Drinking around town

Sin City Countdown of Sin - Anger

2006-06-16T14:51:00.000-04:00

You may ask how does Anger and Vegas relate....since I live in Atlanta and don't own a plane the only way to get to Vegas is to fly as a passenger on one of this country's great airlines. So, who does not get angry when dealing with the airlines companies?

If someone reading this can give me an insight on how airlines set fares and rates I would really like to know. Why is it that when I was looking at getting flights to San Antonio (I know not Vegas but keep reading) I could get a flight from Dallas to San Antonio for a $100 with the stop over being in ATL, but from Atlanta to San Antonio was $350.

Sorry for the sidetrack but flying out and back to Vegas is the worst part of the trip. I hate flying and below are my reasons.

1. Whenever there is a problem they never tell you what is the exact problem. What you normally get is the pilot coming on the intercom saying we have a short delay and will be sitting here for next 15 minutes (which ends up being 45) If they told people what was going on I think they would find their passengers to be much happier.

2. How come Southwest does not fly into Atlanta? Once again if anyone knows the answer to this please tell me. Without Southwest Delta and Airtran can set very high fairs to fly out west (see my San Antonio comment above). If the competition from Southwest were in Atlanta, the prices would probably drop around $75-$100 a ticket.

3. Lost luggage. How come Fed-EX and UPS can tell you were your package is at that very moment, but when the airline loses your luggage they do not have a clue were it might be? The technology to implement this can not be that hard. The government should require all the airports to have it, since I am sure all the financially strapped airlines can not pay for it.

Well I am not going to bring my Vegas countdown down by sinning myself in anger. The next stop on our Sin City Countdown is the one that draws everyone to VEGAS the sin of Greed

VEGAS Countdown

2006-06-15T17:36:00.000-04:00

It all starts simple enough.....someone throws out the email "When are we going to take our yearly VEGAS trip". It usually happens about 5 months before we actually go. After the initial email, the debating starts. What weekend? Where are we going to stay? How many days? etc, etc......well fuck all that!! All I can say is VEGAS!!! This year we are going at the end of June. We usually go in March, but this is for a bachelor party, so we wanted to go somewhere near the wedding date. We know it is going to be hot as hell, so we are staying at Mandalay to enjoy the nice pool and scenery. Although some people balked at the cost of Mandalay and are staying at NY/NY instead. () you know who you are.

To give you a roll call of who is going we have Cleave, Chubbs, Chocolate, Steakhead, Wingman, Chin, Michelin Man (because his fat rolls look like the Michelin Man), Faticus and maybe Crack. One of our friends lives there so we will most definitely be meeting up with him.

Leading up to VEGAS I am going to do a post on the following topics.....drinking (envy), gambling (greed), eating (gluttony), strip clubs (lust), pools (sloth), nightclubs (pride), and airlines (anger) . They call it Sin City so I thought I would cover all of them. Let the good times roll.

Drinking Around Town NYC Version Part Two

2006-06-14T23:13:00.000-04:00

Ok now onto Saturday.

I wake up around noon realizing in my drunken state last night I drank the $5 bottle of Voss water sitting next to my bed. Oh well it tasted well that night.

Anyway...being a little hungover the first thing I thought was I needed food in my stomach. I called my friend Brunswick. I took a cab and headed over to a place called Popovers. I don't even know how to describe what a popover is, but it tasted good especially hungover.

After lunch drinks: $20
After lunch/breakfast Brunswick, his friend we will call Entourage (since his name is the same as one of the people on the show) and myself head to a bar called Barcelona. One of Entourage's friend's owns the bar. There were only a couple people in the bar watching the world cup, but we started drinking anyway. I had two bloody mary's, two vodka and sprites, and I think 3 rounds of shots. Barcelona's specialty is specialty shots, so we could not refuse. I think they list about 50 different shots you can get. Most of the shots are house specials. Note the tab above....you got to love going to a bar where someone knows the owner. :-)

Dinner: $50 Shiller's Liquor Bar
The dinner was not too bad. Brunswick and Entourage picked this place. I had about 3 glasses of wine and one vodka and sprite. The food was ok and not too expensive. Nothing much to write about, except I think I realized how hard it must be to find places in NYC that could actually accommodate large parties. We were only 8 it is was a tough time. I guess are tables of 20 we get in Atl sometimes would not fly.

After dinner: Joshua Tree and Bar 515 (the only reason I remember the names is that I looked on my check card statement) $100

I meet up with FF at a bar called Joshua Tree. It was great. They had a bunch of big screen TV's showing the old school 80's videos while the music was playing over the speakers. The whole crowd was singing to all the good tunes including some of my favorite Bon Jovi and Journey. I had about 4 Vodka and Sprites and one Jaeger bomb. Good stuff.

After that we headed to Bar 515. It gets a little fuzzy here but from what I remember they played some pop tunes. Decent crowd, good times. Stayed there about until 2:30ish. I walked back to the hotel and tried to go to the W bar again. Unfortunately it was closed already at 3 am. Can you believe that? Oh well.

Sunday......very tired and hungover. Brunswick, his brother, Entourage and I grabbed brunch. Then we crashed at Entourage's place until we had to leave. Brunswick and I went to the airport around 5 pm. My flight did not board until 8:30 pm. (Trust me I tried to get on an earlier flight) Let me also say the concourse I was in in Lagaurdia sucked. All it had to eat was a pretzel place, which was not too bad.

Overall my NYC experience was fun. Maybe next time I will see some touristee things and eat some Italian or Chinese food.

Drinking Around Town NYC Version

2006-06-12T17:46:00.000-04:00

I know I have been slack in posting lately....the best excuse I can come up with is that DWest has been Driking Around Town too much. Yes it is summer time in Atlanta and I have been enjoying the many festivals and great patios the town has to offer. This past weekend I decided a change of drinking scenery was needed and took a trip to NYC. (You know the place where they don't know how to make Pacante Sauce....get a rope)

Anyway here is the review:

Background:
I have a friend who lives in Atlanta who is from NY who went with me on this trip. We will call him Brunswick. He was my tour guide/bar restaurant advisor. I was also meeting up with a friend of my family who I had never met before. I stayed at the W in Times Square. (the only reason being I got a good deal on price line)

Cab From the Airport: about $35
All I can say is oh my God. I got in around 2 and we must of hit NYC Friday traffic. I have never been jolted around and heard a person use a horn more. I felt like I was on a ride at Six Flags.

