Comments on: barhopping to the nth degree

barhopping to the nth degree

mathowie — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:03:48 -0800

NYC man pledges to visit 1000 bars in 2005. That's an average of about three per day, and as of yesterday he was already up to 135. Pray for his liver.

By: cardboard

cardboard — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:09:56 -0800

A prologue. Is this going to turn into some sort of Supersize Me documentary on the evils of drinking?

By: CunningLinguist

CunningLinguist — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:13:19 -0800

Now *this* is a worthy undertaking! Though, what's a "draft Merlot"?

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:19:00 -0800

Wow, I feel like such an underachiever. I used to be proud of hitting a dozen bars in the East Village in one night on my first trip to NYC - but then I was all "barred out" for the next week or so. The thing that amazes me is that he refers to his wife! This sounds like a single man's endeavor. I just can't imagine the phrase "Sorry honey, I'd love go to your Mother's house tonight but I've got to hit a few bars."

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:21:47 -0800

I'd like to see a documentary about someone who takes up a four-pack-a-day smoking habit. Now that would be an eye-opener. Possible title: Oh! Emphysema!

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:26:14 -0800

I don't think this would be that hard- there are lots of places where bars are tightly clustered together, so you could easily hit 5 or 6 in one night. I wager he'll come in ahead of schedule.

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:27:38 -0800

i was completely impressed, and then i realized ... this guy doesn't have a job? (sorry if i missed a bio somewhere. i couldn't find out how he funds his operation ...) what's a draft merlot?

By: Man O' Straw

Man O' Straw — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:37:18 -0800

He's obviously just training to pee his way out of the upcoming ice age.

By: greasy_skillet

greasy_skillet — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:40:44 -0800

My watering-hole has wine on tap. I don't know what kinds, but one has a red handle, the other green.

By: jon_kill

jon_kill — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:49:13 -0800

He's drinking wine. His liver will probably be fine. Without all the second-hand smoke, he'll probably be healthier than not having drank.

By: TheNakedPixel

TheNakedPixel — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:50:48 -0800

Wha--? He claims to have "cleaned up" my local Smith Street yesterday but missed the best of them: Brooklyn Social. Blasphemy, I tell you. This ambitious chap's all quantity and no quality.

By: Miko

Miko — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:52:43 -0800

It would make for an interesting blog, if only he could write.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:58:48 -0800

After hitting three bars every day, I'm sure anyone would think they could write. As well as lick anyone in the room, one-handed.

By: gummo

gummo — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:01:27 -0800

jon_kill: Newcastle makes wine?

By: drezdn

drezdn — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:15:00 -0800

This would be so much easier for him if he lived in Milwaukee (most bars per capita- in your face New York)! He might have trouble ordering wine in most of them though.

By: jon_kill

jon_kill — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:50:46 -0800

Mainly wine, gummo. Mainly.

By: Doohickie

Doohickie — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:52:30 -0800

Yeah, but it would be more impressive if he were in Montana... think of the miles he would have to log to take in 1000 bars! BTW.... where do you get your states for bars per capita? I'd like to see where my native Buffalo, NY, stacks up.

By: Doohickie

Doohickie — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:53:13 -0800

stats, not states.

By: Fuzzy Monster

Fuzzy Monster — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 12:07:24 -0800

NYC man pledges to visit 1000 bars in 2005. jonmc, is that you?

By: stonerose

stonerose — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 12:08:50 -0800

Oh no... it's stopgap, isn't it? What have we done?!?

By: pracowity

pracowity — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 12:34:54 -0800

I'd much rather have a thousand drinks in one good place.

By: sad_otter

sad_otter — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 12:43:36 -0800

I don't think that restaurant bars should count.

By: Fuzzy Monster

Fuzzy Monster — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 12:52:24 -0800

Waiter! Bring Me One Thousand Drinks! And my friend pracowity will also have One Thousand Drinks! Aw, heck-- One Thousand Drinks for Everyone!

By: drezdn

drezdn — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 13:33:50 -0800

I'm trying to find proof for my claim, and so far the best I can do is that the Guinness Book of World Records gives Lacrosse, WI as having the highest number of Bars per capita in the world. Which might explain all the people falling into the river.

By: u.n. owen

u.n. owen — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 13:42:43 -0800

Friend of mine does bar reviews as part of his job. I'd be surprised if he didn't visit at least several hundred a year. With a little more effort he could probably trounce this guy.

By: quarsan

quarsan — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 13:47:45 -0800

such dedication, such endurance, such vision the man is an athlete

By: xil

xil — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:11:51 -0800

A couple of guys in Seattle hit every bar in the city, in one year, for a total of 570 bars.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:34:01 -0800

The highest concentration of bars I've ever seen was in Galway. A friend of mine who was an Oxford grad student (I was going to say "a drunken Oxford grad student," but that's a tautology, isn't it?) said to me, as we looked around in awe on our trip to the west of Ireland, "Let's have a drink in every bar on this block!" I don't remember whether we made it or not, I just have a brief flash of the two of us later that evening banging on the door of the mansion where a girl we'd met in Dublin lived and another image of us all sitting around her dad's study polishing off a bottle of Jameson's while the two of us babbled drunkedly and the girl and her dad smiled tolerantly. I love Ireland. Uh... wha' were we talking about? Bartender, bring me a thousan' drinks -- ish on Fuzzy Monster!

By: mazola

mazola — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 15:11:17 -0800

Amateur.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 16:11:31 -0800

I had this friend at LSU. When her parents dropped her off her Freshman year, they advised her not to go out "every night." As a joke, for the first two weeks of class, she went out every single night, at least for an hour or two. And every night she would call her mom when she got in. She enjoyed the nightlife. Never drinking so much that she lost control, but a great conversationalist and cool people hovered around her. So she kept it up. For four years. Every single night. I'm talking Sundays, Christmas, night before finals. Every single night, at least for an hour or two. By her senior year, she never paid for drinks. She was more regular than most bar-staff. Even when she was sick, she never missed a single night. We went out together the night before her dad's funeral and we went out after the funeral itself. That was one of the few times she really tied it on. I was too ill to go out the next night, but she was a trooper and managed to get out there. I always knew her as more or less a barfly. Imagine my surprise when she graduated top of her class in Abnormal Psychology. She's now a respected doctor. True story.

By: fenriq

fenriq — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 16:48:03 -0800

As well as lick anyone in the room, one-handed. posted by tommasz at 10:58 AM PST on January 31 Howzat work, Tommasz, how could he lick people one handed? I'd think he'd have to lick people with his tongue but maybe I'm just not drunk enough to catch it yet. And yeah, I was thinking SuperSize Me instantly. ColdChef, nice story, shame she's far and away the exception. I've known many a barfly who go to the doctor often enough but have no chance of ever becoming one.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 17:31:59 -0800

It's true. She lost many a boyfriend and drinking partner who couldn't keep up with her.

By: aine42

aine42 — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 16:16:42 -0800

drezdn - I've heard that stat, too, but I can't remember where. The only thing I've found so far to back it up is this piece from Milwaukee Magazine from almost 3 years ago (4th paragraph). This Straight Dope article says we've got 7 of the top 8 cities with most bars per capita, but doesn't say which ones and who knows if it still holds true.