Last night was one of those nights where the chips seemed
to stack against me (and my buddy Caleb). I had planned
to meet up with another dude earlier that night but said
dude had to bail due to general sickness (which is
understandable). Caleb had called earlier about getting
together as Wednesday night is one of my only free
nights of the week and so the two of us decided to hit up
Elgin Street in pursuit of a quiet watering hole.
To our surprise, Wednesday night proved to be one of
the BUSIEST nights that I have ever experienced. Yes -
last night. Wednesday, February 25, 2009. Can anyone
enlighten me about some unknown holiday I don't know
about? We started with a haunt that is usually a sure-fire
bet - the Lieutenant's Pump. After sitting for 10 minutes
and having our ears bleed due to crowd noise (no joke)
and receiving zero service, we left. 'The night is young'
we both said to each other, pulling on our coats.
Next stop? The Fox And The Feather. This place has
only ever been 60-70 % full in all of the times that I've
been there (unless it is in the summer). We came in
and were told by the manager to sit 'in the back, near
the dartboard'. Again. Another 10 minutes passes by
and no service. We left.
Number three? The Mayflower. A great local haunt
that has limited space but that usually always has a
few open tables. No dice. Standing room only. We
also encountered a few loud and boisterous older
women at the door who asked us for ID and then
joked that they didn't really work there. After we left,
the ladies at the door seemed upset that we were
leaving and voiced their sadness. Caleb and I walked
faster.
Four. Back down Elgin to the Manx. I've heard great
things about this place but had only ever been there
once and it was packed to the gills. Before we set
foot inside, we joked about it, too, being a wash-out.
It wasn't as full as the last time I was there...but it
was pretty close with a few people waiting to be
seated. A line-up? To get into a pub? I don't think
so.
Five. Earlier (after we had left the Pump), we had
joked that Hooley's was an option as it looked pretty
desolate inside as we walked past it. Sure enough -
Hooley's is where our collapse finally took place
(and in a private romantic booth, no less!) Luckily,
Sarah showed up later so as to dispel any rumours
about Caleb and myself in a romantic setting and
Creemore was consumed.
Only 3 nights left before no-beer month. Gotta
soak up every last minute.