Friday Lunch: $30
I meet my friend Brunswick for lunch. He recommends we go to a bar-b-que place. I don't know why I went with him being from ATL (where they know how to make BBQ) but I did not know where else to go. I had 2 killians and a BBQ sandwich that was ok.

Friday Afternoon Drinks: $20
After lunch Brunswick and I mosey over to Bryant Park. There was a bar there, so we just start drinking. I had two very well made Absolute Mandarin and Sprites. (which are my drink of choice) This was a great time. Nothing beats sitting outside drinking and people watching on a gorgeous day.

Cat Nap: free :-)
After lunch I went back to the W to take a nap. It was Friday after all and I had a slight buzz.

Friday Pre Dinner: $30
I went with Brunswick to Cambells Apt near Grand Central to meet one of his friends. It is a cool little lounge place. Plenty of couches and chairs to sit in. I had 3 Absolutes and Sprites along with half a dish of seasoned mixed nuts.

Friday Dinner: about $100 (60 of that was for shots and unfortunately I forgot to eat dinner)
After Cambells I went and met the family friend at a place called Rio Grande. It is your typical Mexican joint. I felt like I was back in the ATL. I was on a patio drinking Margaritas. I believe I had 3 Margaritas and a couple of shots. I brought a round of shots for FF (family friend), her friend, and some people we had made friends with that worked for Bloomingdales. I felt inclined to buy the shots since one of the Bloomingdales girls had purchased a round earlier. Well this was one of the worst shots I have ever had. It came in a plastic cup smaller than what you get with cough medicine. It was about the size of the ones they use for communion in churches.

After dinner: About $60
We took FF's friend back to grand central and went out to meet Brunswick with one of his friends. I can not remember the name of the bar (update it was caled Chumlees), but it was fun. I had two beers. After that I drop FF at grand central in a cab. I went back to Times Square had 2 slices of pizza and then had a drink or two at the W bar. Then I went up to my room on the 48th floor and passed out.

First night in NYC $275 really not that bad.

Cant Miss Atlanta Summer Time Events

2006-04-11T00:10:00.000-04:00

Spring/Summer in Atlanta is my favorite time of year. The Braves are playing again, the weather is beautiful, all the outdoor decks are open for drinking and women are wearing sun dresses and skirts.....ahhh life is good. I thought I would take time with this post to list some of the can't miss spring/summer opportunities in Atlanta. As always fellow drinkers, I can't cover everything so if I missed something please fill me in. And away we go.......

April 15th - Atlanta Steeple Chase
http://www.atlantasteeplechase.org/home.htm
http://www.wednesdaynightdrinkingclub.com/steeplechase2006/

This is one of the biggest party events in Atlanta. Everyone gets dressed up, drives (or wisely rides in a party bus) to Rome , GA and just gets obliterated drunk. Apparently there is a horse race there. I don't think I have seen a single horse there anytime I have gone. I recommend the WNDC party listed above. If not find some friends who are going. For all your old schoolers out there apparently Railchasers does not organize a party any more. All of my friends are lame and are not going. Something about a resurrection and a bunny. (Just kidding...I know it is Easter Sunday the next day. We do have to take a day off of drinking every once and awhile)

Sat April 22nd - March of Dimes WalkAmerica Downtown Atlanta
http://www.walkamerica.org/

Now for all of my readers out there that think "Life is just one big party" there is more to DWest than just drinking and having fun. I am the volunteer coordinator for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica for Downtown Atlanta. I have been working the past month to ensure there are enough volunteers to help put on the event. Hopefully we will get better weather than we did last year. Now just so you don't think I am changing my ways......all the volunteers go to a big after party after the event with an open bar. So I will be sure to write a summary of this day when it happens.

May 5th - Cinco De Mayo any Atlanta Area Mexican Restaurant
this is one of my favorites http://www.mexicolindorestaurant.net/307106.html

How come Americans are always celebrating other nations holidays? Cinco de Mayo, Saint Patricks Day, oh well I thought I would have more. Drink your cervesas and margaritas and have a fiesta!!!

May 6th - Dunwoody Beer Festival
http://www.dunwoodybeerfest.com/

They have finally gotten smart and put this beer festival in May when the weather will be cooler. This festival is held on top of a parking lot so it can get very hot. The beer selection here is not as diverse as some of the other festivals but a good time can be had by all.

May 13th - East Atlanta Beer Festival
http://www.notoberfest.com/

My friend Steakhead told me about this beer festival a couple years ago. Not quite as big as Decatur, but much more shade. Afterwards you have all the cool bars to hang out at in East Atlanta. I know my friends BIsl and CIsl will be there and at the Dunwoody one too. They love beer festivals....especially seeing how much stuff they can steal off of the vendors tables. I will have to miss this one since I will be in the Bahamas for a wedding. I will try to get a guest writer to do a review.

I have not found anything to fill the gap in here yet. So just go out enjoy a Braves game, have happy hour on a nice deck, Neighbors is one of the best, and just enjoy life and the great weather in Atlanta.

June 17th - 6th Annual Braves Bus Trip
http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?event=PHDSBKHZTDJVRWJQNOSC
(not sure if the link will work or not)

This is an annual event I have organized for all my friends with June birthdays (trust me there is alot of them) Which reminds me BClo dont we still have a bet on which season more babies are born? Anyway.....we rent the disco party bus and go from Smyrna to tailgate in the Braves Parking Lot. My friends and I usually drink a keg and a half on the trip. The bus holds forty people....so for you non math and non engineering majors out there.....

Keg = approx 120 12oz beers
1.5 (120) / 36 = approx 5 beers per person in about a 2 hour tailgate time period

Remember that is just an average. Lets just say everyone has a good time. We get $5 tickets and head to the Bud Pavilon above the Chop House. Good times...

Date TBD (most likely July 22nd) - Draft on Taft
http://www.draftontaft.com/

I have not been to this party in over 5 years. I know it is a good time and everyone I know who goes has fun. Unfortunately it is the same time every year as......

