end, going to a bar that’s famous for one thing and getting something completely different. I mean, Peculier has like 85 billion different beers and we get this? At 3 a.m.? YES.






Chicken wings!




And then something truly awesome happened. Donnie gave a speech.



















It was incredibly touching. Like, I can’t even describe the amazing feeling of hearing it. Thank you, Donnie. You always have a place to stay in New York, whenever you want to visit : )






IRL (((((HUGGS)))))!




In recognition of Donnie’s love for bar glasses and her farewell party, we gave her one of those Lolita glasses (if you don’t know, check them out, they are so great). This one was called “Pub Crawl!” Yayyy!









But not too much time could be spent crying and being sentimental! Donnie had waited all night for her shot: Jäger.












^^^^^ A dude from San Antonio!







Finally though, the dreaded last words “Last Call!” came, and the ensuing sadness. We parted ways, not before crying all over again. Come to my bar crawls, people! You will shed tears!



A montage to wrap it all up:



Penn Station!







The train!












~ THE END ~




Thank you SO much again to everyone who came out. I had such a wonderful time. Thank you for braving the cold and the trains and the roads…just, thank you. I love you guys ♥















©2009






Click here for Donnie’s blog on the night!