Happy New Year from Drink & Walk

Emergency Drink & Walk Notification System

Ladies and Gents,

The real problem with chilly weather is, of course, that the spider comes in(side) from the field and is pissed. I don't know about you but I prefer my spiders to be comfortable, not pissed. A spider sipping a margarita is a good spider. A spider hanging upside down, in a ratty web above your bed is a spider who needs to reckoned with. And the biggest mistake that people make, when it comes to Spiderly Reckoning, is that they waffle on the need for it. And then, what? Where is the spider? Where did he go? And try to get any sleep after that -- you've got a goddamn pissed off spider aloose in your bedroom. Aloose in your bedroom! Yeah, like you're even gonna turn out the lights after something like that. Pffff.

So, kill that spider or give it some perkocets and join me, Rod Smith, and Star Emeritus Mel (Melissa) Nichols for another edition of Drink & Walk. (Our co-host, Special Ambassador Steph Monte will be on assignment in Europe during this time). We will meet at Angles at 6:00 p.m. this Thursday.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to increasingly Draconian tactics at the Black Cat, we are no longer holding any Drink & Walk activities there. If you'd like to walk with us this week, please join us at Angles before 8:00, and then walk with us wherever we may be going. Last week, we went to the bar at El Paraiso and then downstairs at St. Ex. If you'd like a call, we are now offering Drink & Walk cellular phone service to those who may want to join us late. Send me your phone number and I will call you.

We will, in time, discover a permanent second site. You will be given directions via the Emergency Drink & Walk Notification System of that locale.

Directions:

We will arrive at Angles around 6:00 p.m., where there is a sparse crowd at that hour, a dollar off all drinks, including a wide selection of beers and fancy drinks, a jukebox that features Joy Division and Louis Jordan and just about everything in-between, before, and after, and empty pool tables, if you want to shoot pool. Angles can be found precisely where Belmont runs into 18th Street, in Adams Morgan, a couple blocks north from the intersection of 18th and U, a couple blocks south from the intersection of 18th and Columbia, next to a Jumbo ("there's a fly on my") Slice, up a short staircase. Look for the sign "Angles" above the window or door. We will be in the front room.


We will stay at Angles until about 7:45, at which point, we will walk over to the 14th St. Corridor. Probably, this week, to St. Ex.

Dan Gutstein

Will it make you feel better?

Ladies and Gents,

Feeling a bit under the weather? Well, get over it. The weather will always be above you; you will always be underneath a thundershower or a sunny day or a snow flurry. Unless you are, perpetually, or occasionally cruising at, like, 36,000 feet, but even then, folks, there's a good amount of weather above you and be thankful for that. If weather was, instead, beside you, or beneath you, on a regular basis, you would have a lot more to worry about than a sniffly nose. So what can you do for a garden variety influenza? Consider, folks, the wonders of The Hot Toddy. Some parts whisky, some parts lemonjuice, some parts cloves, some parts hot water, some parts honey. Will it make you feel better? Probably not, but it sure does taste good. And what better time to try it out than this Thursday?

Myself, Rod Smith, Special Ambassador Steph Monte, and Star Emeritus Mel (Melissa) Nichols have declared this Thursday to be Hot Toddy Night at Drink & Walk. If your name is "Toddy" and our panel of judges deems you to be hot, then you may join us and someone will buy you a drink. Otherwise, some, or all, or none of us will be ordering this wonderful drink and reveling in its mystical properties. Remember that great Irish proverb: S/He who drinks last, drinks best. We hope you can join us for one leg or both, but either way we look forward to hoisting a drink in your honor this Thursday at 6:00 or thereabouts.

Ladies and Gents,

There are more windows being replaced all around D.C. than at any other time in the city's history. Whole buildings. On the same day. With giant cranes. And so forth. This isn't scheduled maintenance of any kind. This is due to a tremendous buildup of filth and muck. Ever hear the term "100 year flood?" i.e., A flood of such great magnitude, it is only seen every 100 years? Well this is 100 year Filth and muck. That is, the last great Filth and muck was seen in the famous Great Filth and Muck of 1906. There were some notable Filths and mucks since then, such as the Filth and Muck Scare of 1932, the Little Filth and Muck of 1958, and what has now been popularly termed as the Ronald Reagan Filth and Muck of 1980, but never anything like this. Say it as one word: Filthandmuck.

After you're done saying the word, come on out to join me, Rod Smith, Special Ambassador Steph Monte, and Star Emeritus Mel (Melissa) Nichols for another round of Drink & Walk. Everyone who's been to Angles knows that we have the best window view in town -- i.e., the greatest vantage point from which to watch the Filth and muck. I'm told that Filthandmuck could become a sporting event, kind of like the Iditarod dog races in Alaska -- only here the dog teams would run around the city, through Filth and muck. There are special dogs being bred for just such an environment, known as Filthandmuckers, and these dogs should be ready by 2008, should the blight persist that long.

Remember that this is a "full" Drink & Walk -- from Angles (6:00 to 7:45) we will go to the Black Cat (8:00 to 10:00.) Visit our blog for periodic updates: http://drinkandwalk.blogspot.com/ And we look forward to seeing you there!

Directions:

We will arrive at Angles around 6:00 p.m., where there is a sparse crowd at that hour, a dollar off all drinks, including a wide selection of beers and fancy drinks, a jukebox that features Joy Division and Louis Jordan and just about everything in-between, before, and after, and empty pool tables, if you want to shoot pool. Angles can be found precisely where Belmont runs into 18th Street, in Adams Morgan, a couple blocks north from the intersection of 18th and U, a couple blocks south from the intersection of 18th and Columbia, next to a Jumbo ("there's a fly on my") Slice, up a short staircase. Look for the sign "Angles" above the window or door. We will be in the front room.


We will stay at Angles until about 7:45, at which point, we will walk over to the Red Room Bar at the Black Cat, which can be found on 14th Street, between S and T Streets. Arrival time around 8:00/8:10 p.m., and we will be there, likely, until 10:00. Note: If there is a long line for the Black Cat, don't worry about that (it's probably for a show). Just go up to the door and ask for the bar. They'll card you and you can go in, to your right.

Dan Gutstein