July 22nd - 8th Annual Christmas in July Party more details to be announced in later posts

Park Tavern Crawfish and Oyster Fest Review

2006-03-30T17:47:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday 3/25, Park Tavern in Atlanta held an Crawfish Fest. I did not arrive until late, but I can tell you a couple things:

1. If you are going to charge people for food make sure you do not run out. I did not experience this first hand but the friends I met there were all complaining about it.

2. Do not let the women use the men's room. This may seem ungentlemanly of me, but why should I let a women cut in front of me to use the mens room. Do I not have to go just as bad as they do? Plus I dont even understand how they were even using the stalls in the men's room. Both toilets were overflowing at the top. I am sure there was alot of hovering going on. I feel sorry for the poor guy who had to clean that place the next day.

3. How can you have a bar and not have Jagermeister? I tried to order Jager bombs and they told me they did not have any Jager. You have got to be kidding me.

Overall the party was fun. They had the same set up as they did for their St. Patrick's day party. Unfortunately, not very many people were outside since it was so cold.

Overall I give it a rating of 3 vodka and sprites.

The downfall of Atlanta Strip Clubs

2006-03-30T17:38:00.000-05:00

Now I am not one to frequent strip clubs, but after attending two bachelor parties in the last month I feel I can comment on the current affairs in Atlanta strip clubs. THEY SUCK.

Believe it or not the major factor in a strip club is not the quality of the ladies (that rates a high second), but how you are treated by the staff and the dancers. Now without rehashing the details of the two bachelor parties (what happens on one stays quiet), the way Atlanta strip clubs treat their patrons has fallen on hard times. The last bachelor party we went on, one club would not even let us off our bus before saying we were not allowed in. I thought strip clubs catered to Bachelor Parties??

So where does all this get us too? Atlanta needs a high class strip club. Some may think that is the Cheetah, but you can read Steakhead's post and see that is not the case. Will Atlanta ever get another Gold Club that knew how to take care of its patrons (besides the whole charging extra on credit cards thing)??

Where the Wild Thing Wasn't

2006-03-23T17:10:00.000-05:00

Below is a guest post by my friend Steakhead about the St. Patrick's Day party at Limerick Junction.

Enjoy!!

D West

There are not many folks who can throw down like D West. For you readers of this blog, you are probably all too aware of this fact. But the man does have his limitations. He has yet to master the art of drinking in two places at the same time. Since D and his friends were doing the Atkins Park celebration in Smyrna, yours truly, Steakhead, is breaking away from his typical grub-centric comfort zone to report on the St. Patrick's Day festivities at the Limerick Junction in the Highlands..

The doors opened at Limerick Junction at noon on St. Patty's Day. There were several reasons that myself, Wingman and another compatriot arrived at 12:01. One, I believed tables would be in high demand (they were). Two, we're just that neurotic to not want to miss one minute of the festivities (we are). And three, and perhaps most important, my alma mater Bucknell was playing an NCAA Tourney game at 12:30 that day.

Upon arrival, the Harp began to flow. For the first few hours, nervousness regarding the closely fought hoops game had my pace well above the rate it needed to be. While I was keeping pace with my companions, it must be noted that they are single and in much better drinking shape than I am. By 2:30 pm, my Bison had beaten Arkansas 59-55, Chris Ricker was playing Irish favorites at the mic, and Steakhead was feeling no pain.

Now some people, they get in a fighting mood when they get drunk. Others, they get depressed. Me, I am a very happy-go-lucky drunk. I want to make new friends, hug people, share the love so to speak. This led to numerous trips to the outside parking lot where an Irish block party was taking place. Unlike last year, where the temperature felt like 30 degrees, the weather was decent this year, and the outside party was jamming. Now here's the thing with Limerick Junction on St. Patrick's Day. If you leave the inside to go the parking lot, you can't get back in just by flashing a hand stamp. You need to go all the way back to the front and wait in the line to get in. You would have thought I would learn this after spending most St. Patrick's Day's at this bar for the last 10 years. At the very least, you would think I would learn it after one time on this day. But I was in the mood to mingle, so I gnip-gnopped from my table to the block party to the line several times that afternoon.

Sometime around 7, not exactly sure when, the 14 Harpimbibed embibed during the course of the day had caught up with me. Does anyone know how much a cab costs to go from the Highlands to Sandy Springs? If you do, please let me know, because I totally don't remember. What I do know is that the cab dropped me off at the corner of Roswell Rd. and Abernathy, and I walked the rest of the way home in a bright orange shirt (Go Bucknell!), a cowboy hat, and St. Patrick's Day beads. At 7:30 at night. In a fashion that could hardly resemble a straight line. To my new neighbors, sorry if you and your kids had to witness that.

Atkins Park St. Patrick's Day Festival Review by D West

2006-03-22T21:05:00.000-05:00

Well the day started as my two friends, CTho (whose bachelor party was the next day) and CGeo, and I arrived at 2 pm at Atkins Park. We had all left work early to start drinking early. My best friend BClo, who took the whole day off, had been drinking and watching basketball at Atkins Park since noon. When we arrived at the bar BClo had already drank three beers. The next thing the four of us did was order and eat food. This was probably the best decision we made all day.

After we had eaten and formed a good drinking base, we all went outside to the fenced off festival area. If you have never been to the Smyrna Village, there is a large fountain that is outside of all the main restaurants. When they hold special events this area is fenced off and a stage for a band is set up. This is the area my three friends and I were hanged out at. The brief detail are below:

Cost to enter festival: $5 online presale, $10 at the gate

Beer Cost: $4 for either Bass, Stella, or Hoegarden

Bands: Desire (U2 cover band headed by Justin a former Tin Roof band regular) and other ones I don't remember

The crowd: Not as witty of T-Shirts as there were at LuckyFest (the best one was worn by CGeo which said "I like to get wasted and Fuck".) The scenery was also not as good as LuckyFest, but I think this had more to do with people having to work on Friday. and not leaving early to drink.

Well, with any festival such as this my friends and I end up taking turns buying rounds. Everything was going well until we got on the second cycle of buying rounds. For some reason when my turn came up I went into Atkins Park and purchased four Jaeger Bombs. This would not have been that big a deal until CGeo decided to buy four Jaeger Bombs when his turn came to buy a round. This was the first mistake we made that day.

