Hello DayDrinkers,
We have just come home from an amazing DayDrinker trip to LA and Orange County. It had been years since I had been to LA and I had an agenda- seeing the places I love, finding new great spots, and meeting members of the OC chapter of DDS.
Having just finished a job I was brain-dead. So was Amanda. So much so that when we landed in LA I realized I had no idea what company I rented the car from and there are 25 rental companies at LAX. Also I forgot to charge my phone so I was tethered to the wall, sitting on the floor calling rental company after rental company. Enough of this, it's time to drink.
We drove to Venice beach. It was dark. We were thirsty. we park and start walking to the Venice pier when I hear Ryan and Lilian calling our names. Strait to the Venice Wailer where I used to spend alot of time. This beach bar overlooks the ocean and has a second floor patio. Next up, Hanano. Pool tables, sawdust on the floor and great burgers. (Where do they get the sawdust). A crappy cover band was butchering surf music, it was wonderful. A quick walk down the street and we were at The Baja Cantina for a margarita. We had only been in town for 2 hours but we were feeling good. There is nothing like like-minded daydrinkers getting together to make a good night great. No complaining about moving around. No complaining about anything. The night is just a mission to see more places and do more things. With that in mind we decided to save the rest of the beach for the daytime and move on to Hollywood. This is the point when it gets a little hazy.
We walked down Hollywood Blvd. to The Burgundy Room. We peeked into The Room across the street but it was shitty. We then found a great spot that the Kraysers knew called Shorties or Tiny's or something and it was awesome. Vern and Stephanie met us there. Stephanie wins the DDS MVP. She was hanging out with us in a Hollywood dive 36 hours before giving birth. DDS baby Isabella. I don't remember going to The Frolic Room but I remember being there.....Then it was morning.
Time to meet the DDS OC chapter. Orange county is a good drive from LA. Too far, some would say, for four hungover drunks. It was worth it. Paul's Downtown Cocktail's. Dark bar with a good juke box. Pool tables. Great people. We met a guy who is know to be a cat burglar. If he sees you hanging at the bar he may take a walk and lift your pad of a few things. We saw a long haired bearded guy who could have played in ZZ Top. He only shaves and gets a hair cut once a year, on his birthday. There is the guy who is such a regular that when he didn't show up for a few weeks he was reported dead and even appeared in the obituary section. On a side note my brother Milhouse has created a new drink, "The Milhouse". It consists of Makers Mark, unsweetened tea, and lemon. Made correctly it's dry and wonderfully mellow, just like Milhouse himself. I thought it was the perfect time to unveil the Milhouse at Paul's. It went over very well and was the inspiration for the newest DDS game. Indoor Wiffle ball. When looking for tea at the corner store we saw a wiffle ball and bat. brought it back to the bar and started playing. If you go to the Video section of this site you will see clips of the game as well as other clips from the weekend. Though the game started inside the bar it eventually made it's way out to the patio where others joined the game. a DDS member Paul was a power hitter. By the way, thanks Paul for the SB bar tips. Rodney, AKA "Danger" did well even though he was on crutches (we let him use a pinch runner). As the drinking continued the game deteriorated into "Wang Ball" where the batter put the bat in between his or her legs and swung without the help of their hands. Ass ball followed and it was time to leave. Thank you to all at Paul's. You guys have a great chapter. I hope in the future you register on this site and write some good stories.
Since we missed the sunset the night before we decided to go to Hermosa beach. There is a pier there with bars and restaurants. O'mallys, then some Brazilian BBQ place. Once again this is where it gets hazy. Back in Hollywood we found Jumbo's Clown Room. Little Krayser, or Dumb-Dumb as he was called (who now knows things about me he would be smart to take to the grave) joined us. Jumbo's is a beloved strip club which is famous for having D list strippers and hip kids. Courtney Love got her start there. This being LA they were mosly B list. At this point we had been in LA for 24 hours and been to about 12 bars. That's a good average. Unfortunately I had only seen 4 of the many old friends on my list. Bad average. Ryan Tighe was a casualty of us being drunks having been waiting around for us in the wrong bar for a majority of the day. He caught up with us at Jumbo's and I think we ended up buying most of his drinks to avoid being hit. Sorry Ryan. I feel like as soon as the waitress came with my drink I was ordering another. This went on for many hours. Some schmuck kept making us get up so he could get lap dances in our booth. A disgusted stripper pointed out that we kept sitting back down in the used booth all night. I hope I'm not pregnant. Upon arriving back at the house I drank some Nyquil to go to sleep. Not the smartest move.
Sunday morning arrived much more painful then I would have hoped. After breakfast at the 101 diner we went to Venice beach for the day. One of the best sunsets from the Santa Monica Pier. Santa Monica for the night. I knew Ryan had to work in the morning. I told him we could drop him off. It's mot my fault. Somewhere between the third and forth drink at Ye Old Kingshead, he perked up. "I think i'll stay out". Nothing better to drink at night when you have an early morning then...... Tequila. We decided to find El Carmen, a great Mexican bar. Huge, sweet Margarita's, Carnita's, and Tamales. I don't know when we finished but I did find my phone in the middle of the street, unharmed.
Monday morning.... I don't know if I can make it and Amanda looks like she needs an IV. Time to drive to Santa Barbara. A quick stop in Paradise Cove for a drink. Beautiful. In Santa Barbara we stumble into an English Pub called Old King's Road that Paul's friend Jessie told us about. The Bartender is just our style. An English lass named Poppen. She tells us about a great Italian restaurant. We find a winery for a tasting. Perfect night. Long drive to LA. Pay Ryan and Lilian for any incidentals we may have accrued while on a Nyquil bender. Fly home.
Once again I have to encourage everyone to get out of town and see your fellow daydrinkers. Also check out the video and blogs on this site. Send your own and remember to start planing your own Frank Sinatra birthday party. This year it falls on a Friday, December 12th.
