The famous last words of a doomed man
My night started out innocently enough. I had been working on one new project and two older projects all day and by 11:00 or so I felt I needed to get out for a drink. It was my buddy Sags’s birthday celebration over at DC’s (505 Eighth St, Hoboken) so I figured, “I’ll just have one drink, maybe two.”
As odd as it seemed to everyone including me, I had never been to this bar. It’s a hotspot with many of my friends thanks to the small size, great music and pool table. Rusty is behind the bar serving up the usual choices of beer and booze. The prices are decent and the service is excellent. So why have I never been here?
It’s simple really. Hoboken is chock full of bars. Most people settle on 3 or 4 usual hangs that are scattered throughout the town. It isn’t often that we stray from our routines. So it isn’t the fault of DC’s that kept me away, it is only the fault of me being stuck in a certain groove. However, lately I find myself wanting to branch out more.
The bar was filled mostly with familiar faces. My one or two drinks became three or four and then some more. Before I knew it, it was nearly 3:00 and Rusty was calling, “Last Call!” My friends Lauren and Yvonne, Andy from Pale Horse and Lava formerly of High Speed Chase decided that we needed to find Gibby (also formerly of High Speed Chase and owner of Upstart Studios). He was playing cards at the Elks Lodge. After gathering outside DC’s for a couple of smokes, we were off.
We sauntered our way to the Lodge and got there by around 3:30. Gibby was still playing poker and I thought we’d have to wait outside for a few moments until the game ended. But as a member of the lodge, Gibby was allowed to bring in guests. So we were lead into this large old bar area in the basement with a jukebox, pool table and beer served up iced cold by bartender Ricky. “This is good,” I thought, “It’s hot out and we can relax in the air conditioning for a bit.”
Between dueling with pool cues and feasting ravenously on peanut M&Ms, we drank and laughed and waited. Lodge member Brian was making all kinds of Canadian jokes once he heard that Andy was from Vancouver. Now there’s no need for you Canadians to be offended because this was followed by a volley of all kinds of racially, politically and sexually incorrect jokes by each of us. All the while I was saying, “But I have to work tomorrow (or today as it were) and I have a wedding to go to!”
As the clock ticked I found myself in the middle of that age-old battle of fun vs. sensibility. 4:30 … 5:30 … by 6:00 when Ricky finally decided to close up the bar, fun had apparently won. Sensibility was left slouching pitifully on the canvas, beaten and bloody. It was time to eat. And, as we walked out into the light of dawn, I cursed the morning to the giant golden elk knowing full well that this was not his fault.
At the Malibu Diner we ate and talked about various relationship issues and how painful it was to still be up at now 7:00. It was then that one member of our little group of troopers hit the wall and had to be escorted to the bathroom. I won’t say who since it’s embarrassing enough to have this happen without a big mouth like me broadcasting it. I will say this; Andy was a saint for really taking care of the situation.
As the rest of us continued to eat and joke around, he went out of his way to help this person get home. Or so we thought. A short time later and I noticed some commotion outside. Fire truck, a few cops more than what was in the diner. It was Andy and our friend who was apparently too far gone to walk and had decided to sit down in the Malibu parking lot.
And that’s where we left them at 7:30. I had to get in at least a few hours of sleep, a few more of work and make it to my cousin’s wedding. Lauren had a hair appointment at 11:00 and a friend flying in from outta town. As for the rest of the crew, I think slumber was high on their lists of priorities. I’m happy to say that we were all safe in the end. I managed to get some work done and made it to the wedding. Although I did leave about an hour early to try and get some sleep.
All the while my doomed words from the night before kept ringing in my head, “I’ll just have one drink, maybe two.”
See Also:
DC’s Tavern
Elks Lodge #74 Hoboken
Pale Horse
High Speed Chase
Upstart Studios