After drinking 5 beers, 2 Jaeger Bombs, (and sharing 2 pitchers at lunch with everyone else) I was feeling pretty good. I think this is the point I switched to vodka and sprite inside at the bar. In case this is your first time reading this blog when I drink vodka and sprite things start to get fuzzy. Here is what I remember:

- It started to get cold outside so the line to get into Atkins was very, very long
- I lost all my friends.....from calls the next day CGeo left at 9, BClo at 8, CTho stumbled home around 7:30, I caught a cab home at 7.

The reason I caught a cab home at 7 was to meet up with a girl I had meet at LuckyFest the weekend before. This was pretty stupid of me to meet up with her since I had been drinking since 2 pm. I don't think it is a good idea for every time you meet a person to be drunk. I think our semi date went well, but I will give you more information as it happens.

Well overall the St. Patricks Day Party at Atkins Park was fun. I am glad I left early because the next day was CTho's bachelor party. That review is up next.

LuckyFest Review

2006-03-14T20:28:00.000-05:00

This is my first review of the two weekends of celebrating Saint Patricks day.

Here were the details on LuckFest

Cost: $20 pre sale, $30 at the door

Drinks: $5 16oz Coors light, $5 absolute, $6 killians

Attire: Almost every single person was in green, one guy was wearing a keg costume. My friends and I ordered St. Patricks day beads. You will be amazed how many girls come up to you when you are wearing squeaky rubber ducky beads. We also had shamrocks and Irish Flags.

Weather: You could not ask for a more beautiful day than 70 degree weather and sunny.

Paying a cab driver money to take your drunk friend who is passing out home: Priceless

Overall the party was fun. I was surprised how many people just decided to hang out in the Piedmont Park instead of paying the entrance fee to the party. The funniest part about the scene was all these people were still wearing green shirts. Now granted all these people saved 30 bucks and were not paying $5 a beer. Well they missed out on some nice scenery inside and they also had a hike to go to the bathroom. The bands they had inside were also very entertaining. This party is still Atlanta's best St. Patrick day themed party. The organizers better watch out though, because if they keep charging people so much money to get in, everyone is just going to hang out in Piedmont Park. I believe every year the price has gone up and the beer has gotten more expensive, I guess it may be due to the higher cost of gas. :-)

My friends and I also went to Spotted Dog after the party. I will save my review when I visit again since I was a little drunk. The only thing I remember is the bathrooms were upstairs and down a long hall. This is not good for a bar.

Well on tap next for D West is the Party at Atkins Park and then a bachelor party for my friend who we will call Crack Muffin. See you out on the town.

Upcoming Saint Patrick's Day Events

2006-03-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know of some of the upcoming St. Patty's Events

Saturday March 11 - LuckyFest at Park Tavern - http://www.wednesdaynightdrinkingclub.com/luckyfest/

I have gone to this party the past four years. It is always a great time, except for the lines for the bathrooms. Be sure to wear a green shirt with your favorite saying on it. I got my shirt for this year here http://www.tshirthell.com/

Friday March 17 - Atkins Park Smyrna St. Patty's Party -http://www.usaentertainment.net/stpatparty.html

I know of at least three people, including myself, who are taking the day off of work to start celebrating the holiday early. They dye the fountain green. Hopefully this year the weather will be nicer. Last year it was very very cold.

Well if you are not going to these events, I hope you have fun drinking your green beer or Guinness somewhere.

Edit
Per my friend Steakhead's request below are some more parties. They should be fun, but I am not sure if D West will be making an appearance.

Friday March 17th - Limerick Junction
http://www.limerickjunction.com/spd.html (I know this is where Steakhead and some other friends will be)

Friday March 17th - Fado Irish Pub
http://www.fadoirishpub.com/fado_pub_main.php?city=atlanta (they are having a party all during the day including 99x's kegs and Eggs party in the morning with Skid Row)

There will be many other parties, but these and the ones mentioned above are the big ones that I would recommend.

The longest hangover ever

2006-03-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

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I have been informed that I need to work on my writing style. I know I am not the best writer in the world, so I am going to put forth an effort to review my blogs before I publish them. Any English teachers or former English majors, please feel free to offer criticism.
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I am going to keep the review of the bachelor party to a minimum, because a bachelor party is kind of like going to Vegas. What Happens on a Bachelor Party Stays on a Bachelor Party.

Here are some of the highlights:
1. We rented the http://www.toxxictransportation.com/ party bus. It was very cool and I highly recommend it.

2. I spent $300 and did not get a single lap dance. Yes this was all spent on drinks and many Jaeger Bombs.

3. The group of about 15 of us all got kicked out of one of the gentleman's clubs for reasons I will not go into here.

4. The bachelor had the waist band of his boxers ripped by four dancers.

5. At the end of the night, 5 of us raided one of our friend's (I will call him E) fridge. We ended up having a food fight in his kitchen with Chicken Chow Mein and mozzarella Sticks.

Those were the highlights and now for the low lights.

Monday afternoon - I was still feeling hungover and starting to get a cough
Monday night - I had a 101.5 fever and did not sleep all night
Tues-Fri - Fever, chills, headache, body aches, coughing, cold sweats, and not able to sleep any bit of the night
Sat - by this point I was actually starting to feel better but the cough still lasted about another week.

I learned a couple lessons from my week long flu.

1. I am not going to go another year without getting a flu shot.
2. Drinking heavily three days in a row apparently lowers you immune system
3. Eating Chicken Chow Mein off of the kitchen floor probably is not the best for your immune system either.

So overall bachelor party good.....the flu for the next week bad.

Bachelor Parties and the Flu

2006-02-28T22:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting, but I had the flu all last week and it completely knocked me on my ass. I had a tempature from Monday night until Sunday morning and every joint in my body, even ones I did not know I had ached. Well before I go into too much detail...let me tell you about how I arrived with the flu.

My friend, we will call him Sumo, had his bachelor party two weekends ago (last weekend I was sick in bed with the flu) The festivities started on Thursday night when his best man, we will call him Basketball Belly, came into town. Well my Thursday night started off with a date. I went to Pura Vida in the highlands, on the recommendation of my friend Steakhead. The food was very good, the date not so good and the margarita horrible. Now I have discussed this on length with Steakhead....where he says you do not go to a restaurant for the drinks, but when I am paying 7 for a drink I at least want to taste the tequila. Oh well this is called Drinking Around Town so back to the main story.

