The racing season is wrapping up, which means the drinking season is just beginning! Okay, my drinking season is year round... Anyway, it's time for another "We'll Run For Beer!" We're coming back to Manhattan, and going back to the 4-stop format. If that's not enough drinking for you, I invite you to host a pre-game party, and invite me to it. Event details for this round are as follows:
When: Saturday, December 3rd, 12:00pm
Where: Meeting at Madison Square Park, South East Corner, 23rd and Madison. We'll run a loop of the park to warm up.
What bars: The list is still in formation, but as of now, the route is as follows:
Click to enlarge
Stop 1: Molly’s (http://www.mollysshebeen.com/welcome.html). An Irish standby. I used to live on this block, and lost a credit card in the saw dust at Molly’s once. They pour a great pint of Guinness, their fireplace can keep us warm if it’s a dank December day, and if the 0.7 mile run to get you to this point has left you hungry, it’s located next door to my most favorite diner in all the land.
Distance to stop 1: 0.7 miles
Total distance to this point: 0.7 miles
NEW AND IMPROVED Stop 2: Hop Devil (http://www.hopdevil.com/). We’re going here because Sunburnt Cow doesn’t want our (non-brunching) kind on a Saturday (and we're saving ourself for Shake Shack). Anyway, Hop Devil is a better fit for our outing anyway, given that they have 23 beers on tap (and a cider, Maura) - that's called serendipity. Also, when they were able to accommodate this last-minute change, I told the bartender on the phone “you’re a life saver,” to which he replied “it’s what we do.” That man is an American Hero.
Distance to stop 2: 2.0 miles
Total distance to this point: 2.7 miles
NEW AND SPECIALLY REQUESTED Stop 3: dba (http://drinkgoodstuff.com/). You savages were concerned that 2.65 miles was a lot of ground to cover without a beer stop. Have I mentioned that, as an Ultramarathoner, I ran 37.2 miles without a beer? But I can't expect everyone to be a hero like me, so I added another stop (thanks Brad and Neal for your suggestions!).
Distance to stop 3: 1.7 miles
Total distance to this point: 4.4 miles
Stop 4: Bleecker Street Bar (http://bleeckerstreetbarnyc.com/). This is among the diviest bars I’ve ever been to. It smells like urine. Naturally, I want all of you to experience this. Though this is no longer the longest leg, you'll be good and drunk by the time we get there, so you won’t notice the homeless people hanging out.
Distance to stop 4: 0.5 miles
Total distance to this point: 4.9 miles
Stop 5: Shake Shack (http://shakeshack.com/mobile/menu/madisonsquarepark.php). We’ll finish where we started. The Shack is open year round, and their heat lamps will keep us cozy. As will their hotdogs, and obviously their beer.
Distance to stop 4: 1.4 miles
Total distance to this point: 6.3 miles
"We'll Run For Beer: Spring Edition"
From the people who brought you "We'll Run For Beer" came the next installment of everyone's favorite day drinking activity vaguely masked as a sporting event! Read all about the second WRFB here
When is it: Sunday, March 13th, 12:00pm
Where does it start: 15th Street Entrance, Prospect Park
What does it entail: 4.65 miles, 6 bars, 3 Brooklyn 'hoods, scores of fun people, copious amounts of beer
Click to enlarge (I've gotten better at drawing maps since November!)
Stops to include:
Beer Table (7th Avenue and 14th Street) - We'll go here first because it's small and therefore not that conducive to super sweaty people
Draft Barn (3rd Avenue and 13th Street) - Holy shit, I had no idea Gowanus was a neighborhood in Brooklyn!
Draft Barn (3rd Avenue and 13th Street) - Holy shit, I had no idea Gowanus was a neighborhood in Brooklyn!
Park Slope Ale House (6th Avenue and 5th Street) - No promises I won't call it a day here and spend the afternoon being intimate with cheese fries.
Washington Commons (Park Place and Washington Avenue) - 16 beers on tap? For that I may just tear myself away from the cheese fries. I'm sorry, cheese fries. Let's still be friends, okay?
Plan B (Vanderbilt and Prospect Place) - I threw a sports bar in the mix in deference to football seasons of yore.
Bierkraft (5th Avenue and Union St) - Fact: this is where I'm getting married. And hopefully where I'll find my future husband, otherwise it will be a sort of sad ceremony.
Bring your friends, plus ones, co-workers, and that fit-looking dude you see on the subway every morning. Wear comfortable clothes for a couple hours of outdoor activity. Carry cash, ID, and a MetroCard. Drink responsibly.
Want to get in on the hottt beer runnin' action? Shoot me an email at willrunforbeerblog@gmail.com to confirm your attendance. Already done that? Great! Then get training - cabs are harder to find in BK.
Inaugural "We''ll Run For Beer!"
Was a Huge Success
Thanks to everyone who came out and made it such a great day! For a full recap of the event, read the report here. Check back in the coming weeks for information on round 2.
When is it: Sunday, November 21st, 12:00pm
Where does it start: The Engineer's Gate at Central Park, 90th Street and Fifth Avenue
What does it entail: From the start, we’ll run (slowly, comfortably, and without tripping, throwing elbows, or blowing snot rockets on one another) north and west, hopping back and forth between the Park and the Avenues of the Upper West Side to quench our collective thirst along the way.
Here is a map of the course:
Click to enlarge
The stops are as follows:
1) Dive Bar, Amsterdam between 95th and 96th (the most apt name for an establishment I've ever encountered, beating out "Mainely Brews" in Waterville, Maine, which in actuality offered "mainly" brews that were not from the state of Maine).
2) Firehouse, Columbus between 85th and 86th (the outdoor seating is a facade to appeal to the UWS family crowd. Inside this joint smells like a frat house. In a good way).
3) Amsterdam Ale House, Amsterdam at 76th (Ooh, Old Speckled Hen and Chimay on draft?! Fine, and Magic Hat #9, hippie).
4) PJ Clarke's, Columbus at 63rd (the beer run may end here, but the suit chasing goes on all night).
That sounds awesome! How do I sign up?: Email me at willrunforbeerblog at gmail dot com to be sure I send you all the details.
Thanks, Claire. You are so fun and also smokin' hot: I get that all the time.