After my date ended, I met some friends for a going away party at Aiko. Basketball Belly was driving in from DC that day and he decided to meet me out that night to get the weekend started early. Well Basketball Belly is a little directionally challenged, instead of going to Aiko he some how ended up at East Andrews. It took me a while to figure this out, but I finally did when he said "I am in front of the fountain downstairs." It was pretty easy after that since

1. Aiko does not have but one floor
2. There is no fountain at Aiko

Basketball Belly finally shows up. If you do not know Aiko on Thursday nights is promoted by www.inlikeflynnent.com I don't know how they do it, but they always seem to get the hottest women to show up to any event they promote. Well Basketball Belly and I hung out with my other friends, had a couple of drinks (I had to drive) and then went to Waffle House. Basketball Belly was very happy going to Waffle House, since there are none near him in DC.

Aside - I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but I love going to Waffle House late night. My favorite one and the one I almost always goto is on South Atlanta Road and I-285. Is it a bad sign when you walk in everyone and everyone on the late shift staff knows you? Anyway tell the cook Brenda I sent you....she will take care of you. Make sure you get the Hashbrowns topped. (BTW I will have to tell the story of how I met a bartender from 1150 in the Waffle House one night)

So from my night Thursday.....working on Friday was a little hard to do. The plan for Friday was to go down to East Andrews upstairs to hear the Bon Jovi cover band Slippery When Wet. If you have not heard them before, the sound exactly like Bon Jovi. I think the lead singer has had plastic surgery to look a little more like him.....he even paints/has the same tattoos. The crowd was a very good mix. I vaguely remember running into one of my old college friends. Overall...Andrews Upstairs is a good setup. Easy to get drinks, good drink quality, can get crowded at times. The one downfall is that there are not enough bathrooms for guys or girls.

Well....the end of the night comes and somehow I get in a cab with a friend of Sumos that I did not really know. I ended up at some random girls apartment. They were getting ready to move the next day, so everything they owned was all boxed up. Sumo's friend gave me a ride home that night. Unfortunately this was after I tried to ride a tricycle that was in the hallway of their apartment complex. I did not have any bruises the next day from the ride, so I guess that is a good thing.

To be continued with Saturday (the day of the bachelor party) and the flu (or the longest hangover ever)

Bus Bar Crawl Review

2006-02-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

Well we did not pick the best weather day, but overall the bus bar crawl was a sucess. I am going to break everything down by the bars we were at.

Atkins Park Smyrna - Starting point of our trip. Most people just enjoyed a pint of beer before we got on the bus (there was a keg of bud light on bus) Here is the bus we got www.discopartybus.com

While on our way to Decatur we had to make a couple of stops - picked up people at Fox and Hound, someones house in East Atlanta, someones house in Little Five.

Well after all the pickups and bathroom breaks at the pick up stops (the bus did not have a bathroom)

Brick Store Decatur - This was our first stop. I dont think the bar tenders and waitresses liked us very much. Think about 30 people all at once coming into a place. Lets just say we filled out every little empty space. The drinks were pretty cheap. There is a downstairs area with seats and a bar in the middle. Upstairs more seats plus a Belgium Beer Bar and I believe also Scotch. I think I only had one Jaeger Bomb here.

Well with all our stops and picking people up we were an hour behind schedule so we cut The Angel from our tour. Maybe next year.

Everyone got back on the bus and was starting to feel pretty good by now. Next stop......

The Graveyard (East Atlanta) - I believe this place has not been open very long. Someone told me it use to be an old motorbike repair shop. Well it was a pretty cool little place. A couple of pool tables, good drinks, and very open. I did not eat there, but some of my friends did and said the food was pretty good. It has mainly a greek flair since the owners are greek. Maybe my friend Steakhead will do a review of the food there some time. I believe I did another Jaeger bomb there and an oatmeal cookie shot.

The Earl - This is where the night starts to get a little fuzzy from the Jaeger Bombs kicking in. Since I was sort of the planner for this event, I took it upon myself to make sure everyone was having fun. This meant I brought about 3 rounds of shots for a lot of people. My tab ended up being $127. Which is not too bad if it had been a full night out, but we were only at the bar for about 1 hour.

The Earl was fun, but it was time to go...everyone was back on the bus....next stop....

Fontaine's - Well I thought most people were going here, so I went in. Only about 1/4 of the bus went to Fontaines. Most everyone else went down to the Highland Tap. At this point I dont remember much. I remember most of the people in the highlands were all looking at us asking why we were wearing name tags and what we had been doing. I will try and remember some of the better name tag sayings and post them on here. Alot of them are inside jokes and would not be that funny to other people.

Well it was time to get back on the bus and head home, since our time had ran out. Some people stayed in the Highlands that lived down that way. The rest of us all went back to Atkins in Smyrna. All I can tell you about the rest of the night is that I remember listening to a band and taking a cab back to my friends house. There is a funny story about a doorbell and me later that night, but I will save that for a later post.

Bus Bar Crawls and other tidbits

2006-02-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

So since my blog is drinking around town and that town being the ATL I will tell you about some upcoming events. The major upcoming event is the Groundhog's Day Bus Bar Crawl. (Yes I know Groundhogs Day has already past but the superbowl weekend messed things up)

In case you dont know I like to plan fun events. My friends and I have done a party bus Braves outting for the past 5 years. Last year I started the Groundhog's Day bus crawl. The basic idea is we rent a party bus, put a keg on it and go to about 8 bars in the Atlanta area. This trip starts at 5 and goes to 2 in the morning. (As a side note I think some of my friends are getting old since there excuse for not going was "I just cant drink for 9 hours straight any more") This is a great event and just the looks on the bar tenders faces are priceless when you have 35+ people all walk into the bar at the same time. It gets even better when said 35+ people are all drunk.

Over the years on our various bar crawls we have developed some fun traditions:

1. You must wear a name tag at all times, but there are some rules to the name tag.
a. You can not name yourself.
b. You can not refuse a name tag that some one has given you.
c. You must be creative when naming someone (for some reasons the names almost always have a sexual induendo.

2. Another tradition is my friend BC giving the 15, 10, 5, and 2 minute warning before the bus leaves. This does not sound very funny, but imagine a drunk person at the top of his lungs yelling in a crowded bar "two minutes before the bus leaves"

3. The final tradition is placing a tic mark on the event bracelet you wear for every drink you have that night. This is interesting because the tics start out really straight and as the night goes on they get more slanted.

Well below is the rought itinerary, so if you see a bunch of drunk people out feel free to come hang out. I will post a review on Sunday.
4 pm Meet at Atkins Park in Smyrna
5 pm Leave Atkins on Bus
5:15 Pick up people at (near Howell Mill Rd)
5:30 Pick up people at (in East Atlanta)
5:45 The Brick Store in Decatur
6:45 Angel in Decatur
7:45 Get back on Bus
8:00 Earl in East Atlanta
9:00 Gravity Pub
10:00 Get back on Bus
10:15 Fontaine's side of Highlands
11:15 Atkins Park side of Highlands
12:15 Bus Leaves for Smyrna
12:45 Arrive Back at Atkins in Smyrna

Atkins park.....Smyrna

2006-01-29T22:53:00.000-05:00

This is not your Highlands Bar. Atkins Park Smyrna is situation in the Smyrna Village complex. Atkins Park is across from Zucca and Vintage Tavern. I will give this reviews later some time.

Well since I live in Smyrna, Atkins has become my neighborhood bar. My friends and I start at Mexico Lindo down the road for some of the strongest Margaritas I have ever had. I will do a small review on this place later. I usually go to Atkins Park two times a month mostly on Fridays for a couple of reasons.

1. It is a cheap cab ride home
2. I have gotten to know the bartenders, servers, and managers since I go there so much. Make sure to ask for Asa (not sure about the spelling) He is the northerner who works the far side of the bar on the right when you walk in. He is a Yankee fan and also will cut off you songs on the jubebox if he does not like them. He also pours a mean drink.
3. It also has a dart board, except when a band plays because the place they set up blocks the dart area. It also has a PGA golf machine. Yes I am a guy and like to play the golf video games with my friends. I also like to wear striped shirts some times when I go out. Is this a bad thing.

Some of the highlights of APS (Atkins Park Smyrna) is that it has a great food. This is in synch(no relation to the band) with APH (Atkins Park Highlands). APS is also similar to APH in that it clears out at night and becomes more of a bar. This is where the similarities end. APS can be dead some nights, although lately it is pretty kickin. APS can also be a sausage fest some nights or a hand out for old guys scaring away every single and married girl in the place. Overall though Atkins is a great hangout for a group of friends or a nice time to relax. I have seen it great pretty wild with people getting sick and stupid guys fighting.

Since this is my neighborhood bar I give it a ranking of 5 vodka and sprites. Hope to see you all there some time

Tin Roof

2006-01-20T17:42:00.000-05:00

For all you old school people who enjoyed the old days of Buckhead. Tin Roof is returning to the North Druid Hills area. The new location is at 2591 Briarcliff Road and is set to open in April, 2006. Can't wait to get drunk there again!

Bon Jovi

2006-01-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to write a quick review for those of you who missed the show Tuesday night at Phillips Arena. Let me start off by saying I think every good looking women from Atlanta in the 28-32 age range was in attendance at the show. Unfortunately for me alot of them were married.

Bon Jovi puts on a great show. The whole crowd did not sit the entire concert. He played all the old favorites....Livin on a Prayer, Wanted, Blaze of Glory, Runaway, Its My Life, Bad Medicine.

Well this is called drinking around town so let me start. First off I know its been awhile since I have been to Phillips but how come they dont sell the big beers anymore? I had a couple big beers in the CNN Center before we went in for $5 each which was a deal. Well no major review since I was the DD and had to get home safe. As for the concert 5 vodka and sprites.

East Atlanta

2006-01-16T22:07:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I ventured to East Atlanta. Below are the brief reviews.

Gravity Pub - I will just give this a mini review since we were just there for dinner. If you have not been before the place is small and we had to wait for a table. The food was suprisingly good for a hole in a wall. The beer was good and so was the selection. My friends and I were there early, so most of the crowd was groups of friends just out getting dinner and having a couple of drinks.

The Earl - This is one of my favorite bars in East Atlanta. The drinks here are always strong. The Jaeger Bombs are served in glas shot glasses, although from what I remember they use Monster instead of Red Bull. (BTW Monster tastes like crap with Jaeger) The crowd was a mix of the East Atlanta/Lil Five types and others. There were a couple groups of women out who we talked to and were friendly. The bartenders always pour a strong drink and remember what you want. In the miscellaneous category they have one of the most eccletic and kick ass jukeboxes around. The only downfall of the Earl is that is was a $50 cab ride home.

Overall I give it 4 vodka and sprites.

After the Earl we went over to the East Side Lounge.

East Side Lounge - The East Side Lounge is a bar downstairs and a small dance area upstairs. The bartenders were very good and poured a nice drink. I was a little intocicated at this point so I dont remember the quality of the jaeger bomb. The crowd was very nice, with many attractive and single girls. The one downfall is the conversation I had with one snobby ITP girl after I told her I lived in Smyrna. I am holding off on a final review since I was very drunk. I will post another review later when I go back some other time.

Future bars up next: Atkins Park Smyrna (my neighborhood pub) and an old favorite I have not gone to in a long time Dunwoody Tavern

Rating Criteria

2006-01-16T21:46:00.000-05:00

The drinks - This will include variety, cost, strength and size. I am a vodka drinker, but I will also mention other types of liquor and definitely beer in my reviews.

The crowd - I am a guy so this are will focus mostly on the scenery of women. I will also comment and the overall type of crowd. I prefer a non pretentious laid back crowd, so alot of dance clubs will not score high here.

The staff - bartenders and wait staff factor highly into the experience and atmosphere of the bar. Few people realize this, but when the staff is bad it effects the night out.

The cab - When I go out I like to have fun and I try not to ever drink and drive (something I have not learned until my 30s) This category will relate back to me getting back home to Smyrna sagely and soundly.

The overall - This will combine everything together including the quality of the jager bombs. The overall will be 1 to 5 vodka and sprites with 5 being the highest score.

I hope you ejnoy as much as I do and as always please share your comments.

I'm Back

2006-01-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

After a long hiatus I am back to posting. One of the reasons for this is the fact that I brought a lab top computer for a Christmas/Birthday present to myself. My old computer was about 8 years old and slow as molasses. Other presents I got from Santa/Parents (Christmas is also my birthday so some of these are also Birthday presents)

1. New Tag Watch
2. 4 Dress Shirts
3. Two pairs of pants
4. A set of golf clubs (irons only)
5. A golf bag
6. A slinky in my stocking (a family tradition)
7. A lap top bag (I told my family I was buying one if I did not get one as a present)
8. Some other minor stuff I dont remember

Since I have been looking for a direction for this blog I am now dedicating this blog to rating the bars I goto on given weekends. So my next post will be the criteria I use to review a bar. I will try to review a bar/restaurant type bar each week. I hope you enjoy what I have to say and please provide your own input.

Smyrnabration Review

2005-10-03T22:43:00.000-04:00

Ok so a friend and I went to Q100's The Bert Show Smyrnabration. One of the main reasons I went is because I live about 10 minutes from the Smyrna Village. I have had my fair share of Jaegar Bombs at the Atkins Park there and I am know by my face when I walk in.

Anyway....my friend and I show up about 7 and it is pretty dead (it started at 6) We played some of the games trying to win prizes. All the games were free. Now who ever thought carnival games that require some coordination and beer were a good combination I will never know.

So.....I won two stuffed animals. I gove both of them away to girls because I was trying to start conversations with them (more so because I did not want to walk around with a damn stuff animal all night)

Well.....for you guys out there reading this the scenery definitely picked up later in the night. My friend and I left about 10:30 - 11 because he was hammered.

I.....dropped my friend off at my place and took a cab to meet some friends in Midtown. They started off at Twisted Taco and then went over to Leapard Lounge. Twisted Taco was packed and had a line about 40 people to get in. I dont get this, it is a nice bar, but I would not wait to get in. I think it is the fact it is actually a bar with out cover and not a semi-bar dance club like a lot of places in Midtown are.

Anyway.....I get to Leopard Lounge and hang out with my friends It was pretty dead insdie and it seemed like most of Midtown was dead.

At the end of the night....I took a cab to the waffle house I always goto...got three egs scrambled, hashbrowns scattered smothered and topped and a double water....good stuff.

I take a cab home to find my frined passed out on my couch sleeping with a little stuffed devil he had won at Smyrnabration. He is soooo lucky I do not own a digital camera.

Bored in Car

2005-09-29T18:36:00.000-04:00

Am I the only one who gets bored driving to and from work and finds it necessary to call people on my cell phone to talk to. Now I know people with significant others do this all the time. Since I am lacking right now in this category I just tend to call my friends.

Well I think my friends have caught on to me calling them for no reason because I am bored. Since I never really have a topic or question to talk to them about I had to be creative. I started thinking about new reasons I could say I am calling them (although I am just calling because I am bored)

So below are my top five excuses to call someone to fufill your drive time home and keep you entertained:

1. Call to get an update on traffic. This works great if you know they are already on the road and can give you the status on the roads. This is very helpful in Atlanta

2. If it is the beginning of the week...call to see how the weekend was.....if it is near the end of the week...call to see what is going on this weekend.

3. With my friends any time can be a call to discuss fantasy football. (My team really sucks this year....a post on that soon)

4. Dinner plans....call to see if anyone is going out to eat for dinner. This is just a good way to catch up with people in case they are actually going out. Does anyone in this town cook any more?

5. If they had gotten an email I sent them during the day.

My adventures in online dating

2005-09-29T00:03:00.000-04:00

Ok so I have decided to try online dating again. I have tried eharmony and match before and have had good and bad sucess. This whole online thing is so weird. I decided to try it since most of my friends are married now and I have been having a hard time meeting new people.

So onto eharmony. If you do not know you can close your matches out on eharmony once you are match up with a person. Closing means you are no longer interested in talking to that person or you dont feel an interest in that person. So lately alot of my matches have been using two of the pre written reasons for closing me out. They are

1. I am taking a break from dating.
2. I have too much happening in my life at the moment.

Why would you sign up for an online dating service if you are taking a break from dating? If you were taking a break, you would not need an online service. If you have too much happening in your life why are you signing up for an online service to meet people. Apparently you are pretty busy and dont need to meet more people.

Now dont get me wrong I like eharmony. And have a couple dates coming up hopefully with some potional. Now before you go making comments on this post, I know they are just using those pre written comments to close me out because they are not interested. I am not stupid, I would just choose different responses.

Oh well what every happend to the good old fashion meeting at a bar when your drunk. It worked for my parents and they have been married over 35 years now. To the good old days.

Summary of Labor Day

2005-09-16T17:45:00.000-04:00

Ok before I start this I just want to say even though my post make it out like I am an alcoholic, I really am not. I just like to go out have fun and enjoy myself. So anyway on to Labor day.

Friday
6-8 did not get a full nap in, but did do that dazing in and out of sleep thing watching TV. My best friend BC came over and we had a couple of drinks before heading out.

8-10ish Went and met some of my friends at Frankies at the Prado to play Trivia. BC dropped me off there because he does not like the food. He went to meet our other friend SB down in Buckhead. I stayed for the first half of trivia and then had my friend SR pick me up to take me down to Buckhead.

11ish (the times get more fuzzy the more I drink) Went to Aiko. Got my usual Vodka and Sprite that I had been drinking at Frankie's too. We went to Aiko to met up with SR and his girl friend and some of her friends. BC and SB met us there later. Things start to get a little fuzzy the more I drink. I remember it being Asian night and Russian night. The owner of the place gave us a few shots while we were sitting out side at the bar.

1ish - we get kicked out of Aiko because one of the girls got a little too drunk. I recollect getting a ride home back to their place.

Saturday
6:30 well I did wake up when my friend called (still drunk) unfortunately I was not at my house. He was not happy

10ish - I get SR to drop me off at SB's house who lives in Buckhead. BC had crashed there that night. I show up and they are playing Tiger Woods golf.

11ish BC drops me back off at my place. I pass out.

Noon I wake up and start to get ready to go to the GT vs. Auburn game. I am running late......I have to stop off at Wal-Mart to get propane for the grill. They are all out because of the hurricane. I got to Home Depot. All they have is a 4 pack, so I buy it. At this point BC has called me about 10 times telling me to hurry up.

1:15 till about 3ish I sleep in the car on the ride over to Auburn. It was a good name and I needed one.

4 about 8 Tailgate. I dont think there is anything better than sitting around with your friends eating food, drinking and just hanging out and having fun. I ate alot of junk (burgers, hot dogs, chips, kabobs, etc). BTW it was hotter than hell at Auburn.

9 till about 12 I finish most of my flask of Vodka with Sprite in the stadium. We were a little worried aat first about being able to sneak them in, but there was no problem. I keep having to go to the bathroom, but hold it in as long as I can because it is a major hike to our setas. Jackets WIN the game.

12-3 It gets a little hazy, but we drive back to Atlanta. We spent alot of time in traffic getting off the campus. I fall asleep again in the car. I have a habit of doing that. I wake up about an hour outside of Atlanta. Apparently I had that I am about to get sick look on my face. I did not get sick in the car, but an hour after we got to BC's house I threw up. (Because of all the junk I ate along with the drinking)

Sunday (Day Three)

I had spent the night in BC's guest room. I think I woke up around 11ish still not feeling well. I go home and probably wake up around 4ish.

5ish Head down to Park Tavern for Whiskey fest. Just get there in time to see the Dave Matherws cover Band. They were pretty good, but I dont remember them playing Ants (my favorite DMB song)

I have about 5 or so vodka and sprites while there.

8ish BC and I head over to American Pie to catch the Bon Jovi Cover band. I keep drinkingVodka and sprites while I am there.

11 ish I get block by some guys sister from hooking up with her. I almost get into a heating discussion with some random guy telling him the story and asking him if he would let me hook up with his sister. He did not appreciate this discussion so I let him be.

2ish BC and I leave both drunk for the third straight day in a row. We both have run out of money. I have the cab driver drop me off at Waffle House and take BC home. I had my hashbrowns scattered smothered covered and topped. I walk the mile home to my house and pass out on the couch.

Monday
I splet all day and watched TV. I am thirty so I do need at least one day to recover.

Good Weekend Ahead

2005-09-02T15:21:00.000-04:00

It looks likely to be a great weekend. Below is a summary of how I think it will go.

Friday -

6:00 to 8:00 - after work go home take my traditional Short Friday nap
8:00 to 9:00 - grab some dinner
9:00 to 10:00 - front load at my friends house
10:00-??? drink alot at Aiko

Saturday -
6:30 - wake up (probably still drunk) to take my friend and his fiancee (yeah I know I cant spell) to the aiport

8:00 to 11:300 - pass back out on my bed
12:00 to 1:00 - meet at my friends house to get beer, food, and mixers for GT vs. Auburn game
1:00 to 3:00 - drive to Auburn
3:00 to 8:45 - tailgate and drink alot (I probably wont start drinking till later since I will still be hungover from Friday)
8:45 to ??? - watch GT win over Auburn and not remember a thing because I will be to drunk
???? This is where things will get a little fuzzy

Sunday-
Wake up around 5 pm
Plan on going to Whiskey Fest at Park Tavern. I will probably pussy out since I will be so hungover from previous nights.

Well that is my plan. I will give an update to let you know if everything went like it should.

Summer Update

2005-09-01T17:29:00.000-04:00

Well it seems I have not updated my blog since the beginning of summer. I am going to dedicate more time to add more interesting and insightful entries. Let me start by saying in the begining of Summer '05. I joked with my friends this would be the summer of D$. (ala Summer of Georges from Seinfeld. Well it turned out pretty well....below are some of the highlights.

1. My friends and I every year do a scramble golf tournament for my friend's birthday. We all call each other Buddha, so the tournament is affectionatively named the Buddha Open. My team won last year and we won again this year thanks to me. The game ended in a tie and my putt was closest to the hole in a putt-off to win the tournament for my team. BTW I was drunk by the 9th hole.

2. Went on a week long vacation to visit relatives. Let me preface this by saying I am very lucky to have 3 of my grandparents still alive, but it was really depressing to see how old they have gotten. I probably have not seen them in 3 year. I went on this trip with my brother, his wife, and my baby nephew. I was good to see my nephew. He is a big baby almost wearing 3T at one year old. I did not drink on this trip.

3. My best friend and I (and also now his wife too) have thrown a Christmas in July party for about 7 years now. Our parties are all out drunkfest. No matter what anyone wants to drink we are sure to have a bottle on hand for them. I spent about $600 on liquor. Now granted this supplies my bar for a year, but still my friends drank about 7 liters of Vodka. I was getting pretty drunk at this party until I had to take care of my drunk friend and I had to sober up.

4. Another event my friends and I do is rent a Disco Party bus and take it to the Braves game. We put a keg and a half on each bus. Suffice it to say not many people remember anything that happens during the game. We usually tailgate in the parking lot for an hour drinking beer. I am the organizer of this event. I was soooo drunk I left about eight people stranded at the game, because I thought everyone was already on the buses.

5. Other random events occured too, but they are escaping my memory right now. I will update more and let you know my rambles more this seasons.

Top 5 Outdoor Atlanta Decks

2005-06-03T17:45:00.000-04:00

My friend steakhead (his blog is linked on the right) posted his top 5 outdoor decks. I thought it to be a good idea, so here are my top 5 outdoor decks in Atlanta.

5. Aiko-
Up and coming deck. I have been going there alot, since one of my friend's knows the owner. Nice outside area. Eat some sushi, drink, and just hang out.

4. The Old Tin Roof -
I had to throw this one in because I spent so many nights there. You could listen to music, check out other people out in Buckhead, enjoy the nice Atlanta weather, and get shitfaced from drinks by Billy the Bartender.

3. El Azteca -
How can you beat sitting outside, eating free salsa and chips and drinking a Margarita? I just dont think it gets any better.

2. Front Page News (either location)
I dont know a better spot to be able to people watch, eat decent food, and hang out with a large group of friends. Works well too for a laid back date.

1. Neighbors - (have to agree with Steakhead on this one)
The traditional sit around with your friends, hang out, eat, drink and be merry place. I remember going to Neighbors in my college days and the deck being packed. It still lives up to my younger days. You may have to wait to get a seat if you are not early, but the people watching, good food, and good beer cant be beat.